Image from here

Maskull Laserre via Colossal

 

Incarnate (Three Degrees of Certainty II)

Human skull carved into old software manuals
2012
Books, steel, hardware
40 x 8 x 11 inches

Another great artist from Colossal...Artist Maskull Laserre carved this skull out of outdated computer manuals...

 

I thought alot of his work was very clever and beautifully executed...I don't often go through every photo on someone's website but this guy reeled me in...his carved wood pieces are amazing... like this one...

 

Secret Carpentry (detail)

2011

Carved Axe

27 x 6 x 2 inches

I am Not Animal and Longing, Loss and Anger at UD@Crane

Save the date! I'll have a piece or two in this upcoming show at UD@Crane, in the Crane Arts Building on American Street. The opening reception is Thursday, April 12th (2nd Thursday!) Also showing that night are friends Steven Earl Weber and Shane Jezowski! Come check it out!

PSG Summer Intern Wanted

We have a fabulous pack of summer interns. All ladies so far, which is pretty cool. One more person would round out the bunch and help us get everything rolling along nicely, so if you are interested in interning with the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym this summer, send us an email at philadelphiasculpturegym[at]gmail.com with a brief bit about yourself, your resume and a link to your website (or 3 images of your work attached to the email). Please also send the requirements of your college's internship program and your availability this summer. This would be a great position for you if you are:

     - a sculpture or craft student working in wood, metal, plaster, resin, etc.
     - interested in working in a group shop/studio setting.
     - interested in working with a community of local sculptors.
     - interested in helping out a family run small business.
     - interested in having a space to work on your art during the summer.

Feel free to send any questions you have to the email above!

Speaking of Spring cleaning...Soap for sculptors.

Anyone who knows me knows that I try to be hyper aware of the ingredients that go into health and beauty items. I checked our "organic" and "all natural" products against the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database before Olivia was born and ended up tossing almost everything we used. Our bathroom cabinets are now filled with things like baking soda, apple cider vinegar, vitamin e oil, coconut oil and essential oils...I think the only thing that stayed from before was the Dr. Bronner's. There are so many things out there that are awful for you, even in things claiming to be "organic" or "all natural", that I try to take little steps that add up and make a difference. SO, one of the things that was on my mind (one of many things) is what kind of soap we will have at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym...I know, I know...our doors are not even open yet and I'm worrying about soap...I said it was one of many (many) things! I wanted to find something that would work on sculpture grime and asked Rachel of LuSa Organics if she had something that would work. She recommended the Garden Scrub Soap, which is made of:
Saponified oils of *palm, *coconut, *olive, and *sunflower; shea butter (fair trade), essential oil blend (lavender, peppermint, spearmint, and rosemary), pumice, loofah. (*certified organic ingredient)
I'm ordering a few bars to test out and will report back. Anybody have soap that they swear by?


Image from lusaorganics.com

Spring Cleaning...

With the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym coming soon, Justin and I are leaving our current studio. We think that having memberships at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym (Yes, we are both paying Charter members!) will work out to us no longer needing a separate studio space. The bad news is that we moved our studio less than a year ago and it was no small task! I suspect, after going through things, that we'll be having some sort of studio sale (I'll keep you posted!) because despite the fact that alot of things are being assimilated into the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym's stash, we still have SO MUCH STUFF! We'll decide on a date and let everyone know the details soon. I always love studio sales, because what one person no longer needs can be a major find for someone else! We once got an awesome vacuum chamber (for degassing rubber) and still have part of it...somewhere in here....

Our studio...urgh.

Save the Date: April Potluck!

Next potluck will be Saturday, April 21st! Hope to see you there!!!

Thanks so much!

Justin and I had such a great time at the potluck on Saturday! Thanks to everyone who came! It was exciting to meet the people who I've been emailing with and to talk to everyone about the space AND to eat such great food (Can we talk about the Car Bomb cupcakes? They were insanely amazing...) I always feel like its such a whirlwind but I really had a great time. I know some people left before I got a chance to say goodbye, so I just want to say it was so amazing to have everyone and we really appreciate the support you all have shown so far. THANK YOU!
(And next time we promise that there will be more lights...and chairs!)

Yup...

Image from here

THIS SATURDAY!

Hey guys! Don't forget about the potluck this Saturday, from 5 to 8pm! We had an amazing time last month and are looking forward to seeing everyone!

The Freezer

Why, you might ask, does a building that used to be an auto mechanic shop and radiator supply place have a giant freezer in the back? Good question. We have no idea. One of the many things on our to do list is to find out the history of the building. So far we've gotten back to Franklin Auto and that's it (Though Pete, who works next door, told us that that guy used to fix radiators faster than anyone.) So for now the freezer is a mystery, but we love it.

Another Before and After (During...)

Another Before and After (During). We are lucky enough that we are able to work with everything that is preexisting in the building... We knew the above office was going to be turned into the member lounge, but need to make a few improvements. Justin took off the paneling on the inside and the plywood sheathing on the outside and it's going to be recovered inside and out, in something a lot less...gross. (And I don't say gross because of the dirt or years of auto repair shop grime...oh no, but because of the fact that the dogs that were kept here before we moved in were peeing all over the inside of this thing...yup gross.) More soon!

Happy Birthday Terri!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful and fabulous lady and PSG intern extraordinaire, Terri Aluise!

Jed Morfit: Demold Video

Sometimes there are sculpture emergencies and you realize you need more mold release/plaster/clay/rubber/etc asap and the store you normally get it from is closed/doesn't have any/is back ordered 2 weeks/etc. This is when you turn to your sculptor friends and hope to heck they have some. Last weekend (or the weekend before last?) I got a text from Jed Morfit, looking for some FGR 95. We don't use the stuff often so I wasn't sure that we had any but a dig around the studio turned up about 1/3 of a 50lb. bag. Success! I was happy to help because I've had those moments too (always with mold release for some reason?) and know exactly how it feels! Anyway, check out this quick demold video Jed made!

2012 NewCourtland Artist Fellowship

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists is looking for artists for the 2012 NewCourtland Artist Fellowship. Details are below:

2012 NewCourtland Artist Fellowship

Deadline April 13, 2012 : The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), in partnership with NewCourtland, is pleased to offer Philadelphia area artists the opportunity to participate in an exciting, community-based fellowship. Through the NewCourtland Artist Fellowship, visual artists will be selected to bring innovative and engaging art-making to seniors in sites throughout Philadelphia. In order to apply, artists are asked to develop an intergenerational project that brings members of the New Courtland Network together with school age children/teens to create a meaningful experience and an high quality artistic project. Work created by seniors and their school-aged partners during the 2012 Fellowship Program will be exhibited with the work of the artist fellows in a large, well publicized exhibition entitled Art is Ageless.

Accepted artists will receive a fellowship award of $2,500. Once artists receive this award they will be responsible for conducting ten 1.5 hour workshops, attending several preliminary and post-workshop meetings, attending one sensitivity training session, and participating in the Art is Ageless exhibition in Spring 2013. Artists will also be separately compensated for purchasing all necessary art supplies and professionally presenting the artwork created in their program for the final exhibition.  

To apply to the 2011 NewCourtland Fellowship please visit https://cfeva.slideroom.com/ and follow the application instructions.

For more details please contact Genevieve Coutroubis at 215 546-7775 x11 or Genevieve@cfeva.org.

May 26th at the Barnes!

On Saturday, May 26th we'll be at the Barnes Foundation opening celebration doing simple mold making demos! Come check out the festivities and bring your friends and family! Here more info from the Barnes Foundation:

Opening Weekend, May 26–28, 2012
Come spend the weekend with us. We plan to celebrate the opening of the Barnes Foundation’s Philadelphia campus with 56 consecutive hours of free access and activities. Inspiring the weekend’s films, foods, and performances are the mix of cultures represented in the Barnes’s collection and the 1920s, the heady decade when the Foundation began. Some of Philadelphia’s finest cultural and performing arts organizations will be there—Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Relâche, Peter Tang’s Chinese Music Ensemble, and AfroTiano Productions, among them. Activities are designed for participants of all ages, with events that are particularly family friendly clustered in the hours between 11 am and 4 pm each day.
Please note that this schedule is subject to change and will be updated regularly, so check back for additions to it. Space for some activities is limited, with admission on a first come, first served basis.

For more info, visit the Barnes Foundation website!

Letting the light in...

It's so exciting to be opening doors and windows that were covered up or locked up with no key! The upper right photo shows a window that was previously covered with old doors and what not...(You can see in the upper left photo how much light is coming in from the right now!) The lower left photo is a roll down door that was locked until Pete cut the locks on Saturday (Thanks Pete!) and the lower right photo shows 4 (!!!) windows in the store front that were covered up (they still are covered from the outside). We'll be bringing these back to life. We also met with a guy about  a garage door for the back (right now both the back and front doors are cemented up...who the hell does these things?!) which is exciting...progress!

Calls for Artists!

You may notice a new little tab just above that says 'Calls for Artists'. This is (for now) where we'll list any calls for artists that we have...and right now we have 3!

Sculpture Derby Show: Last year our first event was at the Trenton Avenue Arts Fest during the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. This year we are one of the sponsors of the Sculpture Derby (yay!)...so we figured who better to showcase than the local artists who make these amazing creations! Now, before you get too excited about seeing the Kenzinger truck derby sculpture in there, the really big pieces won't fit in our gallery space. So while there is no size limit on what you can submit, we are primarily looking for some of the mid to smaller sized vehicles and/or interesting parts of the larger vehicles. Feel free to stop by and see the space and talk to us to get a better idea of what will and won't work. Sketches, models and photos are also being accepted. See the Call for Artists sheet for dates and more info!

Process Show: Casting: Justin and I are both moldmakers. We sculpt in clay, make molds and cast things in a variety of materials. This process is one of the core focuses of the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, so we wanted to highlight it. Anything that was cast using any kind of mold is eligible. Again no size limit, but if you aren't sure if your piece is too big, shoot us an email or stop by to check the space out. See the Call for Artists sheet for dates and more info!

Solo Show with Residency: We wanted to give everyone a shot at a solo show with some time to make some new work in the space. So whoever is chosen for this show will get one month free at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, during either July or August, to make their work. The work doesn't all have to be made during the residency, but it would be nice to see a piece or two that was made at PSG. Current members can also apply, and if awarded you just won't be charged for that month. (And by residency we mean using the shops during the hours that we're open. You can't live there...sorry!) Once again no size limit, but if your work is huge, stop by to check the space out first. See the Call for Artists sheet for dates and more info!

Good luck guys!!!

Image from here

Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Summer Exhibition Schedule!

Here's the starting line up for the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym gallery space! May will showcase our Charter Members (if you are interested in becoming one, sign up soon to get in on this!)
June will be the Sculpture Derby Show, a juried exhibition of kinetic sculptures from the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby (past and present!). July will be a juried exhibition focused on the process of casting in sculpture (all materials are welcome!). And August will be the first 'First Timer' solo show. Each summer we will showcase someone who has not previously had a solo show, and first up is Terri Aluise!

Check back tomorrow for the Calls for Artists for the Sculpture Derby Show, Process Show: Casting, and a September solo show that comes with a 1 month residency at Philadelphia Sculpture Gym!

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the one week membership pass (with safety training course included!) is Liz Long!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. Your feedback was so helpful and fun to see...I think in another life I was a statistician!

There will be more giveaways coming up as we get closer to opening, so stay tuned...

Progress: Before and After (Well...during really)

The space we are renting is a very raw warehouse and when we first saw it, it was filled with things that tend to accumulate in very raw warehouse spaces (Did we tell you one space we looked at was filled with those massage chairs with pedicure tubs? A whole giant room of them! Anyway...)
As we were moving in, all these things began moving out and this week was the first time we saw the back of the space empty. It seems so much more huge than before, which is so exciting. Justin and I both got some time in the space this weekend (We took turns staying home with Olivia) and we had some help from the fabulous and amazing Brynn and Keira! (Thanks ladies!) Can't wait for everyone to see the progress at the potluck this Saturday!

Yes...

Image from here

Have a great weekend!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll have lots of updates for you next week...progress on the building, a few calls for artists for the PSG gallery space (!) and a few exciting projects we have coming up...! Until then...!

Reduce, Recycle, Repurpose...with SquidWhale Designs

The above peg board wall was something that everyone who first saw our space commented on, but it was Sarah and Beth, the ladies of SquidWhale Designs, who fell in love with it. In love enough to come to the space on a beautiful Saturday and get a few pieces of it into Sarah's car.

They first saw it at Coldhearted and the color palette of the wall matched their work fabulously. They asked if we were using it and we weren't so to SquidWhale it went!

A shot from Coldhearted by Sarah.

Now they are using it as a backdrop for photographing the vintage and handmade items that they sell in the SquidWhale Etsy shop. There's alot of great stuff it their shop and I'm excited to see what comes next (I've heard rumors of clothing...!!!)!

 

Riverboard zip pouch.

 

  

 1950's Rusty Iron Bookend.

Studio Tour: Brad Litwin - Kinetic Sculptor

Brad Litwin is a kinetic sculptor working in Philadelphia. (We highly recommend checking out the videos of his work on his website...!) Justin had a chance to visit his studio last week and took a few photos.

Haas and Hahn in North Philadelphia

I know I posted about Haas and Hahn before but I got an email the other day about the project they're starting in North Philadelphia and am excited to see it happen.

Their work in Rio de Janeiro (above) was amazing and I can't wait to see what they do in Philadelphia.

From the Mural Arts Program:

Renowned Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn have settled into their new Philadelphia-based residence in North Philadelphia and have begun engaging local residents and business owners in conceptualizing a pilot project, Philly Painting. These exciting works of art will be installed between the 2500 and 2800 blocks of Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia.

This project will transform the facades of a selection of buildings along Germantown Avenue with assistance from a painting team hired from the surrounding neighborhood.

Once the work around Germantown and Lehigh Avenues is completed, the artists will create two more large scale mural projects in Center City and Manayunk.


Image from here.

Giveaway!

 It was brought to my attention that some comments didn't go through during the last giveaway. So sorry about that guys! Not sure whats up with Blogger, but I wanted to host another giveaway to make up for it. To enter, just fill out a super quick survey answering 2 questions about the blog and leave your email address so we can notify you if you won! What do you win? A one week membership pass (with safety training course included!) We'll announce a winner on Monday so you have until then to enter!

 Click here to take survey

Taxidermy in Sculpture

 Image found on Pinterest 
Update: The artists name is Pim Palsgraaf!

I have a strange love of taxidermy used in sculpture...I've always felt drawn to it for some reason (though I should say that I am NOT ok with killing animals to make art...many taxidermists now use animals that died of natural causes..."Sustainable taxidermy", if you will...) If you have any interest in the process or the history of taxidermy at all, I suggest you check out:

Still life: Adventures in Taxidermy by Melissa Milgrom

I went to a talk in Brooklyn about the book when it first came out and Emily Mayer, sculptor and taxidermist for Damian Hirst, was there. She had alot of amazing things to say about process, her own work and working for Hirst. There's a good bit about her in the book, as well as the family of taxidermists who worked on the pieces for the American Museum of Natural History, and various others, like Carl Akeley and Walter Potter (neither of which should be left out of a book on taxidermy...)

 Final Voyage - Precious Cargo by Emily Mayer

 Persistence by Beth Beverly of Diamond Tooth Taxidermy

 Peter Gronquist

 Melissa Dixson

 

And of course, Walter Potter...

New Underwater Ink Photographs by Alberto Seveso on Colossal

Not sculpture, I know, but so insanely beautiful (and sculptural) that I couldn't help but share...Check out the Colossal blogpost with more images by Alberto Seveso.

Images from here

Textures...

There are many interesting textures at the Philadelphia Sculpture Gym right now...