American Pie.

Right before the holidays we ran into our friend Stephen Antonson who invited us to an opening at the new Transit Culture showroom that features some of his designs. We've always been big fans of his work so of course we wanted to show our support. Stephen's chosen medium, plaster, inspired him to develop a style reminiscent of the great Belle Époque decorative artists with an other-worldly touch that is full of surprise and humor. We expected to be impressed with Stephen's work at the opening, but we were also completely blown away and surprised by the on-premises workshop located just behind the gallery space. Capable of creating anything from a hand held figurine, to large scale statues, to even recreating lost or damaged architectural details, this workshop uses not only plaster, but a number of materials that are all environmentally friendly. The owner, Carlo Alessi, is passionate about his craft and gave us a personal tour explaining in detail the process of how everything is created from the initial carvings, to the mold-making to the finished product. This is an incredible resource not only for collectors, but for artists, designers and architects as well. Honestly...who doesn't like getting plastered every now and then.