I’m really excited to share the work of Pittsburgh-based artist Haylee Ebersole with you because she uses an unusual material – dehydrated gelatin. Four years ago she bought 100 pounds of the stuff, learned about its chemistry, and has been using that same quantity to create her sculptures over and over again. Different additives create different textures.
Vanessa German, sometimes. we. cannot. be. with. our. bodies., 2017
This past weekend I visited the Mattress Factory here in Pittsburgh for the first time in years. The non-traditional museum was founded in 1977 in an old mattress factory by artists to support artists, working in residence to create site-specific installations. Since then the museum has presented and commissioned new installation and performance works by more than 750 artists, and grown to take up three buildings in the city’s Mexican War Streets neighborhood. The museum supports established and emerging artists through a residency program that provides leadership, guidance, resources, and opportunities to create artwork that is unconventional, challenging and thought-provoking. The flexibility and inventiveness offered allows artists to respond to developments in technology, explore audience interaction, and challenge traditional artistic ideals and practices.
Dennis Maher, A Second Home, 2016
Dennis Maher, A Second Home, 2016
Dennis Maher, A Second Home, 2016
Dennis Maher, A Second Home, 2016
Dennis Maher, A Second Home, 2016
Vanessa German, sometimes. we. cannot. be. with. our. bodies., 2017
Vanessa German, sometimes. we. cannot. be. with. our. bodies., 2017
David Pohl, furniture music, 2017
David Pohl, furniture music, 2017
David Pohl, furniture music, 2017
William Anastasi, Untitled (Calisthenic Series), 1997
Vanessa Sica and Chris Kasabach, Unbrella, 2009
Allan Wexler, Bed Sitting Rooms for an Artist in Residence, 1988
David Ellis, Summer Quintet #17, 2017
Jene Highstein, Untitled, 1986
Bill Woodrow, Ship of Fools: Discovery of Time, 1986
Sarah Oppenheimer, 610-3356, 2008
Meg Webster, Solar Grow Room, 2017
Meg Webster, Solar Grow Room, 2017
Allan Wexler, Sculpting Gravity, 2017
Allan Wexler, Sculpting Gravity, 2017
Allan Wexler, Sculpting Gravity, 2017
Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Dots, 1996
Yayoi Kusama, Repetitive Vision, 1996
James Turrell, Catso, Red, 1994
Rolf Julius, Red, 1996
Posted In behind the scenes, create, installation, pittsburgh
Victoria Bradley is a Pittsburgh-based illustrator and painter, as well as editor-in-chief of Table magazine. Her focus on the female form is powerful, sensual, and at times voyeuristic. The way Victoria mixes mediums and styles effortlessly always leaves me waiting to see what she creates next.
Wendy Downs, founder of Moop canvas bags, is making things happen. Her shop turned ten earlier this year and she’s constantly looking for new ways to improve, from seeking out quality materials from tested manufacturers to making sure each super-versatile bag is as mindfully made as possible. Each one is handmade from start to finish in Moop’s downtown Pittsburgh storefront by her small yet mighty team, who do everything from design to shipping. I very much admire her commitment to thoughtfully creating Moop’s line of fifteen bag designs while looking towards the future of not only her shop but small batch manufacturing.
Heather and Myles Geyman built a friendship, marriage, and business – in that order. Chances are you’ve seen Stak Ceramics‘ super functional slip cast ceramic pieces before, because they’re everywhere. (They’re also often ripped off, unfortunately.) Whether it’s the kitchen tablet dock, the sprout planter phone dock, or any number of other minimally beautiful creations made in their Pittsburgh studio, you can be sure that they’ll help you live well.
Elise Birnbaum is a maker, skill collector, coveter of interesting objects, and founder of Pittsburgh-based OATMEAL. She works predominantly with clay and metal, creating pieces for both body and home that are inspired by simple things and made in a narrow, often neutral, color palette. I’ve been following Elise, and the creations she often shares on Instagram, for some time now and very much appreciate the way she doesn’t depend on color to make her pieces standout. (One of those knot necklaces is definitely on my birthday wish list!)
Shannon Pultz creates BLAK RUST‘s textiles by combining contemporary aesthetics with 7th century Japanese shibori silk painting techniques. With a focus on hand-made, high-quality, and hand-dyed traditional art, custom colorways and patterns are reproduced on textiles for apparel, upholstery, and wall coverings. Products available in BLAK RUST’s shop are luxury silk stoles and scarves that are wearable one-of-a-kind pieces of contemporary art.
Reiko Yamamoto is a modern ceramicist combining her skill in creating versatile, functional pottery with her experiences growing up in Japan. Eating meals meant a collection of handmade pottery rather than a matching set – a completely foreign concept – and Reiko has brought that approach to her Pittsburgh studio by creating pieces of various sizes, colors, shapes, and patterns that all work together harmoniously. The jewelry she creates has the same organic feel and presence, with a weight that feels substantial but not heavy.
If you’re a lover of bold, graphic prints then Savannah Hayes has got your number. The Pittsburgh-based textile designer refined her urban aesthetic through years of living and studying in various cities – San Francisco, London, New York City, and Los Angeles – and working with big shots Kelly Wearstler, Martha Stewart, and Kravet Fabrics. In October 2015 Savannah struck out on her own and has since expanded her eponymous line to include products for the living room, dining room, bedroom, baby, and tech. But if you have an idea of your own, she also sells fabric by the yard. I own one of her blankets, a heavy knit that’s ready to be brought back into rotation for autumn any day now!
Our Pittsburgh Maker Profile series has been on extended hiatus for awhile now. This area is so rife with creativity that I feel I’ve been doing it a disservice, simply highlighting one maker a month really isn’t enough. So this September I’ll be highlighting a few dozen instead! You’ll know it’s a Pittsburgh creator by the little seal above that will mark each post.
I first became aware of the flora-meets-fauna art of Ashley Cecil last spring when she created a line of scarves that sold at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She paints from live observation at renowned institutions, and marrying realism with abstract modern backgrounds is her signature style. Those two things alone garner loads of interest for me, but what makes it all work so well together is Ashley’s innate understanding of color and the way she knows when to keep it reigned it or go all out. She’s also working to save birdlife with an innovative window film that helps birds see the surface rather than fly into it injuring, or even worse killing, themselves.
