“Quadrille”
Daniel Levy

The dining room table is the center of my universe, with the pull of gravity that gets stronger with each passing year. It is there that I launch my engagement with the larger world, both social and spiritual. At this small piece of real estate, I re-connect with family and old friends, and discover the pleasure in new friends.

My favorite dinner table is filled with the work of talented artists who combine the artistic with the functional in each individual piece. But it is getting more and more difficult to find artists who devote their creative production to dinnerware. There are multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is the huge proliferation of inexpensive tabletop pieces manufactured in Asia.

That’s why it is heartening to find those rare artists such as Daniel Levy, who operates his porcelain studio in the middle of Manhattan. Levy produces some of the most beautiful handmade dinnerware available today, as evidenced by the fact that celebrities feature his work at their most important functions. The Guild has proudly represented Levy’s work for years.

Dan Levy is one of a small number of artists who assist us in using the dining room table as a creative backdrop for the food we offer to family and friends.

“#101004″
Van Bankston

In my opinion, very few things express the joy of living more than the use of bold colors and big paintings.

Color is the manifestation of light and energy; it transforms the world and deeply affects our outlook on life. The use of color is one of the easiest and most effective ways to put a personal signature into a living environment.

If you feel that it’s time to bring more energy into your home, consider a larger-than-life painting with daring colors, such as those used by Mississippi artist Van Bankston. The size and colors of a painting like this will bring a sense of drama and richness into a home and life.

“Leaf Clocks”
Emi Ozawa

I joined the craft field in the 1980’s, when talented artists working in craft media such as glass, ceramics, fiber, metal, and wood were crossing the boundaries into fine art. Over the years, their efforts met with some success as our major museums have begun to recognize and incorporate this work into collections.

This past year I have attended several conferences where I noted that the energies of younger artists have shifted to the design fields. Discussions are no longer focused on being recognized as an “artist;” rather, today’s up-and-coming craft artist prefers respect for his or her design talent.

Take, for example, Emi Ozawa. Since graduating from the prestigious furniture program at the Rhode Island School of Design, Emi has been producing a line of small furniture and functional objects that shine with a fresh new design sensibility. Her clocks would fit just as well into MOMA’s design shop as the local craft gallery.

It is exciting to think that a whole new generation of talented designer craftsmen has developed and matured. There is beginning to be a collective sense of ‘movement’ in which craft objects are mainstreaming into the design marketing community. So much the better for all of us!