Kirk Roda

"Treehorses", Mixed Media

2020

Delicate, frightening, otherworldly are all descriptions that apply to these unique sculptures by artist, Kirk Roda. "Barkbud Herd" is an exploration of pure...

"Jim Jim" is an ebony carving by Tom Brun, sculptor and Detroit Zoo Keeper, who cared for the real Jim Jim at the Detroit Zoo. This ebony sculpture is in beautiful condition with slight exposure to the lighter streak of wood sometimes found in ebony. It is said that Tom would often go into a house and pick up one of his sculptures and say that it was unfriendly – meaning that it had not been handled enough. Morley Driver has said of Brun in a newspaper article from the 1950’s “In Any Animal He Sees Beauty”: No one who has ever seen a Tom Brun hippopotamus will ever again think of it as ugly or ungainly, meaning that the artist not only gives you beauty but teaches you to see it. Tom has said: “Small pieces are like a proverb – a gem of meaning that one can dissect.” They are meant to be picked up, caressed and held. Tom knew Jim Jim from birth and cared for him with love and attention. Brun was a compassionate zookeeper and advocated for less cages and more space for an animal to roam. Brun was born in England in 1913. A few years after the end of World War I his father moved the family in 1919 to Detroit, Michigan. In 1935 at age 23, he officially became a U.S. citizen. He served in the army during World War II for five years and upon discharge and at the age of 36 took advantage of the GI Bill and applied for admission to Society of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for Creative Studies) where he was gladly accepted. While at Arts and Crafts his instructors and established artists such as Sarkis Sarkisian, John P. Foster, Morris Brose, Richard Koslow, Patricia Burnett, Lloyd and Renee Radell...

"Les Danseurs" (French for "The Dancers") is a 1979 collaboration between Daum and artist Dan Dailey. This glass figurative sculpture of two dancers, a man and a woman coated in an icy blue palate, was created with glass paste blown in a light blue mold and etched on the external surface. This work is numbered 57 from an edition of 200, signed on the sculpture in diamond-point with "D Dailey" and "DAUM FRANCE" and is included with a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered by Daum and Dan Dailey. Dan Dailey is an American glass artist who was born in Philadelphia in 1947. He emerged from the Studio Glass movement that was founded by Harvey Lilleton and collaborated with Crisallerie Daum for more than twenty years. His education includes studying under Roland Jahn and Harvey Lilleton at the Philadelphia College of Art in the 1960s and a teaching fellowship at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970 where he also became Dale Chihuly's first graduate student He is professor emeritus at the Massachusetts College of Art where he founded their glass program. His work has been exhibited and collected all over the world, spanning over a hundred exhibitions and collections. The studio of Daum is a name that precedes itself. The only crystal manufacturer employing the glass paste process for art glass, the studio was founded in 1878 by the Daum family in Nancy, France. The studio has become synonymous with the Art Nouveau period but continues to produce high end and high quality decorative art to this very day. Artists that have worked with Daum include Charles Schneider, Arman, Hilton McConnico, Philippe Starck, Salvador Dali, Cyril Phan, Richard Texier, Emilio Robba...

These four ceramic plaques on wood are an exquisite set piece from the Italian artist Umberto Del Negro. Its title "Prove" is Italian for "Evidence". One interpretation is that it re...

Gérard Cambon was born in 1960 in Toulouse (Fr). He has a degree in political science and is a self-taught artist. In the earlier years of his life practiced and experimented with c...

Gérard Cambon was born in 1960 in Toulouse (Fr). He has a degree in political science and is a self-taught artist. In the earlier years of his life practiced and experimented with collage and model making. Later, with an interest in old machines and patinas he started collecting old and used objects, tools, and fragments of items whose previous lives remained obvious. When he travels, one of his greatest pleasures is to find materials in antique shops or ironmongeries. In 1994, he began creating Locomobiles and reliefs and presented them to the public for the first time at “La Jeune Peinture,” a Parisian art fair. In 1995 , he stayed during 8 months in the hospital for eight months (leukaemia) where he began preparing and creating plans for new Locomobiles and reliefs. As his health improved, he committed himself to his artwork and during the same year met a Parisian gallery owner who decided to organize a solo show for him, Le Galerie Beatrice Soulie in Saint Germain des Pres. He has shown his work since 1996 in Paris and since 2000 in the United States (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle). He is currently being shown by galleries in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg , Denmark, and the United States. He keeps on trying out new materials (fabric, leather, glass, plants, metals,…) that he integrates into his bas-reliefs: traction engines...

"Lulu" is a beautiful contemporary sculpture created by the Canadian artist Yulia Shtern. Her work depicts beautifully decaying remnants of species on our planet that are currently endangered. Shtern utilizes common household materials such as produce netting and colored cardboards in her up-cycled process to authenticate her message. An unfortunate truth of our current society that is often forgotten. Shtern creates these beautiful pieces to draw the viewer in and force them to engage with reality head-on. This work is eye-catching with a delicate texture and vibrant colors and would brighten up any room. Artist's Inspiration: "Saudi Gazelle was native to the northern and western parts of the Arabian peninsula, preferring rocky habitats with shrubs and acacia trees. It lived alongside Mountain Gazelle and Arabian Sand Gazelle. The populations of these other two gazelle species of the Arabian peninsula have been severely diminished over the last few decades, and they both are classified as vulnerable. Gazelles were some of the most frequently depicted animals in the Neolithic art...

"Altai Argaliu" is a beautiful contemporary sculpture created by the Canadian artist Yulia Shtern. Her work depicts beautifully decaying remnants of species on our planet that are cu...