Calder for Body and Soul

It was a night of dazzling jewels, with nary a precious stone in sight. Salon 94 is exhibiting 40 pieces of Alexander Calder’s crimped, coiled, hammered, and highly coveted creations of body adornment in “Show and Tell: Calder Jewelry and Mobiles.”

While the sculptor’s work is famously kinetic, the opening celebration had these masterpieces of craftsmanship and engineering bouncing around the room. It took quite a few dedicated pairs of watchful eyes to keep track, as pieces made their way around assorted necks, heads, ears, and wrists. When they were not being tried on and photographed, the pieces were displayed on the original faces and heads made by Calder for a 1940 show of the work. Additional “display” sculptures were created for the occasion by a number of contemporary artists invited by the gallery.

The exhibit, which is presented in collaboration with the Calder Foundation, remains on view through December 20th.

Family members, of course, were wearing amazing pieces of their own.

Andre J. looked fabulous next to one of the unwearable mobiles.

Dangling earrings taken to a a new level. You cannot truly understand a Calder mobile until you wear one. What a total thrill!

Gwen Murphy's "Foot Fetish" Faces

The Governess

I recently encountered Gwen Murphy’s “Foot Fetish” sculptures in Brattleboro, Vermont at Gallery in the Woods. Definitely a cut above the usual craft-gallery fare. I wonder if she gets to deduct shoes as a business expense?

Toe Shoes

Indru and Jojo

Red Devils

Big Mouth Twins

She's Not There

Blue Elders

Merry Mirrors

I don't know what delivery time is from Australia to other parts of the world, but it’s something to keep in mind, since that is where Sandra Eterovic lives and makes her smile-inducing mirrors. Sandra was recently profiled as an Etsy Featured Seller. Although she studied art history in college, the origin of her handmade aesthetic and love of pattern was her parents’ hometown of Pučišća, off the coast of Croatia, where she spent time every summer as a child. You can read more about her background and influences here and visit her shop to see the mirrors and her other handmade treats.

NOTE: Due to faulty code which unknowingly embeds itself when I copy text from MS Word, posts over the past few weeks have not been received by email subscribers nor appeared in RSS feeds. The offending posts have been removed for the time being.

Happy Hanukkah from the Trenches

So much for this amazingly original trench art Hanukkah Menorah I found on eBay. There’s another exactly like this one, written up here, and yet another just like it in the book "From the Secular to the Sacred: Everyday Objects in Jewish Ritual Use" by the Israel Museum.

“Trench art,” as it turns out, is a tricky business. It’s hard to know whether the our Menorah was a microtrend, as in “I’ve got this rifle butt--hey, I think I’ll make one of those nifty menorahs I just saw Ari make,” or if it is of the “mass produced” variety. By that I mean “Yossi, bring me as many rifle butts as you can get your hands on. Tourists are buying them faster than I can turn them out.”

Here’s how Wikipedia presents the subject of trench art:

To the uninitiated, all trench art, by definition, was made by a soldier sitting in a trench in France during the First World War, in the midst of a bombardment. To the cynics, it was all made in the 1920s by enterprising French and Belgian citizens. The reality is, naturally, a mix of these extremes, and everything in between, and spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day.

In the realm of Judaica, the Menorah might be the only ritual object for which a gun is actually appropriate, as Hanukkah is the only ancient Jewish holiday to commemorate Jews battling their enemies. If you are not familiar with those guerilla warriors who took back the Temple, read about the macho Maccabees here.

Here's to repurposing all guns! Wishing a peaceful, light-filled holiday to all.

Sarah Illenberger's Infographics

Berlin, Stadtansichten Magazin

Berlin-based Sarah Illenberger is well know for her use of humble materials—paper, styrofoam, cold cuts, etc.—for illustrative purposes. Since posting a piece she did for The New York Times Magazine, I’ve been wanting to show some of her infographics, which display the same inventiveness with imagery and materials. Though her work is often admired for its meticulous handwork and attention to detail (see recent project, smart fortwo), Illenberger’s approach to data/info display demonstrates that her true skill lies not in her hands, but in her mind. They are refreshing examples of infographic possibilities that exist beyond the computer.

Dresden, Neuland


Sex Survey, Neon

How many people have you slept with?

Have you ever paid for sex?
What is your sexual orientation?
How many times a month do you look at pornographic sites on the internet?


Knitted Organs, SZ


Love these "alternative" 3D models. (Good to keep in mind for when Bryan Christie isn’t available.)

ffrench Family Calendar

One of my few countervailing joys to monthly bill-paying is the monthly page-turn of my Dolphin Studio hand silk-screened calendar. The annual production of this glorious work, is a group effort by three generations of ffrench Family artists.
Family patriarch, John ffrench, died in January at age 81.

I’ve read a number of obituaries and bios, but I like most what was written by his daughter Crispina, who is a well-know textile artist. She posted this on the Etsy site set up to sell the small paintings John was making during his illness, right before he died.


Crispina writes:

John ffrench is actually my dad. 

He is 81 and has no idea how to use a computer.
He does, on the other-hand know how to make really cool things. 


John C. ffrench is Irish. Grew up in a castle in Co. Galway. He went to art school in Dublin, Ireland and Florence, Italy.

Trained as a potter, spent time in Cuba, Italy, Iceland, France, Switzerland, Peru, Haiti, Australia, a few years in India working for the government teaching potters to use glaze (where he admittedly learned more than he taught).


Since 1983 John ffrench and his lovely wife, Primm, (my beloved mom). Have spent their summers in Nogra, near Kinvara in County Galway Ireland and the rest of the year in Stockbridge, MA where I grew up. As a matter of fact they live in the same house where I, and my two sisters, grew up.


Mainly John is highly respected in Ireland where he has ceramics in the National Gallery in Dublin. In 2008 there was an hour long retrospective television program all about John ffrench and his impact on the changes, namely, introduction of color and free form, to Irish ceramics - That summer The National Crafts Council of Ireland in Kilkenny had a summer long retrospective show of all my dad's work from his college career up to present time.

As a kid, my dad was the ceramics teacher at the high school I attended. 

So, right now, I, my husband, Chris, and our kids are staying in my childhood home while the cancer spreads through John's body and we work to keep him engaged and interested. So far our work has not been difficult - he is easily entertained with art supplies and company. In this shop you will find Aceo cards he has been working on. If time allows I will post some of his ceramics too. 

When you convo John, I will get the messages and pass them on. He loves people and will surely love to hear feedback or your stories.

I hope you enjoy his work as I have thoroughly enjoyed his company for my adult life - he is a treasure and knows how to make those too!

February 22, 2010
: so sad to say that my Dad, John ffrench, passed away one month ago today. It brought him great pleasure to know that each piece of his I posted here was sold in short order. I miss him.

I feel lucky to have met John a number of years ago, when a friend took me to visit The Dolphin Studio in Stockbridge, MA.

Like everyone else who has met him, I was charmed by his Irish accent, and his good nature in telling stories and showing his work. You cannot help but be enchanted by the colors, patterns and images throughout the studio. And he was totally unfazed by the two six-year-olds with us, who "enthusiastically explored" his ceramics-filled studio.



There are more calendar pages to view on the blog Return to Bohemia. You can see more ceramics online at the Kenny Gallery.

To be contacted when next year’s calendar is ready, go here. The calendars sell out, so order when you get the email.