Dyed and Spliced Wooden Sculptures by Bayne Peterson Bulge and Ooze in Playful Shapes

“Precursor 1” (2022), dyed plywood, 14 x 18.25 x 9.5 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer. All images © Bayne Peterson, courtesy of the artist and Kristen Lorello, NY, shared with permission

As artist Bayne Peterson sketches the voluptuous and sinuous shapes of what will become his vibrant wooden sculptures, he takes cues from organic movement. “I’m thinking less, ‘what does nature look like?’ and more, in a general sense, ‘what would nature do?'” he says. His geometric works echo both generative and reductive biological processes, bulging and surging in asymmetric forms that accentuate the relationship between negative and positive space.

Evoking growth, replication, and deterioration, Peterson references geometric principles when structuring his works. He begins with an initial drawing, cuts dyed and raw wood, and then splices the segments into checked patterns, stripes, and radial motifs. Each work undergoes a hefty round of sculpting with rough hand tools like rasps and files before the soft, supple curves emerge. “My process (of) shaping and sanding feels very much like erosion, and I also think of my sculptures in relation to geology, with the layers of dyed wood being like layers of sediment,” he shares, likening the lines to topographic maps.

The resulting sculptures contrast the vivid patterns with the natural grain of the raw material, and many are comprised of two larger forms stacked or slotted together. Because Peterson prefers irregular motifs and undulating forms, the works shift in perspective depending on the position of the viewer. “One of the most fun parts of making sculptures for me is the challenge of making a static object seem animated,” he says, elaborating:

Sometimes I want it to feel like the viewer’s entire field of vision, and not just the object, is in motion, like looking at an underwater object from above the rippling surface…My ultimate goal is to push all these factors to a level at which the object begins visually to swim and in which the overload of information within the work is difficult to process all at once, like the experience of watching a flickering campfire or looking at a glitching pixelated digital screen. 

For more from Peterson, who is based in Rhode Island, head to Instagram, where he shares a trove of sculptures and glimpses into his process.

 

“Untitled” (2018), dyed plywood and natural wood, 15 x 9 x 5 inches. Photo by Jeffrey Sturges

“Untitled” (2021), dyed plywood, 19 x 10 x 8.5 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer

“Untitled” (2022), dyed plywood, 15.5 x 12 x 6.5 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer

“Untitled” (2020), dyed plywood, 11 x 15.5 x 5.5 inches. Photo by Jeffrey Sturges

“Untitled” (2020), dyed plywood, 14 x 13.75 x 7.5 inches. Photo by Jeffrey Sturges

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Gracefully Elongated Limbs Stretch and Bend in Isabel Miramontes’s Figurative Sculptures

“Come On,” bronze, 26 x 24 x 12 inches. All images courtesy of CASART, shared with permission

With a flair for dramatic contortions of the human body, Spanish artist Isabel Miramontes (previously) casts elongated limbs and impossibly stretched torsos in bronze. Many of her elegant sculptures depict androgynous figures with no discernable gender or clothing who are caught in the midst of movement.  Expressive and exaggerated, the figures evoke the distinct tension between corporeal limitation and liberation.

In “Come On,” for example, one subject attempts to pull another from their collapsed position on the floor, while other works feature characters with segmented bodies or heads attached to an upper arm rather than a neck. The latter emphasizes the ephemeral aspects of both motion and the flesh, showing that each will ultimately disappear into memory.

Explore more of the artist’s recent works at CASART and on Artsy.

 

“Modus Vivendi,” bronze, 22 x 19 x 11 inches

“Freehand,” bronze, 110 x 22 x 18 centimeters

Left: “Gust of Wind,” bronze, 15 x 10 x 14 inches. Right: “Bather,” bronze, 41 x 18 x 14 inches

“Big Step,” bronze, 61 x 12 x 51 inches

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Antonius-Tín Bui Carves Spaces for Diverse Histories in Their Meticulous Paper Artworks

“Solo of Raven” (2021), hand-cut paper and paint, 109 x 60 inches. All images © Antonius Tin-Bui, courtesy of moniquemeloche, shared with permission

Intricately cutting single sheets of paper by hand, Antonius-Tín Bui (previously) reveals intimate portraits of friends, family, and the diverse narratives that shape identity and community. The Vietnamese-American artist’s subjects are delineated by elaborate geometric and botanical patterns evocative of Southeast Asian decorative motifs and are often portrayed among clusters of traditional porcelain vases, some of which contain large voids as if a piece has broken off. Among the vessels and patterns, Bui details figures enmeshed in their surroundings as words and interiors tenderly acknowledge the queer Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Bui describes their identity as “ever-glitching” queer, non-binary, and Vietnamese-American, and as a child of refugees who immigrated to New York, they are interested in the narratives of displaced communities, the enormity of transition and transformation, and false dichotomies in geography, culture, and gender. The artist was struck by the focus that cultural institutions place on vessels—and Asian ceramics, in general—in their collections, confronted by the way that many Western museums have historically erased Eastern cultural narratives, resulting in fragmented, siloed representation of an antiquated, overgeneralized Orientalist perspective of the past.

Pieces like “There’s Fluency in Forgetting,” which is part of a series of exploding vessels, mark the transformational nature of the passage of time, visualizing the relationship between past and present to construct what Bui describes as “hybrid identity and histories.” For each figure, the artist carefully carves the details of tattoos, jewelry, and messages that reveal aspects of their stories. Each work is a meditation on presence and absence, memories, inter-generational trauma, and beauty, “metaphorically carving out space for the narratives that are so often omitted from recognized histories.”

moniquemeloche will present a solo exhibition of Bui’s work at Independent Fair in New York next month, and you can see more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

 

“There’s Fluency in Forgetting” (2022), hand-cut paper, ink, pencil, and paint, 32 x 24 inches

Detail of “Solo of Raven”

“Holding onto these fragments, all these years (The Protectors)” (2021), hand-cut paper, marker, pencil, and ink, 83 1/2 x 43 inches

“Vanguard” (2018), hand-cut paper, 78 x 42 1/8 x 2 1/8 inches

“The Resounding Echo of a Revision” (2022), hand-cut paper, ink, pencil, and paint, 34 x 28 inches

Detail of “The Resounding Echo of Revision”

“Holding onto these fragments, all these years (The Protectors)” (2021), hand-cut paper, marker, pencil, and ink, 93 1/2 x 42 1/2 inches

“Holding onto these fragments, all these years (The Protectors)” (2021), hand-cut paper, marker, pencil, and ink, 92 x 42 inches

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In Monica Rohan’s ‘Disappearing Act,’ Free-Floating Fabrics Disguise Landscapes Under Threat

“Interference” (2023), oil on canvas, framed, 180 x 150 centimeters. All images © Monica Rohan, courtesy of the artist and Jan Murphy Gallery, shared with permission

Draped over invisible clotheslines, vintage fabrics conceal seaside vistas, meadows teeming with dried grasses, and craggy walls of stone in Monica Rohan’s latest works. The artist (previously) renders the vast landscapes of her native Australia in a new series of oil paintings as part of Disappearing Act, her solo show on view later this month at Jan Murphy Gallery in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.

Known for her deft portrayals of pattern and the dimensions of folded textiles, Rohan continues to contrast domestic, human-made material with more organic surroundings. In this series, disembodied limbs draw back the suspended curtains, slowly uncovering the otherwise concealed landscapes. Rohan refers to these small reveals as “portals to seemingly idyllic environments beyond” that accentuate the way paintings—and art, more broadly—intervene in how we experience our surroundings.

The stage-like nature of the paintings draws connections between the limited duration of theatrical performances and the impending losses caused by the climate crisis as they channel “feelings of anxiety and concern toward landscapes under threat,” the artist says. Each is serene with calm waters, sunny skies, and an easiness to its existence, and all notably lack evidence of human civilization. Devoid of a body, the hands add an uncanny tension to the works, as they direct viewers toward what lies behind the curtains and emphasize, as the title suggests, “that the show is about to start.”

Disappearing Act will run from April 26 to May 13. Until then, take a look at Rohan’s Instagram, where she generously shares glimpses into her process.

 

“The Sea” (2022), oil on canvas, framed, 120 x 183 centimeters

“Strung up in late afternoon light” (2023), oil on canvas, framed, 120 x 180 centimeters

“Select” (2023), oil on board, framed, 35.5 x 28 centimeters

“Ridge between mountains” (2023), oil on board, framed, 120 x 90 centimeters

“Riverbank” (2023), oil on board, framed, 120 x 90 centimeters

“Withdraw from the hillside” (2022), oil on board, framed, 120 x 90 centimeters

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Crystal Tumblers and Decanters Glint in the Sun in Photorealistic Embroideries by Lucy Simpson

All images © Peacocks and Pinecones, shared with permission

Reflecting her interest in drawing and photorealism, Lucy Simpson of Peacocks and Pinecones embroiders the glinting edges of glass and metallic objects in painstaking detail. Each piece is composed by directly observing decorative items like crystal tumblers and decanters, with some of the larger compositions taking upwards of 200 hours to complete. “It’s a slow process, and as a person who isn’t naturally patient, it’s a real endurance test for me,” she says. “I feel a real sense of accomplishment when I finish a piece.”

Simpson’s interest in needlework goes back to childhood and spending time with her grandmother, from whom she learned some basic skills at an early age. Fast forward to around five years ago when the artist had just given birth to her third child, and she took up cross-stitching from patterns as a way to relax. “I had been diagnosed with postnatal depression and anxiety, and my sister bought me my first kit to try and take my mind off things,” she says. “I loved how I had to completely focus on what I was doing, which left no room for intrusive thoughts. After a while, I decided I wanted to stitch my own designs and came across an embroidery style called thread painting and decided to have a go myself.”

 

First, Simpson began experimenting with rendering metallic objects, enjoying how single strands in a specific color could evoke a realistic depiction of light glinting off of an edge or seam. She spent time honing her craft on subjects like birds and animals because the stitches lent themselves naturally to the lines of fur and feather, but during the pandemic when she was spending extra time at home, she began to yearn for something more difficult.

“I think the biggest challenge using thread to depict glass is stitching the illusion of transparency,” she says. “I love the intricacies of cut glass and the way it distorts the liquid and makes light bounce around.” Typically working on a neutral background, Simpson sometimes incorporates patterns like gingham or polka dots, and she is constantly experimenting with new ways of realistically translating light and color, one stitch at a time.

Simpson occasionally takes commissions, and you can follow Peacocks and Pinecones on Instagram for updates.

 

     

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Virginia Mori Twists Everyday Anxieties into Dreamlike Illustrations

All images © Virginia Mori, shared with permission

Through pen and ink renderings, Virginia Mori continues her elegant and surreal interpretations of the prosaic. The Italian illustrator and animator (previously) gravitates toward the everyday and turns moments of relative simplicity into strange otherworldly scenes. Plucking a book off of a shelf reveals a figure lurking behind the volumes, for example, while an enormous detached head plummets to the earth where a team awaits with a cushion for a safe landing. Often featuring minimal palettes of pastel colors, the introspective works meld relatable feelings of anxiety, hesitation, and fear with dreamlike inventions.

Currently, Mori has works on view in a group exhibition through May 7 at the Seoul Museum and is preparing for another opening in September at Jiro Miura Gallery in Tokyo. Shop prints of her illustrations at Librera di Fursaglia and stay-hop, which also sells t-shirts, cards, and her latest book Feeling Bed. You can follow her projects and collaborations on Instagram.

 

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How many legs does an octopus have?

An octopus has eight legs, which is where its name comes from ("octo" meaning eight in Greek). These legs are actually called arms, and they are lined with two rows of suction cups that the octopus uses to grip and manipulate objects. Additionally, the arms are extremely flexible and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as hunting, crawling, and defending against predators.