Into the wee forest...
Spending so much time on Instagram these days, I continue to discover a wealth of artisans who carve their niche with meticulous minikin craft. Inspiring awe and delight, it is worth a sharing. The love and care bestowed upon each creation is pure magic in these wee forest findings. Let me introduce you to three of my favorites.
Meadow and Fawn is created by painter, sculptor and jewelry maker, Alexis, located in Southern California since 2012. New collections are released every one to three months, and she is currently part of a group show, Le Rêve in New York at the Haven Gallery until May.
Meadow and Fawn totem jewelry combine groupings of tiny hand crafted animals and painted lockets made of real and faux flowers, mushrooms foraged from wooded gardens, clay and paper. Pieces are hand painted with precious particulars.
For Alexis' scenes, through the use of handmade reclaimed wooden shadowboxes, glass cloches and wooden bases, small scenes are brought to life in exquisite detail. You may often find little animal sculptures formed as busts, sitting independently, or casually walking in her mannered forest settings.
Next up is Small Wild Shop created by Danielle Pedersen. Her "wee ceramic beasts & other wild things" are crafted in glazed ceramic with cheerful colors and hand painted gold. They are extremely detailed and beautifully delicate.
Currently with over one hundred thousand (yes, you read that correctly!) followers on Instagram, she lists her art in batches one to three times each month, usually selling out in less than twenty minutes! It may take a few go-rounds to snag a necklace if you're lucky.
Many of Danielle's followers are returning customers for they collect the pendant necklaces, eager to own multiple unique creature creations like her purrmaids and rainbow sloths.
Last but not least, is the visual partnership, Woodlucker. Creators Ann Wood and Dean Lucker combined forces in 1987 and opened their studio where their cooperative is based on both individual and collaborative practice. Their work combines a love for illustrated paper art and crafted natural history to conceive engaging objects full of specialty and sentiment.
I came to nature as a subject because it is universal. We pause to look at a flower, pick up a feather, touch a leaf or comment to a companion about a particular specimen. Nature’s beauty is fleeting and ever changing in it’s magnificence. My work speaks to the notion that everything is temporary. I look at botanical identification guides and photographs for inspiration. I work from the real, not to duplicate but interpret nature’s splendor. I try to capture the variety and essence of the real but with the outcome being a heighten reality where the viewers stops to take a second glance. ~ Ann Wood
Dean’s work (below) is driven by a passion for colloquial animation of tradition. He creates mechanical storytelling displays in works combining a personalized mythology with crafted models.
You see, creativity is alive and thriving when you take a look into the wee forest... xoxo-Sonya
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