art delivery : 02.13.25
Well, this calls for a well-placed *GASP*! This is the exquisite work of Helsinki based artist Marianne Huotari :
Marianne’s distinctive ceramic works weave tradition with contemporary art by applying the classic Finnish textile technique with unpredictable materials. With her pieces she explores hecticness of modern days through slowness of craftsmanship. Each of her ceramic works is built from small pieces, which pass through Marianne’s hands leaving her personal handprint on them. Repetitive nature of work takes countless meditative hours to complete an art piece.
With her roots in textile design, different kind of surfaces and organic materials bloom in her works. There is something inherent in all her pieces, which is tender approach to design and art, no matter the subject. In Marianne’s art, beauty unites with craftsmanship and conscious making.
Sigh. Soooo beautiful. You can find her on Instagram at @mariannehuotari.
Dear Arty, Yep, me again.
I just wanted to say thank you all so much for embracing “Trophy Tuesday”! I think normalizing the act of celebrating ourselves — and actually keeping an eye out for our daily wins — will be a life-changer for so many of us. That said, I want to use Dear Arty to talk about the other side of the coin.
One of the insights that came out of my Dear Arty question from a few weeks ago (re: dealing with art world bullshit) is that we don’t always talk to each other about the hard stuff for fear of feeling foolish, or judged, or [insert raw emotion here]. For decades after art school, I felt like my art and I were completely on our own… but that is ABSOLUTELY not the case. We’re all in this together, so when you have a tough day and want to talk to people who ‘get it’… we are your people. If you feel comfortable, please use this weekly column to share the stuff you’re struggling with… and, hey, if you want to remain nameless, you can always sign off with your pseudonym from yesterday ;)
Have a great day ~ Danielle
Okay. I'll go first....*deep breath*...so as I mentioned on Trophy Tuesday, I'm doing this year long course which focuses on portraiture. Sooooo many things have pointed me in this direction over the years that it feels like things are (finally?!) clicking into place. Which is GREAT. BUT. (you knew there was one right?) The outward response has been OVERWHELMINGLY positive. Like people coming out of the woodwork to say Amazing! or Terrific! And it feels lovely except where WERE they for the last 25 years?!? Was my work previously so awful or misunderstood or unappealing? And intellectually I Get It! Faces are recognizable. Representative work is understandable. But it's taking a bit of the learning curve glow off this new work. How...HOW...does one move forward without feeling resentful or mustering up some gratitude for this journey? Is the key NOT to share this new path? Gotta say. I feel such shame at being cranky about folks LIKING my work! But there you have it.
Love the phrase in Marianne's artist description, "tender approach to design and art.." hmmm, something to think about.