chair project - Sitting Bull

OK, I know the title is not so original, it was probably used hundreds of times. I could not come up with anything else than this or Pocahontas, but then the chair is quite straight and sturdy, not feminine.

The chair is solid unvarnished oakwood. The leather strips are made from samples I got from a furniture shop.

This will be one of the chairs on exhibition during the art tour 'Kunst op 't Hof' in summer. Anita Huybens' chairproject is invited and I will be making more chairs in the coming weeks.

And what about the crochet chair you ask?

I've been working on that too, until one day I changed my plans for that particular chair, something more elaborate. Now I think I found another chair that might replace this one where the crochet might fit on too. But it needs sanding down, priming and painting before I can go on with that one. I hope I can show you the result some time soon.

Shakespeare's epitaph

GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE
TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE

BLEST BE YE MAN YT SPARES THES STONES

AND CURST BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES

Ever since my brother had this rubbing from Shakespeare's tombstone I loved it (and that is some 35 years now). I just like the rhythm of the verses and every time I read this I have to smile. No one will ever try to remove his remains, you never know ...

I pasted it onto triplex and built a large frame around it so that I can deposit bits and pieces of bones I find. The skull was found in the garden a few months ago on a spot I pass regularly; one day it was there and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the day before. I have no idea what animal it is from. I don't think it is a rabbits' or hares' or cats' skull, animals we see regularly in our garden. But what is it then?

abstract inspiration

As I mentionned before, I have many things and ideas going on in my head on this moment.

Assemblaging driftwood into sculptures, mixed media-ing with textiles, trying to work out if paint agrees with me to mix with other stuff, assembling ceramics into different objects, restyling and redesigning old furniture into unique items ... ideas, ideas, ideas, ...

Lately I've been quite busy with my latest new tiny camera. Soon it will have to be removed surgically from my hand. Trying different point of views and other details, strongly influenced by some very good photographers on flickr.

This weekend we've been chopping wood in our small woodland (if you can call it so) to harvest wood for the stove. More than half of our small property is bordered by brooklets, and they were partially frozen.

I wondered if these pictures could be inspiring for abstract paintings.

Artisans - Open Studio days

I know what I would like to do this sunday : visit studios !!!

one of my addictions.

more than 450 artisans throughout the whole country open the doors to their studios on

Sunday 17 February 2008

dag van de Ambachten

wood, stone, earth, leather, fashion & textiles, floral art, metal, jewelry, paper - graphic arts, glass, musical instruments paintings, delicatessen & drinks (!!!) and more ...

click HERE to see the list and program

Jewelry by Veerle Deneef
I'm really not happy with this picture, it is taken through a window, but the appointment with the artist to make better pictures failed. So this is the only thing I can show you.


A few months ago I met five craftsmen/women who will open their studios too. I remember seeing skillful hands turning waste material into gorgeous and amazing knives, here is the link to the pictures I made back then.

Tijdens de Dag van de ambachten op zondag 17 februari stellen de zes kunstenaars van de ‘Feestgalanterieën’ de deuren van hun ateliers open voor het publiek. Sinds hun kennismaking in 2006 werden de ‘Feestgalanterieën’ een concept dat uitgroeide tot een hecht en begeester(en)d team. Een multidisciplinaire groep met een open geest, vol samenwerking en kruisbestuiving. Wat hen verbindt is de passie voor hun ambacht: flamboyante juwelen (Veerle De Neef), feestelijke verlichtingsornamenten (Erik Reynders), stijlvolle hoeden (Anke Tacq), adembenemende bloemsierkunst (Hilde Pollet), kunstzinnige foto's (Fie Vandevin), scherpe messen (Tim Wagendorp)… De ideale gelegenheid om deze zes vaklui met eigen ogen aan het werk te zien.
Hopelijk tot dan!

Arne Reynaert 's studio

multi-talented artist Arne Reynaert's studio

to see more of his work click his name

sculpture by Phil Billen
other work of Phil Billen in this POST

OK, I already mentionned I'm addicted to artist's studios. Now here is one to drool over - once you're in there you don't want to leave anymore. So much to look at, a wonderful atmosphere, a kind artist and a purring cat. And a swing right in the middle of the studio. And off course ... gorgeous paintings.

Open studio days at the end of april, in due time the link Kunstroute-Leuven will be adapted. My studio won't be open, I'm skipping this year's edition.

UPDATE 16 November 2009 : latest visit to the studio HERE, and for more posts on Arne Reynaert use the 'search this blog' tool.

Belgian trouble

In the previous months, Belgium was going through a political crisis. Suddenly the two communities showed their differences and dislikes (there are actually 3 communities, but the third one is so small that most of the people are not even aware it exists) . To support the unity of Belgium, flags started to appear at windows. Everywhere you went the national colours could be seen.
It developped an idea in my mind which I'm not sure I will finish, this is just a tiny part of it.

Ettore Sottsass - ceramics - exhibition

"Chants et Paysages"

the work of Ettore Sotsass with the Manufacture de Sèvres

current exhibition at

Le grand Hornu

I do love Ettore Sottsass designs in porcelain, ceramic, glass, metal .... furniture ...

My Honderdwater series started with the influence of Hundertwasser. Later I discovered Sottsass' works and realized that some of my columns could be named :

Hundertwasser meets Sottsass.

I have started to make these in glass also.

paralysis

As some might have noticed, my good habit of posting daily in the previous months has changed. Unfortunately. I seem to be in a state of paralysis what regards my creativity and production. Loads of ideas in my mind, various techniques and objects in there, but for some reason the hands won't follow.
So, I decided to pick up some minor projects that were never finished, would be a good time to actually do something useful.

This chair was one of the so many for last years chair project : covering the whole chair with crochet.
Now let's finish this.
And this month, please.
I'll post it when it is finished, so you will know if I kept my promise.

german pottery - accidental collection

This is NOT a collection, I know it looks like one.

For years now I am on the lookout to find interesting colours and shapes in ceramics and pottery to build my 'Honderdwater' series (the slideshow on the right of this page). Only recently did I realize many people do collect these West German pottery from the sixties and seventies.Yesterday I was trying some colour combinations for my flickr pictures so I decided to put some items stamped 'West Germany' together (the plain red one has a stamp I can't identify - I'm not in that business, so I can't tell if it is WG).

There are more in other colours and patterns, might do something with these in the near future.

chair project for circus school

Everywhere you look these days you see deer(s) in interior design. On every blog about interior design or in every magazine you will see them on walls, ceilings, crockery, linen ... in all kinds of material you can imagine....
So here is my contribution to this deermania - a one of a kind chair made by a local artist, for sale at a ridiculous low price : 50 euro.

Chairs made by artists, creatives, students ...

These are only a few from the hundreds of chairs that were exhibited yesterday. Not quality pictures, but then the circumstances are not the best. Lighting is poor, chairs standing close to each other, people walking in between.

The exhibition was a great success, set in a very nice environment.

Asseoir l'espoir - chairproject

Anita Huybens' chairproject continued

info on http://www.pac-g.be/

text will be clearer to read,

I'm not good enough in computer techniques to get this posted in a better way

This chair is NOT one of the chairs that are for sale this weekend, but I don't have any photos available of them. This is one of my chairs I made for the same project last year, it was a BIG succes.

Voor de nederlandstaligen is er HIER nog een extra link i.v.m. het optreden in Antwerpen.