Adorable Hand Carved Wooden Puppets By Australian Wez Champion.

With initial training and a mentorship in Prague under Puppet master Michaela Bartonova, Wez Champion is establishing himself as a “one of a kind” puppet carver in the Australia. Combining the traditional Czech carving techniques with the unique Australian experience and “heart”, Wez is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in wooden puppet building and loves the challenge of custom puppets.


above: Wez Champion with one of his unique puppets. Photo by Mike Sea, courtesy of PS Magazine

Here's a look at a few of his adorable one-of-a-kind hand carved puppets which he sells under the name of Loutky Puppets.

Wombat Tabletop Puppet:




The ears are made from "Cane Toad Leather" (the cane toad is a pest in Australia, responsible for widespread destruction of their native species). Not only is use of this leather a distinctive feature in Wez's Puppets, but it has a unique texture and pattern, adding more life to these puppets.

The two arms are moveable with brass rods inset into the elbow joints.
$367.65, Buy it here

Tasmanian Figured Myrtle "quoll" tabletop puppet:




The quoll is a legendary animal that is on the brink of being wiped out from our world. This native Australian carnivore is rare to see in the wild.

Individually crafted By Wez Champion from "Figured Tasmanian Myrtle" (a native Australian exotic wood), this quoll puppet as unique as it is adorable.

The ears are made from "Cane Toad Leather" and the neck joint of the quoll puppet is a new development in wooden puppet building and a distinctive technique of Wez's work, allowing for amazingly expressive movement of the head.

The two arms are moveable with brass rods inset into the elbow joints.
$395.57, buy it here

He also sells finger puppets such as these hand carved out of Australian Red Cedar with ears created from leather off cuts that were salvaged from leather suppliers:


For Do-It-Yourselfers, he has blank DIY finger puppets upon which you can draw, paint or decorate any way you'd like:


Visit Loutky Puppets to learn more.

Loutky Puppets on Etsy

photos by Susan Wang photography

A Look At The Pitt Pollaro Collection. Contemporary Furniture Designed by Brad Pitt, Built by Frank Pollaro.

Given his passion for architecture and design, it was only a matter of time before actor/hunk/celebhubby and family man Brad Pitt began a product line of his own. Introducing Pitt Pollaro: a collection of hand crafted pieces designed by Brad Pitt and built by Frank Pollaro. The Pitt-Pollaro collection made its world premiere in November 2012 in New York City, after four years in development. Featured in Architectural Digest, news of the upcoming collection spread like wildfire.


above: Frank Pollaro and Brad Pitt of Pitt-Pollaro

Below are the current pieces in the collection. They will be adding new pieces as they become available on their website as well as at private exhibitions.











Each Pitt-Pollaro piece of furniture is made in limited edition and is signed and numbered. The piece bears the mark of the makers and their signatures, along with the edition number guaranteeing that the piece is original. The mark may be branded into the wood, stamped into the metal, or fixed as a bronze plate.



Every piece is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity which outlines all details associated with the piece including year of original design, year of creation, materials, and edition number. In some cases the editions may be limited to a specific set of materials and colors. Some pieces are unique because of the rarity of the materials.

From their website:
"In 2008, Brad Pitt commissioned a custom desk from Pollaro Custom Furniture. Frank Pollaro personally delivered the desk to Brad’s chateau in the south of France. During the installation, Brad and Frank found that they had a common passion for furniture and fine details. They discussed design history and their appreciation of materials, old and new. Most importantly, they shared a commitment to perfection.

During their discussion, Frank noticed a design sketch book on a nearby table. Intrigued by the hundreds of sketches that Brad had created over a ten-year period, Frank encouraged Brad to allow Pollaro to transform his drawings into three-dimensions. Brad enthusiastically agreed to move forward. In reviewing the sketches, they selected what would become the initial pieces of the Pitt-Pollaro collection. In Pollaro’s design department, the furniture was engineered, and the sketches were translated into shop drawings and photorealistic renderings. Brad visited Pollaro’s shop frequently to review the design engineering process, make revisions, and select materials from Pollaro’s museum of rare materials.

Over a four-year development period, driven by their common vision of unequalled quality, Brad and Frank created the Pitt-Pollaro collection. Designed by Pitt, built by Pollaro. They dedicated hundreds of hours to meetings where Brad’s vision of design was balanced with Pollaro’s legendary craftsmanship. Prototypes were created, revised and recreated until Brad was satisfied with every detail of the design, and Pollaro was confident of the comfort and integrity of each piece.

Every piece in the Pitt-Pollaro collection is hand crafted. All are limited editions and are numbered and signed by both Pitt & Pollaro. Since all of these pieces are custom made, the client may have input as to the materials and finishes that fit their decorative taste and complement the remaining furniture in the room. As you peruse these 21st Century designs, notice the fluid lines, pleasing proportions, and unequalled material selection."

Pitt Pollaro

Unique Storage. Maple Wood and Leather Chest Mimics Look of Interoffice Envelope.

The classic interoffice envelope inspired the look and function of the Envelope Chest by Field Day. Perfect for storing your most important things, the sleek 40" wide and 20" tall chest fastens securely with custom red leather rounds and cord. Its soft close hinges and solid maple bottom complete the sturdy piece.



Materials: Leather and Maple wood
Finish: Satin Lacquer

Dimensions:
Width: 40"
Height: 20"
Depth: 20"

Price: $1400


Buy it by contacting Field Day here

Handcrafted Sycamore and Walnut Tables Shaped Like Nautilus Shells by Marc Fish.

UK Furniture craftsman Marc Fish has created two table designs inspired by the Nautilus Shell. His first, Nautilus I, was designed and crafted in 2010-2011 and awarded Guild Mark no. 435 by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers. The Nautilus I has aluminium legs (photos are shown later in this post) while in Nautilus II, the base is formed of wood.




In Marc's own words he describes the brief as one calling for "a large statement piece, with maybe a hint of the sea - its location being a large loft style apartment overlooking the English Channel. An open brief from the client is every makers dream- room to explore, experiment and innovate. A new technique was developed to turn 4000 pieces of veneer strips into a 10 mm thick logarithmic spiral." Materials used for the Nautilus I are Sycamore, Walnut, Japanese paper, glass and aluminum; for Nautilus II, Sycamore, Walnut and Glass.

Each was produced in an edition of 5, each unique in colour and style.

Nautilus II (2012)
Handcrafted Table by Marc Fish, walnut and sycamore woods, glass









Edition of 5, each unique in colour and style.
Dimensions
Height: 45cm Width: 200cm Depth: 150cm
Height: 17.7" Width: 78.7" Depth: 59.1"
price available upon request


Nautilus I (2011)
Handcrafted Table by Marc Fish, walnut and sycamore, Japanese paper, glass and aluminium




Dimensions
Height: 45cm Width: 200cm Depth: 150cm
Height: 17.7" Width: 78.7" Depth: 59.1"
price available upon request

In situ:

Nautilus No 1 was awarded Guild Mark no 435 by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers.


Marc Fish:


Marc Fish is a UK based maker of fine furniture using a mix of traditional cabinet making and contemporary furniture design. He also runs Robinson House Studio in Sussex, UK which provides furniture making and cabinet making courses including furniture design.


Both Nautilus tables can be purchased through Andrew Lamberty of London

Making Beautiful Furniture Is No Illusion For Rockman And Rockman of London.

ROCKMAN & ROCKMAN of London creates traditionally crafted furniture with an op-art look. Side tables, end tables and coffee tables use natural woods and colored acrylic parquetry in geometric patterns that give them the illusion of dimensionality.




The CUBE Collection BBW is comprised of Blue, Black and White cast acrylic parquetry atop black wood fiber with oak tapered legs, finished in black shellac & lacquer:




The CUBE Collection BBB is two Blues and Black cast acrylic parquetry atop black wood fiber with 
Oak tapered legs, finished in black shellac and lacquer:



The HEX Collection BW is comprised of cast of Black and White acrylic parquetry atop black wood fibre with Oak tapered legs, finished in black shellac & lacquer:





The HAWK Collection BW, like the HEX Collection BW, is made with Black and White acrylic parquetry atop black wood fiber with tapered Oak tapered legs finished in black shellac and lacquer:


Two of the above tables together give you numerous arrangement options:



The KNIGHT BBBW Table is made with two Blues, Black and White cast acrylic parquetry atop black wood fiber with Oak tapered legs finished in black shellac & lacquer:


If you're interested in a more traditional look and feel, the CUBE and KNIGHT pieces come in natural woods as well. Raw veneers have been chosen for their richness of colour and personality of grain. Using their secret methods of processing, each wood is then hand-cut and fitted implementing unique marquetry techniques.

The CUBE Collection W is made of Santos Rosewood with Oak and Smoked Veneer on an Oak faced wood fiber top with tapered timber legs, finished in shellac and clear lacquer.





The KNIGHT Collection W is made of Santos Rosewood with Oak and Smoked Veneer on an Oak faced wood fiber top with tapered timber legs, finished in shellac and clear lacquer.




ROCKMAN & ROCKMAN has over 15 years experience creating product and Interior Projects for Luxury Brands, Architects, Creative Agencies and Art & Design Institutions. They also have a huge archive of old catalogues and reference from the 20th Century furniture industry, most specific to the Shoreditch area and some from other related areas like Birmingham and Sheffield. The catalogues are a fascinating goldmine of designs from a lost era and they plan to post them all on their website (under the history link), so keep checking back for the latest additions.

Rockman & Rockman products can be commissioned direct via the link below:
sales@rockmanandrockman.com