Pierre Hermé Creates An Edible Easter Homage To Artist Beat Zoderer

Swiss Artist Beat Zoderer is best known for his multi-banded colored metal sculptures which spherical ones resemble rubber band balls, globes and eggs. When Paris based confectioner Pierre Hermé first encountered Zoderer's work, he admired his paintings before discovering the singular power and grace of his metal sculptures. This led Hermé to the idea of paying tribute to the sculptor by freely taking inspiration from it.

The Incredible Whimsical Steampunk Sculptures of Stephane Halleux.

You may not be familiar with the name Stéphane Halleux, but if you saw the Oscar-winning animated short, Mr. Hublot, you've already seen some of his work. I'd been following his talents for awhile and was thrilled with the recognition Mr. Hublot received at the 2014 Academy Awards.

Stephane crafted the main character for Mr. Hublot, whom he affectionately called "Mr. Cinema" during his construction:


It was Halleux's steampunk sculptures that caught my attention about a year ago. An incredible imagination coupled with craftsmanship, unique materials and a dose of adorable make me want to buy every single one. In the over 20 sculptures of flying soldiers, controllers, winged men, robots and vehicles shown below, you can see which ones served as the inspiration for the character. Take a close look at the finely crafted details - the leathers, metals, goggles, buttons, suitcases with plaques, working levers, spinning propellers, functioning wheels and more.



Stephane's sculptures as they appear in galleries:



Stephane has been sculpting since 2005 when he first began to create the fabulous universe he’s still developing to this day. He studied at the Saint-Luc Institute in Lièges (Belgium) before working as a model maker and coloring for the animation business.


above: in the images of Stephane with some of his pieces, you can see the scale

In addition to his sculptures, Stephane embarked on an amazing steampunk video game, The Dead Flowers Case, produced by Mando Productions in Paris, France. They were seeking funding for the game on Kickstarter last year, but the campaign was cancelled in November 2013 for reasons unknown. For updates on the status of The Dead Flowers Case, they suggest you stay up to date on the Facebook page.



Galleries that carry Stephane's work:
•Galerie Schortgen in Luxembourg
•Absolut Art Gallery in Bruges
•Galerie Ariel Sibony in Paris

images courtesy of Stephane Halleux, many taken by Muriel Theis

Stephane Halleux

A Grisly Grizzly and Other Bare Bears by Deborah Simon

Artist Deborah Simon's series of Flayed Bear Sculptures combine taxidermy, science and embroidery. Her three unusual bear sculptures have faux fur partially pulled back to reveal the anatomy underneath.

The Work of Jedediah Morfit Is Flat, Fabulous and Fanfriggingtastic.

Artist Jedediah (Jed) Morfit is a professor of sculpture at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Haunting Taxidermy Doll Sculptures by Stefanie Vega Make The Perfect Halloween Post.

Dolls, in general, freak me out. As they do many people. So do clowns, birds, bones and taxidermy. Now, combine all of those and you have the haunting mixed media sculptures of Brooklyn born, now Venice, California-based artist Stefanie Vega.



Dark, detailed and finely crafted, the sculptures are perfectly suited for a Halloween post. Combining bird skulls, bones, talons and animal legs with porcelain doll heads, doll parts and glass eyes, the gothic, macabre sculptures are often in cages or bondage. Victorian wardrobe elements like leather corsets. petticoats, pocket watches, metal grommets and tophats add a little Steampunk edge to them as well.

Here's a look at some of her sculptures which range in price from $150 for the smallest to $2500+

The Task:




King Krow:




The Prisoner of Folly:


The Brat:



Murder Your Darlings:




The Manipulator:



The Dolly Beast:


La Santa De Las Aves:




Dorian Gray:



The Handless Maiden:


The Pin Slave:

"From the tales that left profound impressions in my earliest childhood memories, I began working not only with unwanted doll parts, but with skull & bones & birds. They spoke to me of wanting to tell the bigger story. The dolls we played with as children were the totems of our dreams. Upon them we laid our hopes & fears...upon them we projected our greatest selves.

I was serenaded by haunting lullabies from long ago. So, drawing on an enormous pool of archetypes & folklore & developing characters based on children's literature & faerie tales, a new hybrid was born. I began to write verse in order to share the tales that influenced the work. This rogue taxidermy with discarded porcelain doll parts and accompanying limerick became a cross-breeding of the unexpected & a departure from the familiar.

Like the resurrection of the forgotten they tell the tales from the soul of the world because they jar the collective memory we have of imagery & symbolism. This collection gives voice to an age old doll tradition that insists on singing its own song." -- Stefanie Vega

The Artist, Stefanie Vega:

images courtesy of Bash Contemporary and others from the artist.

Purchase or see more of her work at Bash Contemporary Gallery
You can also purchase directly from the artist here at her online shop.

Stefanie Vega