The Beautiful Vases, Dogs and Cats of Gary Steinborn and his Venice Clay Studio.

The Venice Clay Studio features the talented ceramic crafts of Los Angeles born artist Gary Steinborn. Inspired by the work of arts and craft factories such as Grueby, Pewabic, Teco and Rookwood, his sculpted animals and artful vases are sensual, modern and appealing. The figurines and tabletop objects combine a zen sensibility with arts and crafts design. Very reasonably priced, any of these pieces make wonderful gifts for others or yourself.




Artfully sculpted Buddha Cats, Buddha Dogs, Polar Bears, Elephants, Pet Urns, Dog and Puppies, Cat and Kittens, incense burners and more come in various sizes and your choice of 24 matte glazes. The sizes range from little puppies and kittens a few inches high up to sculptures and vases thirteen inches tall.

The Dogs:





Buddha Dogs:

The Cats:





Buddha Cats and Incense Burners:



Polar Bears and Elephants:


Dog and Cat Vases:


Dog and Cat Urns:



The Bella Vase ceramics are colorful vases with elegant silhouettes that would be a stunning complement to any interior. Venice Clay studio has several different styles and sizes, all of which are beautiful and some of which are shown below.

Vases:







The Glazes:
All of the artwork is available in 24 matt glaze colors. In addition, the figurines are available in celadon and white crackle finishes:



About the artist:


About Gary Steinborn, in his own words:
"I had my first studio over thirty years ago on the front porch of my family's California bungalow home. Working there on a homemade potter's wheel and sculpting clay by hand when I was a teenager started the journey that led me to a Masters Degree in Art from UCLA.



Growing up in Los Angeles I was exposed multi-cultural influences and all kinds of art. In my work I try to synthesize influences ranging from the heritage of the American crafts movement to funk and pop art. All the pieces I offer at Venice Clay are my original designs. My goal is to produce ceramics that is immaculately crafted, intelligent and humorous - suitable for anything from a modernist to craftsman style homes or personal Zen retreat. "

The Venice Clay Web Site features Venice Clay figurines and Bella Vase ceramics and allows collectors and distributors of Gary Steinborn's artwork to view the entire collection of items and colors available for purchase.

All the figurines and artworks you see in this post are copyrighted designs by Gary and Venice Clay Studio an the images have been used with their permission.

Lucian Freud Remembered. Images of (and links to) his Astounding Work.

above: Lucian Freud self-portrait (one of many), Reflection, 2005

British realist, figurative and portrait painter Lucian Freud, who was one of the greatest artists of our time, passed away at the age of 88 on July 20th.


above: photo of Lucian Freud by David Montgomery

above: a young Lucian Freud in his studio (photographer unknown)

The grandson of the 'Father of Pyschoanalysis,' Sigmund Freud, Lucian was well-known and critically acclaimed for his prolific work. Many of his paintings have broken art auction records and he was greatly respected by both fellow artists, instructors, critics and the art-savvy public.


above: Lucian Freud's Reflection (a self-portrait) with two children

above photo of Lucian Freud working at night by David Dawson, 2oo5

There have been many wonderful articles, documentaries, blog posts and more written on artist Lucian Freud (occasionally spelled Lucien). For that reason, I won't go into depth about his career but will share some links to interesting articles and several images of some of his paintings (please note that his drawings and etchings are equally superb and compelling). There are additional links at the end of this article so you can peruse his vast and impressive repertoire.

Portrait of Harry Diamond:

Portrait of David Hockney:

photo of Hockney and Lucian Freud in Freud's atelier:

Portrait of Francis Bacon:

Father and Daughter:

Interior (after Watteau):

Interior in Paddington:

Portrait of the Queen:

Bella and Esther:


He captured himself, friends, family, fellow artists and a few famous folks (Jerry Hall, Kate Moss and more) in portraits he referred to as "naked' rather than nude. Often immortalized as sleeping or reclining, his thick brush strokes and energetic style were unmistakable. In his own words he "turned paint into flesh" and in the following selection of portraits, that is clearly visible.

Benefits Supervisor Sleeping:

Naked portrait with reflection:

two different portraits of Leigh Bowery:

photo of Leigh Bowery's sitting for Freud:

An homage to Cezanne:

Eight Months Gone, a portrait of a pregnant Jerry Hall:

his portrait of model Kate Moss:

Lucian Freud with muse (one of several) Kate Moss:

The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer:


Lucian Freud was also a dog lover - he owned two beloved whippets named Pluto and Eli- and many of his portraits coupled himself and friends with dogs, like those shown below:


above image of Lucian Freud, 2005, by photographer David Dawson

Girl with White Dog:

Guy and Speck:

Guy with Speck:

Eli and David:

David and Eli:

Portrait with whippet:

Double Portrait:

Double Portrait:

Triple Portrait:

Eli:


Since his recent passing, many articles have appeared, here are just a few:

• A New York Times article by William Grimes and another New York Times article by Michael Kimmelman and its accompanying side show

• The Los Angeles Times' Remembering artist Lucian Freud

• The Guardian's article featuring good links and tributes to the artist.

• The Mirror's profile of the artist.

• The Telegraphs' Lucian Freud: A Life In Pictures

• The Independent's A singular portraitist. A tireless hedonist. A dear friend.

• The Daily Mail asks Did Lucian Freud Love his Art More Than His Children? in this article about his personal life.

And shown here in 3 parts is a 2010 documentary on the painter's retrospective exhibit (160 paintings) posted on YouTube by artcatal:

part 1

part 2

part 3


Some links to his work:

Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings at MoMA

Lucian Freud at the Centre Pompidou

Lucian Freud on Artnet

Art by Lucian Freud on the Museum Syndicate

Lucian Freud on Wikipedia

Rest in Peace.