Handmade Portraits – The Bone Carver

June 1, 2012 • Alaska, Alaska Native Arts Foundation, Etsy, Handmade Portraits, Places, Work Reel • by
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In December 2010 and March 2012 I was lucky enough to head to Alaska to shoot with Iñupiat artist Sylvester Ayek. As a young boy on King Island, Sylvester learned the ways of his Iñupiat elders: hunting, foraging, and the craft of carving walrus ivory and wood. Today, he sells his artwork to support his traditional subsistence lifestyle, struggling to maintain Iñupiat ways in a quickly changing world.

Thanks to Etsy and Alaska Native Arts Foundation for encouraging me to follow this engaging story. And to all of the folks that shared Sylvester’s video, especially iTunes, Vimeo, The Atlantic and SeaNanners.

 

Handmade Portraits: Old School Tools

August 5, 2010 • Etsy, Handmade Portraits • by
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Orien MacDonald, a.k.a. Old School Tools, grew up in Alaska and Southern New Mexico, where his parents were part of the Back-to-the-Land movement. His dad taught workshops in building handmade houses out of adobe clay and had a vast woodshop where Orien whittled his first woodworking project at the age of five.

Read the full Etsy blog post and comment to enter to win Orien’s handmade chefs knife!

R.I.P. Louise Bourgeois

May 31, 2010 • art, Events • by
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Sculptor Louise Bourgeois died today at age 98. Bourgeious’s abstract organic works made a huge impression on me in art school and will forever be one of the artists I look to for creative inspiration.

“Ms. Bourgeois’s sculptures in wood, steel, stone and cast rubber, often organic in form and sexually explicit, emotionally aggressive yet witty, covered many stylistic bases. But from first to last they shared a set of repeated themes, centered on the human body and its need for nurture and protection in a frightening world.” – The New York Times

There’s No Place Like Here: Dustin Yellin

May 15, 2009 • Etsy, There's No Place Like Here • by
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(music by Butthole Surfers, Barry London, Enemy Heroes, The Give, animation by JuliaPott)

Artist, filmmaker, surfer, and world traveler Dustin Yellin creates intricate volumetric tomographic paintings and hunts for salvaged treasures during his extensive travels. His incredible studio space is a 1500 square foot warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Yellin has filled the space with an eclectic collection of street finds and friends’ artwork. From paintings and drawing by Gavin Anderson and Gibby Haynes to animal skulls, snake skins and giant wooden sculptures, this artistic hub is filled with natural history wonders and contemporary art.

I had a blast shooting this video with Dustin, he’s a super cool cat with tons of drive and talent. We found Dustin through the excellent photography blog The Selby. Thank you Todd Selby!

Read the full article on Etsy’s blog.

Check out Dustin’s latest show Dust in the Brain Attic at Robert Miller Gallery.

Handmade Portraits: Bruce Metcalf

October 10, 2008 • Etsy, Handmade Portraits • by
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(Music credit: Lineland)

Bruce Metcalf has dedicated almost forty years of his life to the creation and historiography of American Studio Craft. He makes his exquisite  jewelry with the utmost care and precision. On average most of the pieces take two months to create, whereas some take years before he perfects the final nuances.

To read more about Bruce Metcalf, the debate about alt craft vs. studio craft or to listen to the out-take audio podcast from this interview go to Etsy’s blog the Storque.