Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman (Repost)

Evelyn (1924- ) and Jerome (1920- ) Ackerman are Los Angeles-based artists and designers whose 50-year collaborative partnership has resulted in a body of work that is representative of the California Modernism movement.

The couple received separate studio training. Evelyn studied painting and drawing at the University of Michigan, and, after transferring to Wayne University, she received her BFA and MFA there. She brought to this design marriage an eye for composition and color, as well as considerable artistic ability, as evidenced by her textiles, wood carvings, enamels and mosaics.

 Jerome enrolled in Wayne University in 1939 but did not complete his degree in art until he returned from service in the U. S. Air Force during World War II. He earned his MFA at Alfred University in 1952. He brought his talent as a ceramist to the partnership, as well as a keen business sense that promoted their studio output and limited production lines.

Perhaps unique to the Ackermans is their ability to move fluidly between abstract modernism and figurative stylization in their designs. This characteristic permeates all their work, but it is particularly apparent in their varied and prolific textile and ceramic production.

From mingei.org and ackermanmodern.com

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 10/10/2010)

Ceramic vessels by Jerome Ackerman, 1953-54
These pieces were used as props in a brochure
 for Paul McCobb's Directional furniture group.
ackermanmodern.com

Woman vase by Jerome Ackerman, 1953
ackermanmodern.com

Striped Candy Tree by Evelyn Ackerman, 1968
ackermanmodern.com

Cats mosaic table by Evelyn Ackerman, 1954
ackermanmodern.com

St. George and the Dragon, bas-relief wall panel by Evelyn Ackerman, 1959
ackermanmodern.com

Young Warrior mosaic by Evelyn Ackerman, 1954
ackermanmodern.com

Herringbone stoneware bowl by Jerome Ackerman, 2003
ackermanmodern.com

Female Figures vase by Jerome Ackerman, 1953
ackermanmodern.com

Update: Evelyn Ackerman died on November 28, 2012.

The jewelry of Line Vautrin (Repost)

An earlier post about French designer Line Vautrin focused on her mirrors, which she called her "witches." She was also known for jewelry, boxes, powder compacts and other objects.

She started making gilt bronze jewelry at age 15 and selling it door-to-door. Already quite savvy about business, she sent out her invoices under her father's letterhead, because she was too young to own a company.

Her work was bold and dramatic, and it was often inscribed with the words of her favorite poets, prompting Vogue magazine to call her "The Poetess of Metal."

She was a prolific artist, setting a goal for herself of one object each day.

From independent.co.uk, agentofstyle.com and line-vautrin.fr

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 10/6/2013)

C'est la vie bracelet
line-vautrin.fr

Icare bracelet
line-vautrin.fr

Les arrondissements de Paris bracelet
line-vautrin.fr

Vertebres necklace
line-vautrin.fr

Le furet necklace
line-vautrin.fr

Petit poisson deviendra grand necklace
line-vautrin.fr

Les cœurs de Paris earrings

line-vautrin.fr

O comme oreilles earrings
line-vautrin.fr

Le Métro belt

line-vautrin.fr

Drapé powder compact
line-vautrin.fr

De la poudre powder compact
line-vautrin.fr

Le jour et la nuit powder compact
line-vautrin.fr

Drapé  frangé  cigarette box
line-vautrin.fr

La mer cigar box
line-vautrin.fr

In the 1973 photo below, Vautrin poses in front of one of  her folding screens. She is holding a Talosel sculpture with metal inlays. On her right is a Talosel egg inlayed with mirrors.

line-vautrin.fr

The mirrors of Line Vautrin (Repost)

Line Vautrin (1913-1997) was a French metal artist and designer. She was born to a family of metal workers and began learning the family business in her teens. She received no formal education in art or design, but by age 15, she was already selling her gilt bronze costume jewelry.

She took a job at the House of Schiaparelli, where it was her job to open the door and greet customers. She decided after only four days that working for a boss, even a famous couturier, was not for her, so she started selling her designs door-to-door.

In 1937 she rented a booth at the Universal Exhibition and showed bronze buttons, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belt buckles and bag clips. The next year, at age 28, she opened her first boutique near the Champs-Elysées.

In the early 1940s, she began to create bronze boxes, powder compacts, ashtrays and pillboxes. During this same time, she married Jacques-Armand Bonnaud, a talented artist and decorator who had graduated from the Beaux Arts in Paris. Together they bought and renovated a beautiful home which became one of the most fashionable venues in the city.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Vautrin became interested in new materials, primarily cellulose acetate, which she called Talosel, and synthetic resin, which she encrusted with mirrored glass. It was at this time that she began creating beautiful convex mirrors, most notably large sunburst designs. She called these mirrors her "witches," and sold them to celebrities such as Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner and Brigitte Bardot.

When she was 50, she left manufacturing and the retail business and began teaching.

Because her body of work is so large, I'm going to focus on her mirrors in this post, although the photos I include represent just a few of many. I will post at a later date about her dramatic jewelry and boxes.

From line-vautrin.fr and independent.co.uk

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 9/29/2013)

Aldebaran mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Colbert mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Ètincelle mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Ombelle mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Roi Soleil mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Satellites mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Sequins mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Soucis mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Soleil Torsade mirror

line-vautrin.fr

Pronunciation Guide

Scheurich, thou art Temptation (Repost)

Do you have something (other than chocolate) that won't quit calling your name, whether you need it or not?

Scheurich fat lava is that voice in my ear...temptation with a capital T. Honestly, I have all the fat lava I need. In fact, I have more than I need. A few pieces are languishing in the closet, because I simply don't have a spot for them. I've been saying for days that I'm going to list them on Craigslist, but the truth is that I'm not quite ready to part with them.

Yet I sat at the computer last night, poring over Etsy listings like some kind of crazed clay addict...even putting several pieces in my shopping cart. C'mon, encourage enable me. Which ones should I buy?

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 9/28/2013)

Scheurich 203-26

etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 206-26

etsy.com - Veryodd

Scheurich 237-15

etsy.com - EdibleComplex

Scheurich 284-14

etsy.com - Retro Fat Lava

Scheurich 401-28

etsy.com - RetroMinded

Scheurich 493-10

etsy.com - Greta Allan Gallery

Scheurich 203-26

etsy.com - JunkHouse

Paolo Soleri (Repost)

Paolo Soleri (1919-2013) was born in Turin, Italy, and worked in the United States as an architect, urban designer artist, craftsman and philosopher. He received a Ph.D. in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Turin.

In 1947 he moved to Arizona to apprentice for 18 months with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West. In 1949 he and Mark Mills designed the Dome House in Cave Creek, Arizona. The house was made of cast concrete and natural stone and had a sunken living room and a glass dome overlooking the desert. Interestingly, he married that client's daughter.

In 1950 he and his wife were traveling in Italy, and Soleri was offered a job designing a ceramics factory. After that project was complete, the couple returned to Arizona and designed a studio, gallery and foundry near Scottsdale. In the late 1960s, Soleri purchased 860 acres of desert north of Phoenix and began building the experimental town of Arcosanti.

He became a counterculture hero because he didn't just theorize about a town that minimized energy use and encouraged human interaction. "Soleri went out into the desert and actually built his vision with his own hands," said Jeffrey Cook, professor of architecture at Arizona State University, in a 2001 interview. His work proved that there was an alternative to corporate modernism.

Arcosanti, as it was envisioned, was based on a concept Soleri called arcology, a combination of architecture and ecology. The idea was to create a beehive complex where human activity is concentrated in a small area.

Soleri believed that modern society should build up, not out. He said in an interview in the Arizona Republic in 2011:

The problem is the present design of cities only a few stories high, stretching outward in unwieldy sprawl for miles. As a result of their sprawl, they literally transform the Earth, turning farms into parking lots, and waste enormous amounts of time and energy transporting people, goods and services over their expanses.

To help finance Arcosanti, Soleri began designing and selling Soleri bells, cast-bronze or ceramic wind bells that have a uniquely pure tone. However, since 1970, less than 5 percent of the buildings have been completed, and only 55 people live there. Still, over 7,000 students have participated in the building, and more than 50,000 people visit the site each year.

In addition to the Dome House, Soleri's commissions included the Artistica Ceramica Solimene ceramics factory in Vietri, Italy, the Indian Arts Cultural Center/ Theatre in Santa Fe, the Glendale Community College Theater, the University of Arizona College of Medicine chapel, the Scottsdale Pedestrian Bridge and Plaza; and his latest bas-relief murals part of the new I-17 Arcosanti/Cordes Junction Arizona traffic interchange.

Soleri has been awarded gold medals from the American Institute of Architects, the Union of International Architects, the Venice Biennale and the National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian Museum.

From arcosanti.org, nytimes.com, azcentral.com and archdaily.com

(Technical issues resulted in search engine problems for almost two years' worth of my older posts, so I am reposting the ones I consider most informative. Though some of you have already viewed them, they will be new to others of you. Originally posted 9/27/2013)

Artistica Ceramica Solimene ceramics factory in Vietri, Italy

architectuul.com

Dome House in Cave Creek, Arizona

archdaily.com

Scottsdale Pedestrian Bridge and Plaza in Scottsdale, Arizona

scottsdalepublicart.com

Arcosanti plans

exunoplura.com

Arcosanti, Arizona

azstarnet.com

Soleri bells

organicnation.com

Bronze wind bell No. 128

cosanti.com

Ceramic wind bell No. 707

cosanti.com

Special Soleri bells, called cause bells, are created to commemorate a special event or celebrate a cause. Below is the Earth Bell, which was inspired by Earth Day 1990 and was dedicated to the conservation of natural resources, support of recycling and the preservation of our planet for future generations.

Earth bell
cosanti.com