Carrol boys

APPLIED ART

¢  A functional & creative form of design.

¢  Used on a day-to-day basis

¢  The application of practical & artistic values.

¢  Combines the Industrial art & the Fine arts.

¢  Industrial design and Graphic design are important examples of Applied Art.

¢  Can be influenced by religion, current events, the surroundings and by the artists’ life’s experiences

¢  Social conditions can also determine the outcome of the art. 

¢  Technology has become more advanced thus also developing and generating mass production of such art. 

¢  Slowly new techniques are discovered by experimentation

BACKGROUND

¢  Graduated with a degree in fine art, majoring in sculpture. 

¢  Was a teacher for 11 years in Cape Town

¢  1989, she resigned to become an artist and designer. 

¢  Started making candles - later switched to jewellery design. 

¢  1991 began to experiment with pewter

¢  Made handles for cutlery

¢  A trial teaspoon she made was immediately sold

¢  Then made salad servers and bowls

¢  FUNCTIONAL ART range was launched

¢  1998 she converted a “Bo-Kaapse” building in Cape Town into a functional Art building. 

¢  2000 she opened a new company

¢  Is the biggest single exporting craft artist in South Africa

¢  Her functional art is being sold in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

¢  Now, Carrol Boyes Functional Art is a South African production consisting of 3 wholly owned subsidiaries of which Carrol is the CEO.

INFLUENCES

¢  Her surroundings

—  passion for her country is infused in her work.

¢  Living in Cape Town

—  the spirals, curves and fish-like forms are suggestive of the ocean

¢  Nature

—  influences the style, shape, colour and symbolism of her works.

¢  Strong African influence

—  seen in the simple, yet bold shapes and forms. 

¢  Natural elements of South Africa

—  for example wood and leather also influence her work

¢  Studies in History of Art

In the faces of her figures, we see influences of Picasso & Matisse

INFLUENCES

¢  Surrealism

—  organic, abstract work of Joan Miro.

¢  Sculptural studies & jewellery design

—  helped her explore her preferred medium of pewter.

¢  The Art Nouveau movement, (1894 –1914)

—  its flowing lines, curves, kinks and coils - creating movement.

¢  The need for a new unique type of cutlery

—  items we don’t give much credit for – this inspires Carrol to portray the real beauty and value of a KNIFE and FORK.

¢  Fishes and Women figures have a symbolic meaning of the rise and power, the changes of roles women

¢  Touring

 experiencing the different types of cultures

EXAMPLES OF WORK

Pepper Mills – man and wave designs

STYLE CHARACTERISTICS

¢  Brings aesthetically pleasing sculpture into the home

¢  Manufactures cutlery, dishes and bowls, and a wide range of metal products. 

¢  Works are widely collectable, decorative and functional.

¢  Uses both traditional and contemporary designs to transform mundane objects into the extraordinary. 

¢  Uses of flowing lines, curves spirals, and circles and the forms are organic, figurative and fluid. 

¢  Her style is reminiscent of Art Nouveau

¢  Figures are simplified, with a large mouth and nose. 

¢  Hands and feet are also often large and out of proportion.

STYLE CHARACTERISTICS

¢  Subject matters include:

—   fish

—  Mermaids

—  figures and spirals

—  Formalized designs. 

¢  Works are bold and chunky, however they are also delicately formed. 

¢  Works in metals (mostly pewter and stainless steel)

¢  Highly polished surface

¢  Adds interest by including surface decoration

¢  Works are crafted by hand - no two pieces are identical.

Her works is very personal and surprisingly sensuous

MATERIALS

¢  Started working making pewter handles for cutlery

¢  Moved on to Stainless Steel and Aluminium

¢  Eventually using in conjunction with wood, rubber, even terracotta tiling.

1. Pewter: 

•          Is a light silver coloured metal

•          Consists of tin (90%), antimony (2-8%) and copper (3%)

•          Uses lead-free pewter, imported from Belgium and Britain.

MATERIALS

1. Stainless Steel: 

•          Uses fine quality South African Steel

•          Stainless steel blades are imported from England & Japan. 

•          Is dishwasher proof, for added convenience.

2. Aluminium: 

•          South African aluminium is used

•          Range of dishes and vases

Aluminium is rust proof and hardwearing

ANALYSIS OF WORK

1. STYLE AND FORM:

•          This is a contemporary design jug

•          Jug is made from aluminium

•          Handle is pewter

•          Figure forming the handle is very simplified

•          Curved line formed by the torso and arm show her truly organic use of line and style.

•          Figures bent arm creates a comfortable handle

•          The jug has a lip to allow easy pouring. 

•          While the jug is made as a work of art, it is also designed for maximum durability and function. 

•          Very simplified

1. WORK METHODS:

•          Starts by sketching. 

•          Then sent to her trained craftsmen at the Letsitele studio, in the Northern Province, to be casted, filed and grind. 

•          Taken to Cape Town where it is polished and packed. 

•          Has to pass 5 quality checks before it is allowed to leave the studio

2. TECHNIQUES:

•          The aluminium vase is made by die-casting

•          In this process, ingots (cast blocks of aluminium) are melted and then poured into moulds of a desired shape. 

•          After it has hardened, the aluminium is removed from the mould. 

•          Is then filed to achieve a smooth finish, after which it is polished

•          The Pewter is much the same way as the aluminium, it is filed, grinded and polished. 

•          The handle is then simply attached to the vase and it is given a final polish.

3. EQUIPMENT:

•          Furnace

1.       Needed to melt the metals, and special sands, clays

•          Various other materials

1.       Needed for the casting process. 

•          Filing machinery

1.       Used to smoothen the surface, which is polished with a rough-woven polishing cloth.

SUMMARY

¢  Her works frange from Pewter, Cast and Aluminium.

¢  Each item has its own aesthetic value

¢  Her works consist of a selection of Flatware, Silverware, Home ware, Office ware & Gifts. 

¢  Her head offices are situated in Cape Town

¢  Main manufacturing plant is at Letsitele in the Northern Province.

¢  Products are both Traditional & Contemporary

¢  Made with the finest quality Stainless steel and LEAD FREE PEWTER, thus making it light weight.

¢  All her products are characterised and styled to fulfil the purpose of function.

¢  Consists mainly of objects shaped like fish and women.

¢  She bends, twists, hits and squeezes the material into shape and then leaves it to cool.

¢  Pewter and silver – they both have a smooth shiny finish

¢   pewter - is a soft alloy comprising of tin, antimony and a small trace of Copper

¢   silver is a naturally precious non-ferrous metal mostly used in its alloy sterling form.

¢  The Stainless steel

¢  specially introduced for the busy house person

¢  lightweight, but strong, non-corrosive and easy to clean.

¢  The end product is a smooth, shiny silvery finish. 

¢  Overall product is a lightweight, strong and non-corrosive.

¢  Carols work is exported to 26 countries worldwide. 

¢  She has been saluted as a South African icon by leading national and international décor and lifestyle magazines, such as Australia’s:”Vogue”, and in the New York Times.