bodega tiles

We are currently working on printing a 2.5'x 22' subway tile panel for the back wall at Bodega in the Short North. I thought it would be interesting to show how we are field printing both this and the factory bricks.

blank tiles with and without white enamel

the first images are applied

North Carolina

We drove down south to North Carolina to participate in Rock and Shop. We had a great time and met a ton of cool people, and saw some amazing kudzu. Click here to read more - it has taken over, and can grow a foot a day in optimum conditions. Turns out Kudzu was introduced from Japan into the United States in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, where it was promoted as a forage crop and an ornamental plant. HA!
Here is our kudzu cup and saucer with a picture we snapped at a stop light on our way to the show.


and Mike at the booth, wearing our overseas cap...

Real Rat - part two

We are one step closer to our porcelain rat! The original rat has been scanned and this is the rapid prototype printout. Next - make the molds - and then we can start casting. It is interesting to see how the details change, and how the 3-D camera and printer interpret the hair...

Stay tuned...

We are working towards a few big projects this week. Pictures coming soon.

Ten Times - project #1

The Ten Times project in a nutshell - we take 10 regular objects, and make then ten times better. Each object is produced in a limited edition of ten, and we will make ten objects better; making 100 pieces in all. Each item will cost ten times the amount of the materials it took to create the piece. It is the idea that is the
expensive part...

Termite Light - wood veneer, letterpressed termites, and pre-existing IKEA light. 25W, 6.5" x 4.5", 2008. $50.00

Art for the Cash Poor

We just drove back into town last night, and already miss Philly. We had a great time participating in Art for the Cash Poor and met a ton of cool people. Guy dropped his work off at The Clay Studio for his show next month, and we had time to hang out with old friends. Here are photos of our booth setup (the ratters dozen is my favorite)...



Our day two display - two tables!

Bonfire

This bonfire light won't burn your house down - but will bring the good times of the outdoors in. And - no smoky clothes to wash! Terra cotta logs on a grogged porcelain base with a fire(y) flicker light.
7" x 5", porcelain, terra cotta, marbles, and electricity, 2008. 95.00

Rattus Rattus

Our newest Headlight - for IFD Austin. One third the size of our large headlights - and a little bit creepier with the ship rat profile.
Porcelain, wood veneer, felt, and electricity, 32"(minus cord)x 11.5" x 3", 2008.

More rat lighting coming soon...

Inside the Artist's Studio

We were invited to participate in the Mahan Gallery's summer show - Inside the Artist Studio. So, if you are in or around Columbus, stop in and check out our bricks, studio porcelain, nightlights, and protobirds.
The exhibit is literally an "off the wall" show. See. Love. Buy. Take home.

Protobirds - 7.5" x 5.5". Porcelain cast from a rapid prototype print, decals and enamels, 2008. 200.00 - 250.00 each.

Columbus Famous

We were featured in the Alive a couple weeks ago - the weekly paper, in the section Alive and Unedited. They came out to the studio to take a look around and interview us on how we work. To check out the article click here , and to watch our interview online, click here. They did a great job - thank you to everyone who was involved!

The book that started it all

SO - since this is the end of rat month - we thought we would show you our favorite rat item - Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, by Robert Sullivan. It is an amazing book - super creepy, but also filled with an amazing history of rats and New York City. It will leave you spouting rat facts left and right to everyone who shows any interest to the topic.

working hard

We are working like crazy gearing up for this summer. Get ready Philly shoppers,we are bringing our key catchers, plus a ton of new work.

the new shrew

Eww... Mike just bought this shrew for us - so look out. Right now it is super tiny - about 3" long, but once it is scanned and enlarged, I think there are a lot of possibilities. And, it is kind of cute.

the rabbit and the duck

the eyes glow red - and we are not telling how...

An interior shot of our new rabbit lights(shown with our super new - not yet ready to be released cnc milled duck blocks)and - as you can see, these are our brightest lights yet.

studio clean up part two

SO - after the big clean up - here are shots of the studio...
(the floor stills needs some work)

side one

side two

the back "wall"

our new and improved kiln/slipcasting room

studio clean up

We just gave the studio a major overhaul - took down the spray booth and re-lined it with visquine, set up a new projects wall, painted, cleaned - you name it.

Work in progress...

Rat Curtains

I love paper curtains - they are easy to put up, fold up, move around - and you don't have to know how to sew. We have been die cutting like crazy at the studio, and are especially fond of the whole rat die,and how the tail can be used as pattern. On this set, vintage wallpaper has been laminated to the front, so they are super decorative and a little less creepy...


Hand ringed by me, and a set of 5 tiny pliers - panels can be custom made to size.
(studio shot)

the paint factory

We are working in an old millworks, behind the paint factory out near the airport over by the train tracks. The paintmen must be hard of hearing because we catch faint bits of instructions carried over the loudspeaker. The fence is too high, we can not see them. We seem to inhabit some strange middle land, open fields where factories used to be. We can’t quite tell if the hawk screech is real or just a loop played by the paintmen to frighten the rats.
Also - I think they let out more paint fumes at night.

Rat Swag

Die cut wallpaper from our hand vectored images (vector files, not an organism that transmits diseases - but that works too) Hang this swag anywhere - windows, doorways, over the fireplace, and maybe it will keep the real rats out.
vintage wallpaper, cardstock, and brads, 55"x 7".

The Real Deal

Okay - rat month is in full swing, so we thought we would give you a sneak peek at what we are up to. or, going to be up to once Guy prints out his 3-D scans of this guy (sounds weird) he has been posing...

It can stay so still because it is freeze dried

super limited edition

no matter how nicely you ask us - we cannot reproduce these exact cups. But - we have new studio porcelain invasive cups and bowls available on our website...

"home sweet home"

"gypsy moths in orange"

"buzz cut"

"sounds fishy"
(Guy took this one home, he has a thing for gross fish)

Rat Month

Since this is the year of the rat, and we really like them anyways - we are officially kicking off rat month at Non Fiction with "The Ratters Dozen".
die cut chipboard rats strung with twine - 12 to a strand. Shown here with outdoor lights from Target. 55" x 7" (two pictured)
You too can have your very own strand like this guy:

Without all the mess.

headlights

It is hard to tell on our website the size of HEADLIGHTS - our awesome porcelain wall lights. We had an idea that we would get Chewy the dog to sit on a chair in front of the wall to show scale... When that didn't work we tried driving the Ghia through the studio, and parking it in front of the wall. That went a little better. So, here are more pictures of HEADLIGHTS. We have to show this piece off anyways, we painted a whole wall for it!
Porcelain,wood veneer,lights,electricity, 2008. 74" x 11.5" x 3" (each strand)

total destruction

With ceramics, you get to a certain point where you feel confident in what you are doing. So - when we decided to push some of our seemingly VERY dry (but apparently not) bricks through the kiln last week, I didn't think twice about it. We were working by the kiln, and then heard a loud boom - the lid lifted off the kiln, dust went everywhere, and we were left with this....

Needless to say, we will take the kiln up a little slower next time.

big fun

We found a place in town that actually makes the dies for those funny die cut machines.When I was in 3rd grade I never thought about where all those bulletin board decorations came from - too bad - I would have been impressed. Grandon Manufacturing is over by the big OHIO sign sign near the fairgrounds - it took me a bit to find it, it doesn't have a sign on the door or anything, not much walk in business I guess - So here are our newest designs for cuts - we have a bit of a thing for rats at the moment.

Interior shots

Here are a few images of our pieces at "work"...
Bear head swag, and one of our field printed bricks. Bottom image - pair of works like a dog cups.

prepard to be invaded

the first pieces of our invasive species dinnerware sets. each plate is enameled with our letterpressed wood cuts, and refired to over 2000 degrees. Dazzle your dinner guests with facts about each species - click on the colloquial names to learn more. remade restaurant china, sizes vary.

Formosan Termite plate

European Starling plate

Gypsy Moth bone plates

Africanized Honeybee bowl

Fire Ant plate

Cane Toad bowl


Coming VERY soon are kudzu, zebra mussel, silver carp, ship rat, brown tree snake, and purple loosestrife. We will post more dinnerware shapes and photos in the next couple of weeks.