above: 30 Limited Edition Nestkeeper Sculptures by artist Blaine Fontana
I'm a big fan of artist Blaine Fontana's work. His installations, his mixed media, his paintings and now these wonderful limited edition Nestkeepers. Thirty little imp-like sculptures each carefully painted in styles varying from japonesque designs to graffiti, exemplifying Blaine's vast styles and talents.
above: four profiles of the varied styles of Blaine Fontana's Nestkeepers.
It was in his 2006 show, The Manifest Soup Transcripts of Four Corners, (at the now closed Lineage Gallery in Philadelphia) that featured the first 8 of the 30 nestkeepers and he has just now completed them all.
above: the first 8 nestkeepers as they appeared at Lineage Gallery in 2006
The nestkeepers were inspired by this earlier painting of Blaine's:
Blaine sculpted the original prototype at which point fellow Otis Alum Daniel Garcia, then in the toy design department, applied his talents with the wax pen on the second casting and together they cast the finals.
above: the last 22 of the final 30 casts. The mold has since been destroyed.
The 30 nestkeepers are created from a solid silicon cast and then each 5" tall form is hand painted and adorned with unique elements, like twigs, nests, flowers, butterflies and even spray can tops.
Please click on the images below to enlarge and see the 30 beautiful nestkeepers.
UPDATE: The $800.00 nestkeepers have long since sold out. But visit Blaine Fontana's online store to see other original sculptures and art available for purchase.
Below are a few examples of the work of Blaine Fontana:
all images courtesy of the artist and society6
Blaine Fontana