Michael Barrett

Painted Wood Sculpture -- ROYGBLUE

2024

This abstract sculpture shows a spirited and organic form. These qualities are emphasized by the brilliant yellow color that adorns 80% of the work and by the technical expertise of ...

This contemporary sculpture is realized in a primitivist mode. The sculpture will remind the viewer of an ancient or pre-historic figure, an impression reinforced by the blue-grey te...

ABOUT This Charred white oak mushroom acts as a stool or end table. “There’s no color in my work,” says Shlafer, “I either burn it, bleach it, or leave it alone.” Shlafer’s sculptures are designed with rudimentary material such as pine, oak, and spruce salvaged as driftwood on the Eastern end of Long Island. The artist started this body of work during the pandemic after he stumbled upon the charming discoveries while traveling on foot by the coastline. Always a wayfarer at heart, he drew inspiration from his youth of traveling on a motorcycle through Southern Africa and seeing indigenous art made from ordinary earth objects within local villages. “Wishbone 1” a 5 Foot sculpture, charred white oak with a tinted aqua resin base that reflects an omen of resilience and hardiness in light of the hardships of the past pandemic year, In another “Tune” a bleached spruce fence post narrowed into a tuning fork shape with a slate base. It welcomes a ceremonial vibe. “At the end of the day, that’s the energy we all crave,” says Shlafer, “who doesn’t respond to that?” “Mushroom #3” a charred white oak sculpture that is versatile in design so it can act as an end table or a stool. It is masterfully crafted and brings to mind the redwood...

"RAKU RED AND WHITE", 2019, in wheel-formed white glaze with copper red blush, sprig, stamp, gold leaf and raku fired with kintsuji gold by artist Andrew Cornell Robinson, is one of a series of sculptural objects that include ceramic, glass and mixed media grottoes and containers. A project exploring the vessel form and notions of gratitude, plenty, poverty in material or humanity. Robinson has led artists to explore tableware as sculptural form – "Changing attitudes and emerging social behaviors in food preparation and the social and cultural rituals of eating have lead to changes in the way tableware is made and used." Andrew Cornell Robinson is an interdisciplinary artist working across media (ceramics, textiles, painting, prints, etc.). His work is influenced by collaborative craft communities, traditions, and the performative qualities of cultural production. The underlying ideas exploring identity, histories, rituals, and power in his work aim to create a space for intimate experiences and open narratives. He studied ceramic sculpture at the Glasgow School of Art and the Maryland Institute College of Art where he received a BFA. He was awarded an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, where he became interested in the intersection of memory, identity, politics, and power. He has been featured in many publications including Sculpture Magazine, Huffington Post, Hyperallergic, Art Info, et al. He has participated in curatorial and research projects and recently was a participating artist in Debtfair a project in the Whitney Biennial. Andrew has also worked on collaborations with designers such as Donna Karan’s Urban Zen project where his work in ceramics led to workshops with artisans in Haiti and the creation of a ceramic studio in Port-au-Prince. He is currently working with The Powerhouse Arts Workshop and their design team from the Pritzker-prize winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in the design and development of a contemporary industrial fabrication center established to serve the working needs of artists in New York City. He is currently a member of the faculty at Parsons School of Design and Greenwich House Pottery in New York City. His work has been presented extensively throughout the world with the Anna Kustera Gallery, David & Schweitzer Contemporary, Christopher Stout...