The rebirth of craft is bearing out extraordinary work by a new generation of artisans who, raised on a culture of mass consumption, are carving out a reputation, a career and a living on works rendered by their own two hands. A standout trio is the focus of “Texture,” an exhibition of glass, clay and wood that opened Saturday night to a full house at OK in Los Angeles.
Atwater Pottery’s Adam Silverman, glass blower Caleb Siemon and wood turner George Petersen of Circle Factory have filled the Third Street gallery-shop with an arresting collection of works, much of it created for this show. In the case of Adam, he set a goal and title of “100 Bowls” for his series. Though it meant a madcap few weeks to meet his mark, he did just that with groupings in the most stunning blues, blacks and sands that continue to reinforce his remarkable talent.
“They’re basically my three top guys in those fields,” OK founder Larry Schaffer told me. Hands down, Larry is the godfather of the design scene on this coast, and his 8-year-old shop is a required stop here. Saturday's turnout was as much due to the exhibitors as Larry--artists Shepard Fairey, Bettina Hubby and Louise Bonnet (certainly there, too, as Adam's other half). “So often those who work in these materials, it’s all about form. For these three it’s more than that, it’s an emphasis on the surface, whether it’s Adam’s glazes or Caleb’s carved effects, that tie them together.”
Like Adam, Caleb is a grad of the Rhode Island School of Design, whose tousled demeanor belies the poetic grace of his colorful and sometimes graphic glass bowls and bottles. Out of school many years ago, Caleb backpacked to the Italian glassmaking capital of Murano and eventually scored an apprenticeship with master glassmaker Pino Signoretto. In turn, Signoretto’s coldworker made the trip from Murano to SoCal to oversee the construction of Caleb’s workshop.

Rounding out the three artists is George Peterson, a North Carolina back-to-the-land spirit who turns and sculpts wood under the Circle Factory name. George is self-taught, and prefers to work with salvaged timber. For him, the beauty in the irregularities are not simply in the exposed grain but in the oil stains or patina left after a painted surface is grinded away.
“Texture” runs at OK through June 23. A full pictorial of the three artists’ collections can be found at Larry’s blog.