Todd Merrill Studio Contemporary Table Lamps

In a career spanning over 30 years, New York City artist Christopher Russell has devoted himself to creating unique works of art, functional design, custom architectural elements, and large-scale commissions in an ever-expanding exploration of clay, his principal medium. Originally focused on painting and drawing, Russell was attracted to the malleable properties and endless possibilities of clay, which can traverse the divide between functional and purely aesthetic. Initially translating his draftsmanship to decorative graphic tiles, his work eventually progressed into hand-built sculpture, and most recently decorative vessels. His latest works are dynamic in structure and decoration. With a concentration on hand-building, something the artist attributes to a familial connection to architecture, engineering, and contracting, Russell eschews throwing pots “on the wheel”. While his geometrically rigid vessels look meticulously planned, the process is generally spontaneous. Process dictates the abstracted forms, but the ultimate goal is largely towards harmony, balance, and symmetry. Most notable in the recent works is Russell’s energetic surface ornamentation. Patchworks of simple shapes, in hues ranging from natural to artificial, jostle and hug to create cubist patterns akin to pictographs. A combination of black and white underglazes acts as a ground for his precise application of colored glazes, each individually developed by the artist. Employing stencil resists and decorative sgraffito results in work with an unexpected sense of depth. Equally varied are the competing textures that converge across each surface. Russell affirms that “Texture is the most visceral element in ceramics. It’s the thing that makes you want to touch. There’s design, color and form, but it’s texture that gives a piece its physical life.” Conclusively the agony and joy in his ceramic practice comes from what is left to chance. Best laid plans are at the mercy of the kiln, making each work a risky venture and each success a treasurable object. Russell has been the subject of solo shows at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse NY, and the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art in Sedalie WI. His work has also been exhibited widely in group exhibitions, including at The Bernardaud Foundation in Limoges, France, the Royal West Academy in Bristol, England, the Paul Robeson Gallery at Rutgers University, and WaveHill, the prestigious public gardens in The Bronx, New York. Among numerous private collections his work is also in the collection of Longhouse Reserve: The Jack Lenor Larsen Estate. Notable commissions include a large-scale ceramic wall mural...

In a career spanning over 30 years, New York City artist Christopher Russell has devoted himself to creating unique works of art, functional design, custom architectural elements, an...

True to form, Alex Roskin’s LED sculptural lamp, in brass and marble, has the same perfectly proportioned curves as his unique bronze and steel furniture pieces. Internal LEDs bounce...

True to form, Alex Roskin’s LED sculptural lamp, in brass and marble, has the same perfectly proportioned curves as his unique bronze and steel furniture pieces. Internal LEDs bounce...

Brooklyn based Stefan Rurak’s unique vision and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work...

Brooklyn based Stefan Rurak’s unique vision and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work...

Brooklyn based Stefan Rurak’s unique vision and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work...

Brooklyn based Stefan Rurak’s unique vision and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work...

Amsterdam-based artist and designer Maarten Vrolijk believes that art should make people’s everyday lives more beautiful through the many little details that evoke the unexpected. Wh...

True to form, Alex Roskin’s LED sculptural lamp, in brass, has the same perfectly proportioned curves as his unique bronze and steel furniture pieces. Internal LEDs bounce off of the...

John Procario’s exploration of scaled-down table top works, titled Luminaires, take on a new dimension with Luminaire III. Using the same construction process as his large scale Free...

John Procario’s exploration of scaled-down table top works, titled Luminaires, take on a new dimension with Luminaire III. Using the same construction process as his large scale Free...

John Procario’s exploration of scaled-down table top works, titled Luminaires, take on a new dimension with Luminaire III. Using the same construction process as his large scale Free...

True to form, Alex Roskin’s LED sculptural lamp, in brass, has the same perfectly proportioned curves as his unique bronze and steel furniture pieces. Internal LEDs bounce off of the...

Finnish designer Teemu Salonen’s iconoclastic work is an active renunciation of the simple lines and unadorned nature pervasive in the Scandinavian design that surrounds him. Placing form over function, he sees his studio practice as both experimentation and play, where a variety of materials and techniques can be merged to create unique objects of sculptural design. For Salonen, making things by hand is an essential part of his identity as a designer. His years of experience as a curator in visual arts, coupled with degrees in carpentry and craft design, have developed into a singular perspective that marries elements of both classical and kitsch design. The sophisticated is skillfully laced with ostentatious elements of flourish, effortlessly rolled into one asymmetrical package. The Chinese Restaurant...

Finnish designer Teemu Salonen’s iconoclastic work is an active renunciation of the simple lines and unadorned nature pervasive in the Scandinavian design that surrounds him. Placing...

Having grown up around his carpenter father’s workshop, John Procario took his love for woodworking and brought it into the world of design. After studying sculpture in grad school, ...