Friday Favorites 8/15/2014

Karin Lidbeck Brent, Contributing Editor

Sculpture can take on many forms. These diminutive sculptures of birds are made from mixing vintage found objects with unusual materials giving each bird its own personality. If you know a bird lover, or just love whimsical art, these fine feathered friends would make a great gift. Better yet buy one for yourselfthey make an amazing conversation piece! Find them at The Artful Hand Gallery in Chatham, Massachusetts.

Photos courtesy of Artful Hand

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor

I’ve long been a fan of the colorful hand-blown light fixtures Tracy Glover creates in her Pawtucket, Rhode Island studio. Tracy doesn’t limit herself to lighting, though. She also has a line of pretty vases, including these fun Inkwell Bud Vases. I love the simple shape, which was inspired by a drop of mercury beading up on a tabletop. The ones here range from three to four inches in diameter and are about two inches tall, but since they’re blown to order, the artist will make them up to ten inches in diameter. The iridescent glaze—in gold, hyacinth, celery, persimmon, olive, tourmaline, and steel blue hues—is positively mesmerizing.

Photo courtesy of Tracy Glover