I recently came upon the work of David Norrie. Bridging that gap between efficient design and fine art are craftsmen like David who take the concept of functional and make it beautiful.

Norrie is a self-taught blacksmith and his initial introduction to the craft began in 1973 with a 3 year internship at the Black Creek Pioneer Village located outside of Toronto, Canada.

In 1976 Norrie opened his first studio in Tottenham, Ontario – located 30 minutes from Toronto. His primary goal at the time was to finesse the basic blacksmithing skills he had learned and spent the next two years doing historical ironwork related to museums and restoration.

David went to his first ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Association of North America) conference in 1978. While in New York, he realized for the first time that blacksmithing was an art form and rededicated himself to the profession.

From 1990 to 1992, David was on the Board of Directors for ABANA.

In 1995 he moved to Jackson, Wyoming under an O1 United States Work Visa which is granted for those working in the arts and humanities fields. David is the first artist recognized by the United States government for “blacksmithing as his medium”.

source

There has been a decline in true blacksmiths over the last century, but it is coming back in part only because of the few who have passed on the knowledge of their field. David Norrie is doing just that. He’s opened workshops and is teaching the next generation of metal workers a trade that isn’t just about what you can make, but what you can make beautiful.

Check out David Norrie’s site and work. I found the railings particularly amazing in the gallery.

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J.D. also has quite a few tutorials on his site on How to Draw that I’d highly recommend.

Artist’s Statement:

“Like most artists, I have a need to communicate pictorially rather than with words. Although I try to push the limits of realism in a black and white medium, simply imitating reality isn’t my primary goal. I use the technical skills I have developed to tell a story or evoke an emotion. I feel I’ve successfully communicated with someone when they identify with the essence of a particular piece, and it brings about new thoughts or feelings.”

To see more of his work, check out www.jdhillberry.com

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Glass is one of those medias that I’ve never been able to try myself, but I believe is one of the most subtle and enchanting forms of art. It can take the form of a spoon rest in your kitchen or a fine goblet. Completely art, completely unique and practical in its use and application.

Christine Masters knows this. From the above mentioned spoon rest to the glass earrings, there is a grace to the craftsmanship in her work. I have been reading her blogs (1, 2, & 3) for the last few months and have been impressed greatly that glass artists are truly unique people to work with this temperamental form of art.

Check out these samples of Christine’s art below.

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Ralph even told me a little bit more about himself which I found interesting:

Ralph Jones, b.1954, BFA University of Wisconsin, Painting and Drawing Major, grad. 1981, history, archaeology, and museum interests and work experience.

Original multimedia drawing and painting elements combined with various materials arranged in temporary fluorescent assemblages photographed under black light by the artist and converted to digital format for further art software manipulation.

Wow, that’s a lot of work for one project, but it’s amazing to behold. Ralph, you should really make these into posters or prints and sell them through cafepress, ArtFlock or something. I’d buy one of these.

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There is an organic quality to his works that is anatomical, yet strangely surreal. Movement is present, but exists within a grotesque arena where flesh is peeled away to reveal a mass of muscle-like tissues and non-human elements.

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I’ve been watching Walter’s site for the last month or so and have been really impressed. In fact, it’s made me want a tablet pc.

It’s a project to create 1000 sketches in a year on a tablet pc. So far, he’s at 404. Pretty good if you ask me. His subjects range far and wide between everything from architecture to horses to abstract.

Well worth a visit. It’s an ambitious project.

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Thanks for your submissions Roman.

Here’s a brief biography from his site:

Roman Gumanyuk was born in Bishkek in 3 July 1985. He has begun to draw since he was a little boy. Roman has been painting since 5 years old. He has finished the school and Art studio .He is a participant and prize winner of a lot of competitions and art exhibitions including “Young Talents-97″ International Festival held in the Issyk-Kul , “World Modern Art-98″ Competition held in Los Angeles and My World in 2000 “International Competition held by ICAF in Washington. The National Fine Arts Museum of the Kyrgyz Republic held Roman’s personal exhibitions in December 2000 and January 2002. He has finished his alternative military service of Kyrgyz Republic in 2006.
His last personality exhibition “Colors of time” took place in 26.01.2007…

“Race-horses”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 110×90 cm /43,3×35,5 in
Year of creation: 2004

“Gardens of Asia”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 120×90 cm /47×35,5 in
Year of creation: 2002

“East yard”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 110×90 cm /43,3×35,5 in
Year of creation: 2007

“Caravan”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 120×80 cm /47×31,5 in
Year of creation: 2002

“Snow of eternal”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 110×75 cm /43,3×29.5 in
Year of creation: 2002

“Distant mountains”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 110×75 cm /43,3×29.5 in
Year of creation: 2002

“Canal”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 110×75 cm /43,3×29.5 in
Year of creation: 2006

“Old town”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 120×80 cm /47×31,5 in
Year of creation: 2002

“Bazaar”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 9,5×8,5 cm /3,7×4,1 in
Year of creation: 2006

“Phantom rider”
Media: Canvas, oil
Size: 120×90 cm /47×35,5 in
Year of creation: 2002

If you would like to be featured on Artist Hideout please see how you can submit your work here.

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So what do you ask when you get the opportunity to interview one of your favorite Artists?

I have a few questions, but I would like to know what you would ask Josh. Here’s a few details about Josh that I posted on the internal forums of www.b5media.com

If you get a chance to check out some of his work in the gallery of his site, I would love to take some ideas for questions to ask in this interview. He’s made goblets for the white house, lived in a tee pee, lived on a diet comprised entirely of chickpeas and cheese, and is currently married to an astronaut. So, I think there is some diverse questions that could be asked from some of us about his life in general as well as his art.

if you have a question you’d like to ask Josh, leave it in the comments below.

Tags: Josh Simpson, Gallery, Art, Artist, Interview, Questions, Glass, Glass Blowing

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Born to humble dairy farmers, Georgia O’Keefe is famous for her sexualized flower portraits and her view of the western culture of America.

Her marriage to photographer Alfred Stieglitz was the element that catapulted her to widespread recognition as a serious artist. Though a very exceptional artist, she did represent a unique artistic genre to the New York art scene in the early throughout the early 1900’s.

Soon after she moved to New York, she began working primarily in oil, which represented a shift away from her having worked mainly in watercolor in the 1910s, and by the mid-1920s, she began making large scale paintings of natural forms from close up, as if seen through a magnifying lens.

Soon after painting her first large scale flower portrait her work began to be recognized more broadly bringing prices in excess of $25,000

O’Keefe eventually recognized the quiet atmosphere of the southwest as her refuge after her husbands death. It was here she had retreated to from the confines of the city after her episodes of psychoneurosis after rehabilitating in Bermuda.

This seemingly barren landscape of beauty became the muse by which many of her paintings portrayed in her later years.

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Linda Blondheim recently sent me a painting that she did entitled “Town and Country Farm” (14×18 inches, oil on canvas)

My first look at it reminded me of impressionist artists. I half expected to see some ladies in the background with umbrellas…lol. My next thought was that it was a retouched photograph with a paintbrush effect. It’s not though.

This is indeed superb work by a very talented artist. Linda is a “plein air” artist. A very lively bunch who love to paint outside in whatever elements come their way. I am sure this proves to have it’s own challenges (such as lugging your easel and paints up the side of a mountain) but also it’s advantages too.

These are the purist painters who get into their work, suffer no interpretation for their own eyes and are seriously dedicated to their work.

Linda says this about “Town and Country Farm”:

This painting is part of a year long study of trees here in North Florida. It was painted at one of the farms I frequent to paint trees. It was a complex scene with lots of objects which I needed to sort through to make a workable composition. As a plein air painter, I have learned over the years that less is more in composition. Naturally I moved the major elements around to suit myself, and played the values to each other for more drama. Each new painting is an adventure for me and I do learn from each one. I am a student of design and much of the focus in my paintings involves that process. I like the decision making process of painting, Knowing that each stage of the painting can lead me in a different direction is very challenging. I often wonder, had I made a different decision would I have improved the painting or made it worse? That’s the joy of painting to me.

While browsing Linda’s website, I discovered that she does in excess of 300 paintings per year. This in itself is pretty phenomenal. But if I lived in Florida instead of Ohio, I might want to paint outside a lot more too.

Thanks for your submission Linda. Any tips for those of us in colder climates for trying this type of painting (besides coming to Florida)?

If you would like to be featured on Artist Hideout please see how you can submit your work here.

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