Sunday, December 27, 2009

Mark Lewanski - Glass Box Guy












Mark Lewanski

Self- taught glass artist Mark Lewanski of Portland, MI holds a materials engineering degree and worked two years in the Detroit auto industry before creative restlessness and disillusionment with the corporate world prompted him to leave to pursue a career in art.
In 1999, he spent seven months in Italy studying art, language and history, and returned with an appreciation for the fine glasswork of Venice. Listing artists such as Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapetra as inspirations, Lewanski set out to reinvent a whole artistic medium, stained glass, by approaching it in a way no one had before. He strived to undo everything he knew about the art of stained glass, discarding the traditional soldered appearance of Tiffany styled lamps and windows and opting instead to use modern adhesives to give his work a clean, contemporary appearance. The results, his trademark stained glass boxes, were a huge success.
His current functional and non-functional stained glass mosaic pieces are a step further in his goal of revitalizing a moribund art form. He sells his work at top ranked art fairs in the Midwest and Florida and at over 350 galleries nationwide. He has also had his work appear on the Oprah Winfrey show. He lives and works at his studio in a century old commercial building in Portland, Michigan. Shop Arthousegifts.com for glass boxes by Mark Lewanski.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Artist of the Month - Duane Scherer


Duane Scherer Studio is a small family run business producing exclusively hand made time pieces that are truly unique.
Studio artist and designer Duane Scherer has an extensive art and design background. His Artistic career began with a BFA in Fine Art. In his earlier years Duane made a living as a mural painter and has been commissioned to execute a fine collection of work over time. Duane also specialized in a variety of faux finishes including making things look like wood, marble and granite; old world style. This type of work inspired Duane to start experimenting with other materials and mediums eventually leading to the development of his eclectic time pieces.
Duane prides himself on the fact that all facets of his line are produced and manufactured in the USA. Duane intentionally seeks out suppliers that are also proud to stamp their products “Made in the USA”. From the metal stampings used, to the wood boards and even most of the movements, all are made in the USA. Duane has been a staple artist at Art House Gifts and Vita Brevis for over a decade. His Clocks have been among our best selling merchandise in the gift and home decor collection. Shop Duane Scherer's Whimsical Clocks.

Friday, December 11, 2009

About ArtHouseGifts.com

Art House Gifts is the on-line off shoot of "Vita Brevis", an established functional art gift gallery.

Over the years we have provided our customers with the most complete collection of functional art, home décor and original and unusual gifts. We’ve been told that we offer the experience of having the unique finds and sweet treasures of an art fair or bazaar offered all year long in an alluring and creative atmosphere.

Vita Brevis has now taken that experience one step further with the convenience of shopping in comfort from your own home 365 days of the year 24 hours a day.