Skip to main content

Brett Kern fuses 80's pop culture icons into Hellenistic sculptures


Brett Kern is best known for making ceramic art pieces that deceptively look like inflatable toys. But over the course of the last few months, the West Virginia-based clay master and professor have been working hard at finishing a new series of sculptures. 

The series is based on 80's pop culture characters and inspired by the Hellenistic period. In this set, you'll find everything from a drunken E.T. (a recreation of the The Barberini Faun) to a Rafael/The Dying Gaul mashup. Perhaps my favorite of the bunch (pictured below) is ALF Strangling Cat, which is based on the Greek original Boy Strangling Goose.

"I am choosing characters that I sympathize with in some capacity," Brett was quoted as saying by Nerdist.com. "When I used to play Ninja Turtles, I pretended to be Rafael because he was the badass rebel that didn't want to listen to anyone else. Fittingly, my older brother was Leonardo and we clashed often."


 


Brett was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated in 2007 from the California University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. In 2010, he completed his master's degree from the West Virginia University. To know more about Brett and his delightful sculptures, visit his blog or follow him on Instagram.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Italy's True Movie Poster King

What you see here is the hand-crafted magic of Renato Casaro, the late Italian designer who practically defined an era of cinematic cool. His work wasn't just advertising; it was art. Casaro's journey into becoming one of the most recognizable poster artists wasn't by chance; it was a pure obsession. As a kid, he was fascinated by billboards, trying to mimic the styles of Norman Rockwell and Angelo Cesselon. Think of a teen so determined that he was drawing right onto the walls of a local cinema just to snag a few free tickets. Casaro created posters for a lot of Spaghetti Westerns. His big break came with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964. The movie starred Clint Eastwood and was directed by Sergio Leone. The poster didn’t just promote the film; it helped make it a global hit. Naturally, Leone came calling again, commissioning posters for My Name Is Nobody (1973) and the epic crime saga, Once Upon a Time in America (1984). A Casaro poster is easy to spot because of his uniqu...

When chocolate meets art

I heard it's National Chocolate Day, so I thought I'd share this video about Orlando's newest and sweetest attraction.

Hand-Painted Bags That Tell Your Story

  Most bags today look like they were produced by bored machines in a dimly lit factory. You can walk into any mall and find rows of identical leather (or “leather-like”) things, all claiming to express individuality. Ironically, though, they all look exactly the same. Then there’s Abby Verano . Her bags are not mere accessories; they’re declarations. Each one is hand-painted, touched by an actual human being with an imagination. Abby doesn’t just sell you something to put your wallet and smartphone in; she sells you a story, a vision, a little revolt against the tyranny of sameness.  Her tools are simple — brushes, acrylic paint, bags made from pandan leaves, and creativity. No duplicates. No clones. Just one-of-a-kind art pieces you can carry.