BauerKraft

March of the Bubbles

2008-05-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

A new pieces completed, I thought I would include the drawing.

New pieces

2008-04-26T18:02:00.001-07:00

Some new pieces,and check out the link to Ronny Coric's web site.

New Venue for BauerKraft ACCI Gallery

2007-10-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Bauerkraft is pleased to announce membership in the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley CA. Please click the link to visit ACCI's web site.

Introducing Glass

2007-09-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

I've started to use recycled glass in some of my new works.

New Piece

2007-08-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

New custom umbrela stand

First Friday

2007-07-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Join us for the next first Friday, August 3rd.

Fountain project complete

2007-06-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

New at Patio Culture umbrela stands

2007-06-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Check out new pieces on July 6th. when we're having a reception at Patio Culture. Stands can be custom ordered to coordinate with umbrella fabrics from Karla's shop.

Fountain Project Update

2007-05-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

The site is prepared and color is starting to be applied.

Pending Projects

2007-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

The overlay shows an initial drawing for a fountain. Viewers will be able to follow the progress in the coming weeks.

Benches

2007-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

BauerKraft benches are made using Greensandwich technologies, recycled materials to achieve a strong, and lighter weight than a cast concrete bench.

New Venue

2007-02-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

A new venue for Bauerkraft. The outdoor room at 17311 w. Sunset Blvd. Pacific Palisades, CA . Where Jami and her crew keep a bright, clean well organizes shop.

Kimono

2007-01-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin Venue

2007-01-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

Visit Pam at nest at 823 N. 8th. Street Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Venue

2007-01-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Victoria and her crew do a great job decorating Private Gardner for Christmas, visit her at 190 E. Broadway Milwaukee, WI.

Change of Address

2006-11-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

As of December 15th. BauerKraft will take studio space behind Patio Culture at 1612 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, California.

New Works

2006-11-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

Greystone Garden & Design Showcase

2006-11-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

Each year the Greystone Mansion is taken over by well known interior designers,

and turned into a showcase house to raise money to help sustain the park. Barbara Lazaroff created "Allegra's Allegory", several rooms detailed with spirit and color. The adjoining patio featured several Bauerkraft pieces.

Abbot Kinney Festival

2006-10-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

When the LA times called me a local artist I had to chuckle. Though after spending the day on the porch of Patio Culture, meeting everyone that stopped to talk, I started to feel very much the local.

Patio Culture

2006-09-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

New venue, Patio Culture in Venice, article and photo in the LA times. I'm happy to be part of this new venture. Check out Patio Culture's web site. www.patioculture.com

Press Release

2006-06-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

CELEBRITY-WATCHERS TAKE NOTE:
THE ARTISTRY OF FRANK BAUER GOES MAINSTREAM

BRENTWOOD, Calif. – March 2006 – For those who keep close tabs on what’s hot in the world of artists and artisans, there is a new player to watch: Frank Bauer of BauerKraft, an artist who plies his trade in one-of-a-kind ceramic compositions, has attracted the attention of the California elite, including a recent sale to celebrity Anthony Hopkins.

Renowned for his colorful mosaic work with intricate patterning across a diverse range of artifacts, including garden furniture, pottery, hand-built vessels, accessories and planters for use indoors and out, and even full-scale pieces such as wall and floor installations, Bauer is thrilled to be received with such acclaim within the California market.

“California as a state is one to which I have always felt tangentially connected,” said Bauer. “The blending of cultures, art, and history across a wide array of mediums is one that speaks not only to my work, but also my own history.”

With his native roots in his family’s German heritage, Bauer’s art forms take their cues from European traditional folk artistry, craftsmanship and design, and are created to be active elements of the homes and environments of people who purchase his art.

Recently, such a home included that of the celebrated Anthony Hopkins.

“Having an association with Mr. Hopkins was a thrill for me,” said Bauer. “But truly working with any client is a thrill, because my pieces do not have to be static. I often create individual designs in conjunction with what a particular client is looking for, in terms of color or type of piece they need, whether that is a garden pot or a mosaic ‘rug’ that will be installed into the floor of a room. In that way, my work becomes a functional part of their environment.”

Once Bauer has developed a design for a project, the precision-based craftsmanship component of his work takes hold. His process for construction requires that he first shape, glaze and fire hundreds of intricately hand-designed individual clay pieces. Each piece is then painstakingly selected and laid out in an arrangement that will eventually be attached to a clay or mortar form.

He will sometimes play with these mosaic arrangements for days, weeks or even months, until he feels the piece is ready. The pieces are then finally attached with mortar to their base structure – a clay pot, cement chair, bench or birdbath form are some of his more typical designs – and then grout is applied to secure each tile, ensuring lasting beauty.

Bauer has received much acclaim for his work, and he reports that he is looking forward to continuing to work in the California market.

About the artist:
In 1997 Frank Bauer created his company BauerKraft in a studio in rural Wisconsin, where he worked for years honing his trade in ceramic artistry. His work can be seen and purchased at Patio Culture located at 1612 Abbot Kinney, Venice, California. For more information, consumers can contact Bauer directly at 920-528-7288, or via email at: harmony@excel.net.

Latest Creations

2006-05-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Biographical Information

2006-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Frank Bauer
President and Owner, BauerKraft

When Leonardo DaVinci said, “where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art,” he might have been speaking of Frank Bauer, an artist who plies his trade in one-of-a-kind ceramic art compositions.

The youngest child in his family, Bauer was born in the United States after his parents emigrated from Germany in 1952, and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to run a successful tailoring business. His childhood was spent geographically in Wisconsin, but remained entrenched in his German heritage, with a continuous flow of friends and family from Germany staying with the family for often weeks at a time. This early blending of cultures survives importantly in his work today, where he blends European traditional folk artistry, craftsmanship and design within the ceramic pieces he creates.

He went on for his higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he received a BA in fine arts and entered the world of graphic and creative design in the advertising industry. He eventually opened his own graphic design studio, Harmony visual design with his wife, Laurie, in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. But his passion for more traditional art forms never really left him, and so in1997 he made the decision to pursue his dream of working in ceramics, founding BauerKraft, a German-influenced name that means "Bauer's Strength".

Bauer's success to-date can be attributed to the combination of his unerring commitment to traditional craftsmanship and his flawless design interpretation expressed in his colorful mosaic work, known for its intricate patterning. His work is diverse, including garden furniture, pottery, hand-built vessels, accessories and planters for use indoors and out, and even full-scale pieces such as wall and floor mosaic installations.

Bauer has received numerous accolades for his work, and today his pieces grace the homes of celebrities such as Anthony Hopkins, and fellow renowned artisans such as Ann Sacks, the founder of the tile and stone company named after her.

Bauer recently relocated from his studio in rural Wisconsin and his work can be seen at Patio Culture 1612 Abbot Kinney, Venice, California, and Private Gardner 190 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He resides with his wife Laurie in Playa Del Rey , California.

2005-08-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to BauerKraft

2005-08-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

I will be using this blog to show my audience my latest work and news of events that I am involved in. Please feel to check back often to see what's new.