more work

Steven has been casting for the last week and half - and has about 20 animals ready to be altered and drilled. It is pretty exciting to see them open up - and how the holes create patterning onto and into the surface.

After the trip to Meissen, Mike has been wanting to add chains to Mops (the dog) - so here are a pair of Mops dragging rat heads on floral chains. Very nice.

Behind the Scenes

Last weekend we headed over to Meissen, Germany - home of world famous blue crossed swords. There we were able to see three hundred years worth of porcelain - from Kaendler to the present which was amazing. Here is the finest thing they had:

We were also able to take a tour of Dresden Porcelain and see the room with all the pieces from the start of the factory. I could have stayed for hours. Everything is handpainted onto the white porcelain - it is amazing to think about all the time and skill involved with producing the work.

And - the group favorites...

The halfway point

We are halfway through our residency here at the manufactory , and we are starting to work faster. Here are some images from last week...Mike is making mounts using all the animals - duck and rat seen above.


Katie is making more candelabras, lamp bases, and small scuptures using the pug in particular. (it is nice and meaty looking)

images from the factory

Our workroom - pictured are Steven and Olaf (our gracious host)


Mike is making a series of monuettes - a rooster conquering a rat- very allegorical...


Katie is working on some lights - pictured here is a swan candelabra


And, after a hard day at the factory, we still find time to blog! (sitting against the wall at the Dresden mainstation - the ONLY place we have found free wi-fi)

First days in the factory

We are here - and they sure do love Augustus in Dresden. Here are a couple of shots - a giant gold statue, and his place in the procession of princes - a tile wall one block long made by Meissen porcelain. Pretty amazing.

We are also hard at work in the factory - 9 to 5 everyday of the week (to the minute actually). So far we have a Royal pug lamp going, and a swan statue is in the works. More work coming soon.

And we are off...

To DRESDEN Germany - for three weeks of hard factory labor. We are going to Dresdner Porzellan to make some amazing pieces using their molds and local clay. It is also the 300th year anniversary of the discovery of porcelain by Bottger, so we will be participating in the jubilee and events around the area. We will be posting pictures of the factory and our pieces while we are there...

Swarm Light - prototype 1b

Images from the shop - our newest hanging light "Swarm". This is one of two prototypes we made, and I think the final light design will be somewhere in between. Several more lights are in the works as well from tomato cages to chandeliers for a big show next year...
Die cut rats, porcelain, electrified lampshade. 46" x 18", 2008.

more bricks

Lately, we are working in large numbers - 1,000s of little tiles and 230+ bricks were both loaded into kilns today. Is is amazing the amount of work that can get done with just a few people concentrating their efforts into a project. (more on that later). Here are pictures of the bricks in progress. Each kiln holds around 120 bricks that weight almost 6 lbs. each. Whew.

The great state of Michigan

We just got back from the Shadow Art Fair in Ypsilanti Michigan - and are still trying to recover. It was a full day - but we had a great time with everyone who participated and came to shop (and drink!) The Corner Brewery has a strong local crowd, and huge support from the community which was really nice to see. Above are pictures of our booth.

Counting Sheep

The Counting Sheep Light - perfect for those restless late nights. A study at Oxford University concluded that counting sheep is actually an inferior means of inducing sleep because you do not expend enough mental energy. So we had our bear eat them. Dream about that.

Porcelain,decals,china paint,marbles,and electricity. 6"x8", 95.00

Big Fancy

Large Protobird monuette with gold luster fireants. This is an enlarged version of a sparrow - originally 3" tall - now 12".
Porcelain and luster, 12" x 7".

Stream of Consciousness Tiling

The images of our tile piece for Bodega. Photos taken on grilled cheese Monday, which is worth checking out.
screenprinted enamel on subway tile, 22' x 2.5'

Old School

We are super excited to be part of Uppercase Gallery's new show - Old School. From our packet - we used words that have OA as our inspiration. Each porcelain block rotates to show the image on one side, and the word on the other.

The best part is that the whole piece is on a bOArd!
Porcelain, decals, board, marbles. 24" x 3.25" x 5.5", 2008.

The RAT is ready!

Here it is... Fresh from the kiln the Norway Rat. Rattus norvegicus can continue on their path to global domination by letting us ship one out to you.
Porcelain, 9" x 6" with base. Contact for pricing.

bodega tiles - part two

Bodega in the Short North has asked us to put art on the back brick wall. Here is part two of the tile wall in the making.
We are installing the piece tomorrow morning - finished pictures soon.

Before firing...

Out of the kiln - arranging each section to create random patterning

The back of the panels. Steven CNC milled out these amazing backs - there are 9 in total. The hang on two giant cleats and should fit together perfectly when hung.

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.