Aaaaaand they're off! Sloth takes the lead in the slowest race you'll ever see.
For your Thursday evening viewing pleasure, I am proud to present a sloth riding a tortoise. You're welcome. These guys are headed to Seattle, WA for Plush You!, a gallery show at Schmancy Toys.
Here at Zooguu, we do a lot of custom work. We decided to showcase all of these unique projects into a brand new section on our web site, the Gallery. In the Gallery, you can browse through four years of our one-of-a-kind plush creations - Have fun!
I took a Tiny World Pincushion class in late April with artist Mimi Kirchner, and I've finally put the finishing touches on my Tiny World. I was invited to participate in an HP Lovecraft themed group art show at The Fools Mansion in Salem, MA and I decided to use that opportunity to pick a theme for my Tiny World.
My Tiny World contains a monolith atop an island of slime amidst a troubled sea. Tentacles creep out from the depths perhaps to drag someone under. The Tiny World is a pincushion made entirely of wool felt and installed in a teacup. I chose a teacup that reminded me of a shell to reinforce the nautical feeling. Each tentacle is actually a pin (see below) that can be rearranged, making it an interactive and functional piece of art.
See this in person in Salem, MA. Details:
FROM BEYOND: ARTWORKS INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT is a group art show running from July 30TH to August 27TH here at Fool's Mansion in our Red Room Gallery.
Join us for the opening night reception with the artists on July 30th from 8-10 PM.
My latest plush creation is a big departure from what I normally create. I was invited to participate in an upcoming show called "March of the Unicorns" at the Lichen Gallery. The Lichen is part of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The show will run for the month of March. While I have made unicorns in my classic dome shape before, I've been waiting for a chance to break the mold and create something outside my comfort zone.
Not only does this unicorn stand up on its own, but its legs are jointed (using the hidden button joint technique expertly explained by my friend Mimi Kirchner), so it can be positioned in a variety of ways.
Closer look at the face & the top-stitching detail of the mane, beard & horn.
Front & Back view. This unicorn is very proud, indeed!
My inspiration for this design is the images of unicorns in tapestries and in architecture, primarily the bronze sculptures found on top of the Council House in Bristol, UK.
The first unicorn is going to be on display in Lincoln, Nebraska for the month of March, but I will be making the design available in my Etsy shop as well.
I originally wanted to make a squid wearing a ghost costume for this year's annual Halloween Art Show at the Fool's Mansion in Salem, MA. A good idea in theory, but in reality, covering up your hard work in a white sheet with eye holes doesn't really do it justice. So, I opted for making a mask. Then, I loved it so much that I had to make three. :)
Squids without masks, waiting patiently for Halloween to finally come.
The squids are really happy to have their masks and their "trick or treat" bags.
A better view of the details and hand embroidered bag.
The Halloween Art Show at the Fool's Mansion in Salem, MA opens on Saturday, Oct. 2. There will be an opening party that evening. Come check out some amazing local artists!
This two-foot plush angler fish is heading out to Seattle to be part of this year's annual Plush You gallery show. This plush is particularly interesting because I tried a new technique, making my own pattern for the fabric. The body is made up of two pieces of fabric. The top layer is all free form drawn and hand cut, then appliqued on top of the lower layer.
On display at The Fool's Mansion in Salem, MA is a new piece I created for their themed "From the Depths" art show. It is a plush octopus that is clutching an antique clock face. I outfitted the clock face with a new, working mechanism. After creating the giant, plush cuckoo clock for Etsy I have wanted to play with more functional pieces. The whole thing is about 18"x18", so a pretty good size. Gubicza has also provided an original wood cut for the show of a sea captain. The gallery opening party is tonight from 8-10pm.
We will be in a few gallery shows, pop-up shops and traveling to three different cities during the month of December. Here are two highlighted gallery shows with openings this week:
Luv-able + Hug-able
December 3, 2009 - January 9, 2010
Gallery Hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730 NYC 10012
Opening Reception Dec. 3 from 6-9pm
There will be work from over 50 plush artists at this show - you don't want to miss it! Plus, they're all "medium & mini" size, so they'll be extra cute. Gubicza and I created a series of plush robots specifically for the show. Here are Brian's design ideas, and the finished 3D toys that I made:
Another gallery show is in Salem, MA and is featuring artists' interpretations of Krampus for the month of December.
The Fool's Mansion
137 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970
Opening Reception December 5.
Here's a sneak peek at the first two robot plush for Gallery Hanahou's (NYC) upcoming Luv-able & Hug-able Plush show. There will be five robot designs in total, but I wanted to share the first two as soon as they were ready.
Join me at the opening of this amazing show on December 3!
