I think there is something compelling about things, anything really, made from wire or metal. There is a craft quality to the work; so much of it has a wonderful hand-made feel. And there’s also an interesting graphic element where the pieces can look like a 3D scribble and throw beautiful shadows.
1. One guy working in metal is well worth digging around for – at least I thought it was a guy. Curtis Jere sounds like a perfectly legit name but it is actually a hybrid of partners Jerry Fels and Kurt Freiler. Together they created work for Artisan House in the 1960s. Their pieces range from sweeping branches and blossoms to star bursts and ocean inspired objects. A lot of it seems to surface on Ebay (just type C. Jere into the search engine and a tonne of pieces will pop up). If you are Ebay-adverse the wonderful Jonathan Adler has bought the license to reissue a few of C. Jere’s cooler designs. I love the sea urchin.
2. For a more contemporary take on wire go no further than Rebecca Niederlander. I came across her abstract scribbles suspended above a kitchen table on a Los Angeles house tour and I fell in love with her work.
3. When we were in Maine this summer I discovered Ellen Weiske who works mainly in wire. Amazing work – I just wish I could have slipped one into my suitcase. The piece pictured here consists of wire intricately wrapped around a small porcelain plate.
4. Also have a look at French designer, Marie Christophe’s, wonderful whimsical collections
