Sculpture

Dodos and mushrooms for Bewitching III can only be by…

  • by

If you see a dodo or a mushroom (known as Nightshades) floating around Stranger Factory like a ghostly entity then you can bet your last piece of Halloween candy that they are probably the work of our own Valency Genis!

Valency_Masquerade_Dodo (1)

Valency is now busy spreading the Circus Posterus mischievousness in the UK, but she is still in our hearts over here in the colonies. She also hasn’t rested from sculpting one bit! For Bewitching III, Valency has sculpted a quite a few holiday inspired pieces including her favorite spirit animal, the dodo. This dodo is ready for trick or treating because it is in full masquerade mode and ready to party. Adorned with a mask to hide its true identity, a orange and black suit, and a skull from a long-lost colleague, this dude will be causing a few tricks. Even his pumpkin fears his shenanigans.
Valency_ZombieNightshades_1Valency also has a small herd of Zombie Nightshades ready for Route 66(6). We can’t call them walkers because, well – I don’t think they walk – but these undead fungus will eat your toes! If you happen to fall close enough to them, they may even go for your brains!
oct_bewitching

 

Progress shots from Cathy Carr for Bewitching

  • by

Carr_Studio1

 

If you haven’t realized yet, we love studio shots and in progress work! These glimpses into an artist’s process and mind help us get an understanding of the finished piece…and we also like reassuring ourselves that other artists are messy too. Plus, we think it is really fun to see where the magic happens.

For Bewitching III this October, Cathy Carr has graciously showed us what she has been working on in her surprisingly neat studio. Well skilled in sculpture, plush, and painting with a Halloween influence, Cathy will fit in well with the rest of the Bewitching group show. From the progress shots, it looks like we are in store for some horned devilish sculpture goodness, all balancing on a jack o’lantern!
Carr_Studio4
Carr_Studio2Bewitching III opens October 11, at Stranger Factory with a reception from 6-9pm.

Watery Gravebeasts in “A Nervous Harbour”

  • by

khor_s_waterygravebeastdioramabox2Shing Yin Khor keeps pushing herself and thus making amazing displays for her beastly creations. For “A Nervous Harbour“, Shing  has even more shadow boxes filled with the replica natural habitats of her ill-fated wonderous creatures.

This time around, we have the “Watery Gravebeast“! Stranger Factory gets two specimens surrounded by their natural and colorful coral, and these expression filled, tentacle wrapped gill breathers look quite comfy in their new home. Complete with a vintage taxonomy tag straight out of a 1950’s Bio class, Shing creates a perfect faux study of amazing animals.
khor_s_waterygravebeastdioramabox1
Shing Yin Khor’s “A Nervous Harbour” opens September 6th at Stranger Factory Gallery. Shing will be present to talk about all her creations and their fun lives.

 

Stan Manoukian’s “Freekfrak” for Monsters & Misfits III

  • by

Freefrak1One of the additions to this year to highly anticipated Monsters & Misfits III is Paris based Circus Posterus member Stan Manoukian. Stan brings rich back story and sci-fi elements to the exhibit with his amazing creations. For this, one of Stan’s pieces known as Freekfrak is making the journey to Japan’s waters.
Freefrak3

Freekfrak is a highly regarded master of thieves and collectors. He is always trying to steal your little objects or just move them around so it gets you mad. The thing is, Freekfrak is so good you’ll never get the chance to catch him in the act or even see him. Even with the development of Freekfrak, you can see him conniving the entire time on what he can get his tentacle-like appendages on.
Freefrak4Watch out guys because I fear what this guy might do when the lights go out when Monsters and Misfits III opens at the Kusakabe Folk Museum September 13th to 26th in Takayama, Japan.

 

 

Shing Yin Khor’s Fabulous Boxes

  • by

khor_s_kelpyfrilledfattybugboxShing Yin Khor is most definitely living up to her pseudonym “Sawdust Bear” with her show “A Nervous Harbour” at Stranger Factory this September. Straight out of zoology class, Shing has cut, constructed, and stained several shadow boxes for diorama displays containing her lovable and yet sometimes grumpy creatures and bugs.

Shing takes her post-mortem creatures back to their natural settings with her fabulous displays. You might find a “Kelpy Frilled Fattybug” nestled among its natural kelp and driftwood (above) or a snailbit in a coral study (below).

khor_s_coralstudy3khor_s_kelpyfrilledfattybugsshadowbox
Shing also takes her work a step further down the museum path with a shadow box detailing the life cycle of the kelpy frilled fattybug. Three stages of cute and wonder, but are these polyp, ephyra, and medua stages? If you are as curious as we are on her creations, you can ask Shing herself at the opening September 6th, because she will be on hand to talk all about her delightful sculptures.
e408c132fe0a11e29dd822000a1ddafb_7

Ragnar update for Monsters & Misfits III

  • by

A few weeks ago we brought you some development details out of Ragnar’s camp on a delightful creature from the sea making his way to Monsters & Misfits III. We are pleased as a sea cucumber that we got a finished image of this beast.
Ragnar finishedThe colors are extraordinary and small details on the figure really make it pop. We can’t wait to see what else Ragnar has for us and the folks in Japan.
MMIII_Slide

Monsters & Misfits Monday: Andrew Bell is all eyes

  • by

How lovely is is to saunter slowly down a cobblestone path in September’s delicious early evening balm, and end up in the elegant town of Takayama, Japan. This is what I imagine for Andrew Bell’s eye riders.
saunterManeuvering into the night can be a daunting task, but if you have eyeball creatures that utilize their optic nerves and extraocular muscles to get you on your way, you are golden! These blind riders have no problem joining into the Monsters & Misfits III parade because they have their lanterns lit and their transportation wide-eyed for the path ahead.

eye ridersAndrew keeps astounding us with his work for this show, and these riders are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There is so much more to come from Andrew and the rest of the artists, you might want to keep your eyes open like these guys above!

 

 

Clown Jellies spotted in “A Nervous Harbour”

  • by

 

helmetedclownjelly_detailClown Jellies have been spotted at Shing Yin Khor’s  “A Nervous Harbour” . Shing has done what many oceanographers have only attempted, she has cataloged the infamous Clown Jelly for her show at Stranger Factory.

As she explains –

“Clown Jellies are invertebrates that are only visible in the water that is between 24 to 25 meters deep, no more, no less. If seen, Clown Jellies are easily distinguished by their vibrant colour. While colour wavelengths are absorbed by water, leaving much of the ocean a dullish blue tint to the human eye, Clown Jellies will always appear brightly coloured to divers, even if that is theoretically a scientific impossibility.”

Early reports say Shing has a couple different species of Clown Jelly specimens ready for the public, but right now only one has been spotted.

Above, we have one of the infamous Helmeted Clown Jellies. To keep the species true to form, Shing has created wood boxes with articles from the sea to simulate their home environment, but she also lets them stand alone in all their glory. Now, the Helmeted Clown Jellies are easily distinguishable from similar species by the helmet-like structure atop of their heads that sort of resembles a cap worn by the famous Steve Zissou crew members. We will have to find out from Shing’s research what this added structure means to the jellies, but we do know it adds a wonderous array of colors to this wonderful creature.
khor_s_helmetedclownjelly21You will find Shing’s Clown Jellies at “A Nervous Harbour” from September 6th – 29th, with an opening reception on Friday, September 6th from 6 – 9 PM. Shing will be present, and wishing Brad was there so she can crack new jokes.

Pumpernickel round 2 for MMIII

  • by

Last week, we brought you some of Amanda Louise Spayd’s in progress work on her delightful resin creations for Monsters & Misfits III. Now, we get to see a finished product!
Without further ado, meet one of the Pumpernickels!
PumperComing in blended shades of blues and greys, this Pumpernickel is all dressed up for its trip to Japan. Sporting a flag scarf similar to some of its cousins found in Migration, this little resin Dust Bunny can’t wait to meet all his fans in Takayama. We don’t know if it is the coffee, the long flight, or excitement but by the look in his eyes, Pumpernickel is both excited and scared. We understand, long flights freak us out too.
Pumpernickel_Gray3

Amanda has outdone herself; all the Pumpernickels are hand cast, painted, and adorned by her. The weathering texture on the sculpt is spot on! Now, we just need to see the rest of the Pumpernickel colony in Japan!

MMIII_Slide