In Fantastical Laser-Cut Plywood Reliefs, Gabriel Schama Revels in Elaborate Details

All images © Gabriel Schama, shared with permission

Through a process of meticulous design, laser-cutting, and layering, Gabriel Schama creates incredibly detailed reliefs from thin plywood (previously). His work has focused on symmetrical, mandala-like forms with countless undulating patterns, and in recent years, he’s begun to explore more narrative themes, placing figures and objects into fantastical compositions. In new works, otherworldly birds careen in a flurry of feathers, a bottle of potion roils, and a hanging unit on a wall doubles as a holster for a sword.

One major project that took Schama several months to complete was a pair of panels installed on monumental doors. “The real feat was figuring out how to break the design down into smaller pieces, hiding the seams between the panels in the lines of the design and making the whole thing foolproof for some team of people on the other side of the world to install,” he tells Colossal.

 

“Potion of Dreams”

Over the past few years, Schama has experimented with different colored stains to enhance the compositions but struggled to find results he was happy with. Then, he unexpectedly stumbled upon new techniques and now incorporates varying hues. He says, “I have an old bias towards not obscuring the inherent qualities of the wood, hence sticking to ‘natural’ wood tones for so long, but I have become pretty obsessed with this really vibrant purple pigment I just found.”

Schama has been working on a large chapel- or temple-like structure, with Burning Man in mind. “Every time I’ve posted images of the scale maquettes I’ve made, people go out of their way to offer their help building it,” he says. The artist is also producing smaller pieces to be released as numbered editions this fall. You can follow Instagram for updates, and explore more work on his website.

 

“Bridge of Birds”

“DJ Booth”

Left: “Chapel of the Lilies.” Right: “Thorn and Fang”

“Tension and Release”

“Prince of Thunder”

Detail of “Prince of Thunder”

Installation view of “Thorn and Fang”

Door panels prior to installation

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Can You Reproduce da Vinci’s Masterpiece in Under 60 Seconds? Try with Clone-a Lisa

All images via Clone-a Lisa

It took Leonardo da Vinci four years to paint the “Mona Lisa,” so how well can you recreate the portrait in just one minute? The creators behind Vole.wtf recently released “Clone-a Lisa,” an interactive game that challenges users to forge the art historical masterpiece in under 60 seconds. You can reference the original throughout, and at the end, you’ll see how your work measures up to that of the Italian great.

 

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Laurent Ballesta’s Luminous Photographs Reveal the Astounding Diversity of Ocean Life

All images © Laurent Ballesta, shared with permission

The earth’s oceans are mindbogglingly expansive, and less than 20 percent has been mapped, explored, or seen by humans. For Laurent Ballesta, the underwater world provides an endless stream of remarkable aquatic personalities. The French photographer seeks exciting formations of fish, coral, and crustaceans, capturing their behaviors and honing in on individual traits: a hefty crab carries numerous barnacles on its back, a colony of shrimp look as if they want to say hello, and a shiver of sharks swarms around a meal.

Trained as a marine biologist, Ballesta has been a photographer for National Geographic since 2011 and won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award three times, capturing life below the surface with an eye for beauty and a focus on scientific inquiry. As the director of Andromède Océanologie for more than 20 years, in addition to leading group dives through Gombessa Expeditions, Ballesta emphasizes undersea exploration where there is “a scientific mystery to be solved, a diving challenge to be met, and the promise of unprecedented images.”

Prints are available for purchase on Ballesta’s website along with a selection of books. Follow updates on Facebook and Instagram to stay apprised of new releases. You might also enjoy taking a deep dive into footage of rare jellyfishes spotted over the past few years. (via Blind Magazine)

 

 

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Go Behind the Scenes To Glimpse the Exacting Process of Creating Tiffany-Style Lampshades

Huge sheets of colored glass transform into intricate, illuminated floral designs in a new video from Process Discovery that glimpses the manufacturing process of Tiffany-style lamps. A timeless design originally made popular by artist Louis Comfort Tiffany in the late 19th century, the colorful, luminescent shades remain popular today. And while original models produced for Tiffany sell for tens of thousands of dollars, mass-produced versions like the ones shown here are much more accessible. The process comprises complex steps that follow an intricate diagram, from cutting individual shapes to assembling in a mold to soldering every seam.

You might also enjoy more behind-the-scenes videos from Japan-based Process X.

 

All images © Process Discovery

  

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An Abandoned Cabinet Unearths a Trove of Unseen Kodachrome Slides Documenting 1960s San Francisco

All images courtesy of David Gallagher, shared with permission

There’s a Vivian Maier-esque story out of San Francisco that’s drawing attention to a newly discovered body of work from a largely unknown photographer.

Back in 2020, David Gallagher, who runs the historical archive known as SF Memory, received a hefty cabinet that was found abandoned in San Francisco’s Mission District. Inside were 920 Kodachrome slides capturing life in the California city throughout the 1960s, with no identifying details about the photographer.

The images document a period of major infrastructural development in the area, including the construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system and the subway beneath Market Street, in addition to quieter moments. There are children at play, an officer showing off a chunky, white rabbit, and families swimming in Fleishhacker Pool before the public saltwater complex closed in 1971. Together, the collection creates a distinct photographic tapestry of life in the city during a time of massive change and growth.

 

Earlier this month, Gallagher spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle about the findings and their mysterious origin, and very quickly, a local named Ted Martin identified the images as those of his late father, James A. Martin. Ted shared that the cabinet was purged from the family’s possessions following James’ death in 2019 along with two others just like. That pair, which presumably holds more photos, is still missing—Gallagher has been feverishly searching for the remaining cabinets and plastering signs throughout the city asking about their whereabouts.

According to his son, James was a teacher and technophile who “loved San Francisco. He lived here his entire life, all 90 years. He was a big sports fan: Giants, Warriors, 49ers. He worked hard. He did his day job and then did night school and other things for extra money.” Those odd gigs included photography for weddings and other local happenings. He developed the images in his home dark room, and apparently, stored the slides in the aforementioned metal cases where they remained hidden.

Now, there’s growing interest in James’ photos and in locating the rest of the collection. While the search continues, Gallagher has been sharing some of the slides on SF Memory, which is definitely worth a look. (via PetaPixel)

 

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Humans Bond with Animals and Nature in Adrian Arleo’s Poetic Ceramic Sculptures

“Internal” (2021), clay, glaze, wax encaustic, gold luster, and mixed media, 13 x 20 x 12.5 inches. All images © Adrian Arleo, shared with permission

Honeycomb faces, a hound with hands for fur, and the all-seeing eyes of a badger are just a few of the hybrid figures in Adrian Arleo’s striking sculptures. For four decades, the Missoula-based artist has explored poetic imagery that creates strong emotional bonds. “Often, there’s a suggestion of a vital interconnection between the human and non-human realms; the imagery arises from associations, concerns, and obsessions that are at once intimate and universal,” she says in a statement.

Working primarily in clay and porcelain, sometimes with the addition of encaustic, gold luster, and other materials, Arleo’s pieces reveal an interest in mythology and archetypes. She focuses on themes of change and transformation, both personal and in our environmental, social, and political realities. Each work harbors a story, like “Internal,” which references “the vastness of our internal space and experience.” She says:

The small figure that’s cradled in the woman’s hair has a surface coloration that references the night sky: a deep blue-black with gold flecks, like the cosmos. That references the beautiful frescoed chapel ceilings I’ve frequently seen in Italy, the blue with gold stars. The piece was made during the pandemic, and the isolation of that period created a kind of turning inward, since outward was so restricted.

 

Detail of “Internal”

Ideas for Arleo’s pieces often arise from everyday observations. For example, one day she was watching her chickens and noticed the texture of their feathers, prompting her to imagine numerous hands overlapped in a caressing formation and to create a series experimenting with the motif. The symbolism of hands as the source of protection, communication, and creation provide a deep well of possible interpretations. In “Dog With Hands,” the creature might suggest the therapeutic way that dogs can calm us or indicate how well they are cared for and loved.

“Much of my work arises from a kind curiosity,” Arleo says. “I’ll observe something, either in nature, in a relationship, in an experience, and images start to form, and I feel compelled to see it take shape. That curiosity has stayed with me for most of my life and is really the essence of why I make work.”

Radius Gallery in Missoula will host a solo exhibition of Arleo’s work next summer, and she regularly teaches workshops. You can follow Instagram for updates, and find more work on her website.

 

“Dog With Hands” (2007), clay and glaze, 20 x 34 x 14 inches

Detail of “Dog With Hands”

“Three Flora Cups” (2020), cast, altered, and sculpted porcelain, and glaze, each approximately 4 inches tall

“Dog Tulipiere” (2021), porcelain and glaze, 8.5 x 10 x 5 inches

“Echo” (2020), clay, glaze, and wax encaustic, 15 x 13 x 6 inches

“Persistence Badger” (2020), from ‘Awareness’ series, clay, glaze, and gold leaf, 9.5 x 22 x 11 inches

Detail of “Persistence Badger”

“Embodiment II” (2005), clay and glaze, 6 x 11.5 x 11 inches

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Tens of Millions of Ink Dots Fill Xavier Casalta’s Remarkably Detailed Stipple Illustrations

“Marcus Aurelius” (2021-22), stippled black ink, 140 x 100 centimeters. All images © Xavier Casalta, shared with permission

It took Xavier Casalta a phenomenal 2,300 hours over the course of 15 months to complete his largest work to date. Featuring numerous blooms surrounding a marble bust of Marcus Aurelius—one of ancient Rome’s most celebrated emperors and philosophers—the artist (previously) estimates that the illustration contains about 48 million dots of meticulously stippled black ink.

Known for his remarkably detailed depictions of flowers, architecture, and antiquities, Casalta applies China ink to paper one speck at a time. Densely clustered areas produce darker features that contrast more minimally inked highlights. He often depicts individual historical objects, like a Penny Black stamp or impressions of people and animals on early coins. He also fills entire sheets of paper with florals or geometry, like an intricate Roman mosaic or his Four Seasons series, created in collaboration with florist Swallows & Damsons.

Casalta is currently working a new, large-scale architectural piece–he’s spent 1,200 hours on it so far–which he plans to reveal in October. In 2024, that work will also become available as a limited-edition print. You can stay tuned to the artist’s Instagram for updates, and find more information on his website.

 

Left: Naxos Tetradrachm with Dionysus. Right: Penny Black stamp

“Summer,” part of ‘Four Seasons’ in collaboration with Swallows & Damsons, stippled black ink, 56 x 56 centimeters

Tetradrachm featuring a lion’s head from Cyzicus, Mysia

“Winter,” part of ‘Four Seasons’ in collaboration with Swallows & Damsons, stippled black ink, 56 x 56 centimeters

Detail of “Winter”

Detail of “Marcus Aurelius” in progress

Detail of a mosaic in progress

Detail of a work in progress

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