Artisans and Functional Art - July 2009

Featuring Fine Workmanship by Artisans

This is the sixth in this series that features art by members of the Artisan Crafts gallery that I feature daily in one of my journal modules.  I add one each day and each is featured for 24-48 hours and then all are featured at the beginning of the next month as a group.  These artisan works are found through my casual browsing and they could be very recently uploaded or they could be older works.  They could have been made by very well-known artisans, by someone still unknown, or by someone very new to dA.  They are random finds, so one gallery might be represented more than another and one artist might get featured more than once in the same month.  My picks are totally random finds and that which struck me as something wonderful... I hope you think so, too, and that you enjoy this new series!

Artisans and Functional Art - February 2009
Artisans and Functional Art - March 2009
Artisans and Functional Art - April 2009
Artisans and Functional Art - May 2009
Artisans and Functional Art - June 2009

Dalek Storm 37 by Dalekstorm  (Woodworking)
The Dalek Storm</u> built by Alan Clarke (Dalekstorm) that looks far superior to the Daleks used on the Dr. Who TV series.  You can see that Mr. Clarke and his friend Jasper really show the relative size and general impressiveness of this thing that could make even the Doctor himself hide behind the sofa!    
  

Victorian crystal hearts by Seahorse-61  (Sculpture & Glass > Stained Glass)
I love the ingenuity and resourcefulness of this one, which started out as a crystal box that the artist sanded its edges and then incorporated the two halves into this stained glass window.  


Steampunk Clock IV and Steampunk Clock IV detail</b> by Diarment  (Miscellaneous)
Except for the clockwork mechanism and a few recycled bits and pieces, the rest of this clock was made entirely out of cardboard and then painted to give it a faux wood finish!


red coral necklace by annie-jewelry  (Jewelry)
annie-jewelry has a way of working fine silver and sterling silver into perfectly symmetrical designs. Always well proportioned, always very neatly and interestingly done.


Pack II by RedDrift  (Clothing)
The elegant lines of this design and the way the yellow contrasts with the black brocade make this one of my all-time favorites from the Clothing gallery.  


stingray skin cuff and fibula by Haley-winter  (Jewelry)
The first thumb is a fibula, the archaeological term for "brooch" and it was more than just decorative adornment, but was used to fasten clothing.  In this one, argentium silver is used for the precious metal, rather than sterling silver.  Argentium was developed in the 1990s and is a sterling silver alloy, with the alloy for sterling being 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper, but one of the advantages of the argentium alloy over the sterling alloy is that some of the copper is replaced with germanium.  The usage of germanium eliminates the need for pickling because there is no firescale when using the alloy containing germanium and that is extremely advantageous to the silversmith.  Germanium also makes the alloy resistant to tarnishing, a real boon to the consumer.  The stunning purplish-red focal is lampworked glass, which was also made by Haley-winter.  The fibula also has one round amethyst cabochon and a faceted trillion-shaped amethyst.  

The stingray cuff makes use of the most indestructible leather there is and which is also the most difficult to work with because it is aggravating to cut and breaks even the largest of leather needles when stitching.  Seeing stingray in pictures doesn't even come close to seeing its beauty in person because the scales on the leather look like little "pebbles" that resemble black diamonds that sparkle in the light.  Even more beautiful is the cluster of white pearlescent scales on the center section of the back of each skin, and as you can see, Haley-winter has made use of the white scales in her cuff.  The cuff is made of argentium silver and is set with chrysoprase (the green stones) and amethyst cabochons.  


wallet with a bow and 2nd pair of boots </i> by sequoyagurl988  (Leatherwork)
A lady's leather wallet that looks to be made of lambskin, although it wasn't specified.  The salmon pink interior has several compartments and the entire wallet is perfectly designed and stitched... even the corners on both interior and exterior are nicely mitered!   

One way of decorating the shaft on a boot is to use multiple stitching lines and the acknowledged "rule" is to have upwards of 10 parallel lines, but at least 2 lines. There are not only several rows here, but they also appear to be 1/32" apart, a very hard feat to do because the holes of one row are almost falling into the holes of the next parallel row.  With piping, inlaid hearts and horses' heads, and elaborate toebug (stitching on the vamp).  The white ruffle along the collar is a very nice feminine touch and not seen too often.  
  

Open Toad Shoes by Gaffgirl (Accessories)
"Open Toad" shoes, what great humor, wish I'd thought of that!  Seriously though, this pair utilized the soles of a purchased pair of sandals, but the rest of the pair was constructed from a printed fabric.  First plushie boots I've ever seen and am impressed because most shoes on dA are modified purchased shoes, but this pair was entirely drafted (except for the soles)  by the artist.


Teapot cake by see-through-silence  (Culinary Arts)
Sculpted and perfect for any summertime teaparty.


Rose Pin by Meeellla  (Jewelry)
It looks so real but it's a brooch made from an air-dry resin clay called Lumina® and the stems are green leather cord.


Horsies and Alice Cooper coin </i> by dragonladych  (Jewelry)
The first one is a brooch and the second is a pendant, although the ring for hanging was added after the photo was taken.  Made from PMC and the artist said that the material didn't really cooperate with her mold and yet, I think that the not so perfect edges are  what gives it its charm.


A Crowded Forest</i> by Paso  (Woodworking)
Made simply with some plywood and it was Paso's first time ever with a scrollsaw.  This one really must be seen in fullview and reading the accompanying haunting song in her artist's comments is highly recommended.
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Maine Aqua Seaglass Ring by vakadesign  (Jewelry)
Ocean View by versarnwen  (Folding & Papercraft)
These two came up at the same time and side-by-side in my devwatch.  I was struck that not only do they both have the ocean as their theme but "ocean" or "sea" are also in the titles, but look at the colors!  Amazing how two came up like that with the exact same shade of aqua and if they hadn't appeared side-by-side, I would probably have never noticed!  The first one is a very rustic-looking setting of 14K gold that holds a piece of sea glass in its natural shape.  vakadesign does a lot of granulation work with her metals, which is a technique I admire and hope to learn someday.  The book by versarnwen is completely and elegantly hand-made, including torn pages, dyed endpapers, the covers and the decoration on the front cover with an abalone ring holding two shells.


Pop-up Book by JustLikeAnythingElse  (Miscellaneous)
Done with markers, colored pencils, and micron pen is this enchanting pop-up book about a hungry mouse who builds a space ship to travel to where there is always plenty of cheese.  Very hard to see in this thumb, so I hope you not only click on it, but also see it in fullview because you'll be able to read the whole story, as well as see the artwork of the sad little mouse who becomes very inventive and who perseveres to win in the end.  
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Masks of Sanity 1 by taxidermy   (Miscellaneous)
I love how the photo makes this crow mask look like a gargoyle, but I wouldn't want to pass by and happen to look up because it would be very unsettling to know that it was a real person and not an architectural ornament!  The artist doesn't say what materials she used, but it looks strikingly well done.
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Steampunk Bracelet EPIC I by TheWizardsVault  (Jewelry)
Undeniably the prettiest steampunk-style bracelet I've ever seen.


Lady Jane gray and Horror show</i> by dollmaker88  (Custom Dolls)
dollmaker88's gallery is so full of dolls, you're sure to find one that suits your taste because she's done everything from fan art dolls to different kinds of lolita dolls and more, so much more!  Here we have two that are vastly different from each other... the tragic Lady Jane Grey and a goth doll!


The one Ring bowls and Pandora's Puzzlebox</b> by e-will  (Woodworking)
Very nice use of common and exotic woods, with the lustrous bowls (carved with LotR text) of wenge and African rosewood and the cube inlayed with oak, walnut, beech, and wenge (an African tropical tree and its wood is dark and intensely colored).


Woah Wedding by Heidilu22  (Culinary Arts)
Not for traditionalists, this is a real wedding cake and one that'll never be forgotten.