SOFA

The SOFA Show (Sculpture Objects and Functional Art) recently came to Chicago.  I was so excited to go, but it wasn’t as wonderful as I had imagined.  In my opinion, the American Craft Council Show I attended in St. Paul was better. 

Many artists don’t like people taking photos of their work, so I wasn’t sure how I would document my SOFA visit.  It turned out most of the attendees were using their phones to take pictures of everything.  Perhaps the artists just gave up trying to stop the photography.  So I joined in and took the following photos of items that intrigued me.

Threads wrapped around a cylinder.
Simple, yet striking.

This necklace was so beautiful.
The picture doesn't do it justice.

These necklaces were made from the tips of colored pencils.
What a great idea!

These were made of glass.

Acrylic painted squares. Totally my thing!

Giant tubes of paint.

This collection of folded paper was called Red Green.
From one side it looked red and from the other side it looked green.

Turned wood
(This is for my brother-in-law)

These outfits were about 10" tall

and made from paper.

They made me smile.

More paper art.

I love the color and the simplicity.

 This was made of glass.

 Giant beaded praying mantis.
Unexpected.

I love faces.

6" x 6" ceramic boxes
I'm dying to make these!

Ceramic jacks. Way cool!

I'm not sure why I liked the American Craft Council Show better.  The pieces displayed there seemed more practical (probably not the exact word I am looking for).  The bottom line is that I had more "oohs" and "aahs" in St. Paul than I did in Chicago.  However, the goal was to be inspired and these photos definitely inspire me.  I hope you feel inspired by other people's art as well.

- christina