Organic Features and Textures Cloak Carol Long’s Sculptures in Natural Embellishments

All images © Carol Long, shared with permission

Melding the decadence of Art Nouveau and the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, artist Carol Long (previously) transforms humble clay vessels with an array of small spheres, curled handles, and densely laid stripes. Her ornamental works begin with simple, wheel-thrown shapes that are pushed, bent, and warped into swelling forms evocative of organic material or more representational subject matter like a deer or mushroom. Long then uses slip trailing and an elaborate glazing process to add a staggering amount of embellishment to the amorphous sculptures, mimicking the patterns, textures, and colors found throughout the natural world.

The Kansas-based artist will be presenting at Clay Con West this January, and you can follow her latest works and news about available pieces on Instagram.

 

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A Fluttering Exterior Responds to the Elements in a Kinetic, Open-Air Cabin by NEON

In the park surrounding Louvre-Lens, which opened in 2012 on a 49-acre former mining site about 125 miles north of Paris, a cabin-shaped installation has fluttered onto the grounds. The kinetic structure designed by Margate, U.K.-based studio NEON, who describe it as an “animal-like” work that responds to natural forces in its environment, has feather-like polycarbonate shingles that respond to wind or precipitation to generate movement. “Shiver House V2″—version one was modeled after a traditional mökki in Finland—is an exploration into the way that architecture can help to build a closer connection between its inhabitants and its surroundings.

“Something that we can do with our work is make people be more present in the moment,” says NEON artist Viliina Koivisto, who along with director Mark Nixon, founded NEON on the premise that architecture, art, and design are not ivory towers and instead intersect with one another in unique ways. “Our projects are often eye-catching, bold, and emotive—and quite fantastical,” Nixon explains.

You can view more of the studio’s work on its website and on Instagram.

 

All images © NEON, shared with permission. Photos by Yves Bercez

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NASA’s James Webb Telescope Captures an Astounding Photo of the Gaseous Pillars of Creation

All images courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI), shared with permission

Back in 1995, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope documented the now iconic Pillars of Creation, a photo of a celestial area known for its staggering number of star formations. That initial image offered an illuminating glimpse of the interstellar stone-like columns made of gas and dust, although a composite recently released from the James Webb Space Telescope uses near-infrared light to highlight the region in even more detail.

This new 122-megapixel photo features a deep-blue expanse studded with light, and the pillars themselves appear less opaque than in the earlier shot. When cropped, the new image shows the Eagle Nebula, located 6,500 light-years away. The bright red fiery orbs apparent from this view are new stars, which are formed “when knots with sufficient mass form within the pillars of gas and dust… begin to collapse under their own gravity (and) slowly heat up.”

 

Left: Pillars of Creation captured via Hubble. Right: Pillars of Creation captured via James Webb

Some of the incandescent bodies still in the early stages of life also produce undulating, lava-like ejections, which NASA describes:

Young stars periodically shoot out supersonic jets that collide with clouds of material, like these thick pillars. This sometimes also results in bow shocks, which can form wavy patterns like a boat does as it moves through water. The crimson glow comes from the energetic hydrogen molecules that result from jets and shocks. This is evident in the second and third pillars from the top–the NIRCam image is practically pulsing with their activity. These young stars are estimated to be only a few hundred thousand years old.

Researchers say the new photo will allow more accurate counts of new formations and their development.

 

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Trees Are Tied Up in Uncanny Knots in Monsieur Plant’s Playful Sculptures

All images © Christophe Guinet, shared with permission

Trees have an incredible ability to adjust to their surroundings, slowly sending roots across walkways, growing through fences, or merging with other trunks. Artist Christophe Guinet, who works as Monsieur Plant, draws inspiration from nature’s ability to flex and modify in a series of uncanny, elegant sculptures titled Twist.

Since childhood, outdoor walks fueled Guinet’s creative imagination. “It was during my walks in the forest that I was inspired for this project,” he tells Colossal. “By observing the way trees grow, we found unusual, unique, humorous shapes,” prompting him to consider the surprising ways nature can adapt. Using plaster to form the shapes like knots or spirals, he then covers the surfaces with pine bark to give the appearance of real trees and documents each work in wooded surroundings.

Find more of Guinet’s work on his website and Instagram. (via Hyperallergic)

 

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Forceful Waves Rip Across Lake Eerie in Tempestuous Photos by Trevor Pottelberg

All images © Trevor Pottelberg, shared with permission

When fall and winter storms send turbulent waves across Lake Eerie, Canadian photographer Trevor Pottelberg documents the volatile eruptions that burst from the water’s surface. Facing winds up to 60 miles per hour, he frames massive waves as they emerge in dramatic outbursts, leaving sprays of icy mist and ripples in their wake. The monumental swells are energetic and immensely strong, showcasing the formidable power of nature.

Based in Brownsville, Ontario, Pottelberg teaches photography at Fanshawe College and will have a variety of landscape and animal images on view at Elm Hurst Inn & Spa in Ingersoll starting in December. Shop prints on his site, and find more of his work on Instagram, some of which were recently recognized in the Professional Photographers of Canada Ontario Provincial Competition.

 

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Vintage Illustrations of Flora and Fauna Are Superimposed into Surreal Portraits by MUMI

All images © MUMI, shared with permission

Feathers, flowers, leaves, and the human muscular system are spliced into an eclectic camouflage in MUMI’s surreal portraits. From vintage encyclopedias, magazines, and art historical paintings, the Argentinian artist cuts and layers images into compositions that vacillate between the whimsical and the bizarre. Led by a larger narrative, the collages commingle styles, eras, colors, and textures into disorienting portraits, all spurred by the artist’s desire to experiment. “I truly enjoy the organic process in which I let myself go freely,” MUMI shares. “There are endless possibilities when I cut an image. I take it out of its context, its direct meaning, or its origin, and I give it a new surreal environment.”

Prints are available from Society6, and you can find an archive of her fantastic works on Instagram.

 

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The Open Press Project is Making the World’s Smallest 3D-Printed Press Even Tinier

All images © Open Press Project, shared with permission

A few years ago, Cologne-based designers Martin Schneider and Dominik Schmitz noticed that access to intaglio printmaking resources was limited because presses are prohibitively expensive, require lots of space, and are often located in private workshops or institutions. To make the practice more accessible, the artists launched the world’s first 3D-printed etching press in 2018, and the Open Press Project was born. Schneider and Schmitz’s miniature, open-source, fully-functional model allowed people to download and assemble the machine themselves at a fraction of the cost of a traditional press—and a fraction of the size!

Now, Schneider and Schmitz are scaling up by scaling way down in a new Kickstarter campaign that launches the smallest press they could make. Complete with ball bearings and a stainless steel roller, “it can be used for any intaglio and relief technique, like drypoint, etching, engraving, or linocuts and woodcuts of up to 13 millimeter thickness.” Learn to make your own press and tiny prints on the project’s website and join its growing community on Instagram.

 

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