browngrotta arts

01/27/2025

New this Week: Agua Azul 47 by Birgit Birkkjaer

Kicking off the week with artwork from the incredible Birgit Birkkjaer. Birkkjær is a Danish visual and textile artist who works primarily with the basket form. She weaves the baskets flat on the loom and draws them into shape. Her works are minimalist, using repetitive element in individual baskets or in a series of shapes which together make up a larger work.

To see more of her work: https://browngrotta.com/artists/birgit-birkkjaer.

Pictured: 92bb Agua Azul 47, Birkkjaer, Linen, cotton, horsehair, recycled fisherman’s rope, natural beads, glue, 3" x 3" x 3", 2024. Photos by Tom Grotta.

01/26/2025

ArtLive: Hawaiian Beach Sketches by Kay Sekimachi

Our ArtLive feature of the week goes to artist Kay Sekimachi. In her practice, Sekimachi is recognized as a pioneer in the resurrection of fiber and weaving as a legitimate means of artistic expression. Sekimachi masterfully uses a 16-harness loom to craft stunning three-dimensional sculptural works. She also has a way with natural objects as her Beach Sketches series indicates. Her innovative approach and dedication to her craft have solidified her place as a pioneer in the art world.

To see her work up close: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQKI4DhnpM.

Pictured: Hawaiian Beach Sketches December 91, Kay Sekimachi, 15.125" x 12.125" x 2.5", each. Chlamys cookie, hoof shell, False Limpet, bon, twig, stone, thread, paper, 1991.

Hawaiian Beach Sketches December 91, Kay Sekimachi, 15.125" x 12.125" x 2.5", each. Chlamys cookie, hoof shell, False Limpet, bon, twig, stone, thread, pape...

01/23/2025

Happy Birthday, Karyl Sisson!

Another special birthday to celebrate! Please join us in wishing artist Karyl Sisson a very happy birthday. In her practice, Sisson often uses materials of everyday life (both past and present) to create her sculptural and textured forms. Sisson draws inspiration from sources as diverse as Los Angeles’ landscape, microbiology, and fashion manufacturing.

Her work is of the most moving we've seen! We hope this next year is full of creativity and love.

To see more of her work, visit: https://buff.ly/46fFDUF.

Photo by Tom Grotta.

01/22/2025

arttextstyle: Art Out and About, Winter 2025

We are deep in winter doldrums in the US — devastating fires in the West; plunging temperatures in the East. Art can be a balm and a bright spot. Here we round up a some exhibitions of note and share some art news to remind you of the power of creativity. Visit our blog for the full list: https://buff.ly/3Q2jOD0.

Pictured: MAD Drawing Room at the Museum of Arts and Design, NY, NY. Photo courtesy Anne Wilson.

01/22/2025

Happy Birthday, Federica Luzzi!

Today we are celebrating the birthday of remarkable artist Federica Luzzi. In her practice, Luzzi's work can be recongized from her use of the vertical loom that allows her to work the fibers from their frame to three-dimensions.

She presents her works in dimensional installations, “as if they were fragments of a galaxy: macrocosm and microcosm together; disseminations, sowing of fragile bodies aggregated magnetically and arranged in constellations or in an unknown writing.”

We are honored to know and work with Luzzi. To see more of her work: https://buff.ly/3Oi0uR1.

Portrait by Federica Luzzi.

01/22/2025

Happy Birthday, Jin-Sook So!

Today, we're celebrating the incredible Jin-Sook So. Known for her innovative approach to metals, Jin-Sook has treated stainless steel mesh like textile, using methods such as bleaching, braiding, twisting, and oxidizing, combined with gold, silver, and copper nitrates.

Jin-Sook's art speaks volumes about her ability to blend tradition with contemporary techniques. To see her work up close: https://buff.ly/48K4kKV.

We hope this next year ahead is one of the best yet.

Photo: Carter Grotta

01/20/2025

New This Week: Curve by Caroline Bartlett

Starting off our week with a feature from UK artist, Caroline Bartlett. In her practice, Bartlett explores the historical, social and cultural associations of textiles; as well as their significance in relation to touch and their ability to trigger memory in her work. What do you think of this 2021 piece? Tell us in the comments below. 👇

To see the art up close: https://buff.ly/4jmqCZ0.

Pictured: 24cb Curve, Caroline Bartlett, painted linen, cotton thread, perspex, 85” x 17.25”, 2021. Photos by Tom Grotta.

01/17/2025

ArtLive: Blue and White Interview with Amy Katoh

For today's ArtLive video, we are shining a light on an interview with artist Amy Katoh, who has run her shop Blue and White in Tokyo, Japan. Katoh has focused much of her energy traveling through Japan in search of artisans' products and ideas to introduce to the world.

She's shares why she loves indigo, as do many other artists who share this same sentiment. Watch the full video: https://buff.ly/4hkARuZ.

Pictured: Details of Indigo works by Polly Barton, Glen Kaufman, Ethel Stein, Hiroyuki Shindo.

01/16/2025

arttexstyle: Japandí Revisted -- Just 10 More Days

We’ve been so excited by the wonderful response to Japandi Revisited at the Wayne Art Center in Pennsylvania. It’s been such a joy to see so many of you enjoying the exhibition, and we’ve loved welcoming groups like the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia and the American Swedish Historical Museum.

There are just 10 more days to visit, and we’d love for you to join us! Tom Grotta and Rhonda Brown will be at the Wayne Art Center on January 25, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the closing reception, and we hope you’ll stop by to say hello and celebrate this incredible show with us!

For more: https://arttextstyle.com.

Pictured: Works by Gudrun Pagter(DK), Masakazu Kobayashi (JP) and Merja Winqwist (FI) in Japandí Revisited: shared aesthetics and influences. Photo by Tom Grotta.

01/13/2025

New This Week: Call Me Ishmael by Lawrence LaBianca

For this week’s feature, we are spotlight Call Me Ishmael, a thought-provoking piece by Lawrence LaBianca. Inspired by the opening line of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, LaBianca explores the theme of memory and time as markers of personal and collective histories. Known for his meditative approach to text and memory, LaBianca’s work often draws from literary themes and personal reflection.

To see more from this artist: https://buff.ly/3PwScov.

Pictured: 17ll Call Me Ishmael, Lawrence LaBianca, wood boat etched with text from Moby Dick, 43" x 11" x 5", 2016. Photo by Tom Grotta

01/12/2025

ArtLive: Luitzen by Marian Bijlenga

Our ArtLive feature of the week goes to artist Marian Bijlenga and her 2019 piece, Luitzen. Rather than drawing on paper, Bijlenga draws in space, using textile as a material. In her practice, she works with thread, fabric and horsehair, fish scales, sand paper, parchment, flexible materials that lend themselves to endless development.

It's no wonder why her work comes so highly acclaimed. To watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT5faNzegxU.

Featured: 37 Luitzen, Marian Bijlenga, embroidered used sandpaper assemblages, 22” x 18” x 3.75”, 2019.

01/09/2025

Art Assembled - New This Week in December

Our New This Week series has spotlighted the work of six exceptional artists throughout December: Nancy Koenigsberg, Karyl Sisson, Annette Bellamy, Yeonsoon Chang, and Marian Bijlenga.

Let's take a look back at these inspiring artists and their contributions to the world of art: https://buff.ly/3Q2jOD0.

01/07/2025

New This Week: Midnight Moon by Lizzie Farey

Kicking off the week with work by artist Lizzie Farey! The inspiration for Farey's work comes from the inherent qualities found in the natural materials around her Scotland location. Farey sees baskets as reminders of the intense pleasure of nature –taking viewers to a place and a time which is universal.

To see this piece up close, visit:
https://buff.ly/4j4XIwg.

Pictured: 23lf Midnight Moon, Lizzie Farey, willow, wire, 33" x 33", 2024. Photos by Tom Grotta.

01/05/2025

ArtLive: Andy Goldsworthy: Earth Artist and his Process

Today's ArtLive feature is video by Caitlan Sheridan, Andy Goldsworthy: Earth Artists and his Process, where Sheridan take a beautiful look at the world through the eyes of the extraordinary artist, Andy Goldsworthy.

Maybe there's a message there for the New Year, too, on immersing ourselves in the natural world: "Normally, I don't know even what I am going to make that day when I go out, he says. He acts "in response to the weather and the light .... "It's an atmosphere, it's a place, it's a space, that I am trying to understand."

To watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sngXz55b4bc.

Pictured: Andrew Goldsworthy Wall, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

01/01/2025

Artist Nancy Moore sent us a holiday greeting she drafted that she agreed we could share with you all:

May we have the courage
to stand up
for what is good and true
and the fortitude
to create our own happiness.
Dare greatly,
and often!
HAPPY 2025!

01/01/2025

Happy Birthday, Chiyoko Tanaka!

A very special birthday on a very special day. Please join us in wishing artist Chiyoko Tanaka a very happy birthday today. Known for her masterful use of traditional Japanese techniques, Tanaka’s work brings timeless beauty and innovative design together.

We are grateful to work with such a visionary artist, and we wish Chiyoko another year filled with creativity and joy. To see more of her work, visit: https://buff.ly/3PojwGn.

Portrait by Tom Grotta.

01/01/2025

Bringing in the new year with more art! Can you ask for anything more?

Pictured: 1ah Claire de Lune, Agneta Hobin, mica and steel mesh, 2001. Photo Tom Grotta

12/30/2024

New This Week: Scale Flowers by Marian Bijlenga

Starting the week off with the work of Dutch artist Marian Bijlenga. Bijlenga's work has exhibited and received awards at venues worldwide. In her practice, rather than drawing on paper, Bijlenga draws in space, using textile as a material. She works with thread, fabric and horsehair, fish scales and parchment, flexible materials that lend themselves to endless development.

For more information on this piece, visit: https://buff.ly/4fFXdps.

Featured: 40mb Scale Flowers, Marian Bijlenga, dyed Nile Perch fish scales, 22.375" x 18.875" x 2.5", 2019. Photos by Tom Grotta.