Ceramic and Clay Sculptures by Yun Hui Kelsey

Enlightenment © Yun Hui Kelsey

Stay at home mom, Yun Hui Kelsey, lives and breathes for art, and dreams about it in her spare time. Who can blame her? I think anyone who creates will agree that creating is one of the most satisfying acts there is. Yun is originally from Malaysia, but came to the United States in 1999 to pursue her college education. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family. Though she considers herself a "jack of all trades" it is working with clay that she loves the most.

I Want To Fly © Yun Hui Kelsey

"I can express myself freely with clay. It's such a wonderful, versatile medium. I love to sculpt human faces and figures. Sometimes my works are about the strength of the human spirit. Works such as I Want to Fly is about human desire, the wish to rise up above any situation. And, some of my works have Buddhist influence in them (such as Enlightenment)." Freedom, and freedom of expression is extremely important to Yun. "I used to live life as how others told me to (specifically, my family). I think it is very typical for my culture (I'm Chinese by the way) to put a lot of pressure on kids to make sure that their lives follow a certain pattern. We were not encouraged to express ourselves, to be our own person. "

Unbreakable © Yun Hui Kelsey

If raising her two year old daughter doesn't keep her busy enough, Yun also explores other forms of art in her free time. Her blog is a journal of the different mediums she has tried and continues to explore. And, she is honest and humble in her postings. She describes one of her creations, "In terms of technique, this sculpture isn't all that sophisticated. I'm proud of the fact that I incorporated different materials in the sculpture, which is something that I haven't done a lot. But I do feel that I'm still lacking in the technique and skill department. And as always, I'm obsessed with finding a way of expression that is all mine." Though her goal is to turn her art into a career, her daughter is her main priority. They paint together (one of them makes more of a mess than the other), while Yun plays children's songs, or a couple of her favorites, Gypsy Rover or Danny Boy, on her harmonica. Yun's focus is to keep creating and improving hers skills. Visit her blog HERE. And, see her tutorial on sculpted fridge magnets HERE.

Images of Yun Hui Kelsey's artwork posted with consent.

Terracotta Sculptures by Bruno Torfs

"Hidden amongst the lush rain forests North East of Melbourne, Victoria, is the rare jewel that is Bruno's art and sculpture garden. The original and unique artworks of sculptor and painter Bruno Torfs have brought joy and inspiration to thousands of visitors from all over the world. The garden began with just fifteen life size terracotta sculptures which eventually grew to over one hundred and fifteen pieces on display."

"Unfortunately on the 7th of February 2009 a bushfire raged through the township, decimating everything in its path without mercy and claimed the lives of friends and neighbours indiscriminately. Bruno was extremely lucky to survive and the rest of his family are safe and well."

"Bruno's home and art gallery were completely destroyed in the blaze, with Bruno only managing to save a handful of paintings." ~From his website with permission.

You can read about Bruno Torfs and his efforts to rebuild his home and art gallery at Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden. Be sure to watch the slideshow on his home page to see what was once Bruno's amazing sculptures.

Bruno Torfs' story was originally brought to my attention by James Parker of James Parker's Art who is planning on doing a series of ten 5 x 7's of some of Bruno's sculptures to help with the rebuilding efforts. You can see one of them HERE. Thank you James!

Photographs copyrighted by Bruno Torfs, and posted with consent.