Dec 31, 2010 Grounded

The buoy has been pulled up onto the beach; no longer floating, the entire orb is visible. The full significance of its size can be appreciated now that a person can stand next to it on the same plane. The huge, taunt, steel sphere and the thin floppy ropes combine to make a sculpture that hints at strength and vulnerability.

Dec 30, 2010 Float

This buoy became detached from its mooring and drifted to shore. It languidly floats, surrounded by its own reflection. The scale here is deceiving--the buoy measures about 4' in diameter--but in many ways the scale doesn't matter. Scratches on the surface have given way to rust which has enhanced the patina.

Dec 29, 2010 Submerged

An extremely high tide came in, tilting and partially submerging this stump. The form is now angled and some of the roots are obscured by the water. The composition (see 12/26 post) went from highlighting monumentality to showing change and vulnerability.

Dec 27, 2010 Trident

The dark black branches against the bright gray sky flattens this image--almost to the point of a silhouette. It reminds me of a trident form but with a few stray horizontal lines. Like some art, perhaps its the location (Tacoma waterfront) that influences my association.

Dec 26, 2010 Revisit

Back in April I blogged about this stump. Both smooth and monumental, in the sunlight it glows golden; during gray days it is carmel colored. Every time I see it I'm inspired. It's good to revisit art (whether it's your own or someone else's).

Dec 24, 2010 Glassy

Puget Sound was looking quite glassy; I was intrigued by the pier pilings interrupting the calm water. Later I realized that at this angle the combination of Vashon Island and the pilings begins to look like a bridge. In art, you can be drawn in by one element and then be surprised to discover another.

Dec 23, 2010 Mini

A bit of moss on a fence support shape-shifts into a mini landscape. The moss becomes the trees and foliage while the faded wood becomes a desert wash. In art, sometimes the miniature can be monumental.

Dec 21, 2010 Rough

In the bright sunlight the scales of this pine cone look like rough hewn wood platters on end. Often in art the forms that at a distance look perfectly shaped are actually, upon closer inspection, rather roughly drawn/sculpted. It is a testament to the artist's skill that the illusion of perfection is achieved.

Dec 20, 2010 Bulbous

This rose hip, one of many on a dormant rose bush, is a bright spot in a rather beige scene. However, because it doesn't have a brilliant red color it fits well in the landscape. The bulbous shape is an interesting contrast to the brittle dry leaves, thorns, and stem.

Dec 19, 2010 Tethered

Looking like a present wrapped with a thin ribbon, this is a  8'x10'x4' piece of concrete (formerly part of a boat ramp) tethered to a rock and driftwood by a yellow rope. There is a great tension between the thin restraints and the massiveness of the form--the impossibility of productive function is its strength as a sculpture.

Dec 18, 2010 Uplift

A tree fell across Ruston Way and created this uplift--the sidewalk cracked and fell in, the turf peeled up and made a hill. It's a reminder that one landscape can be transformed into another overnight. The idyllic gave way to a disruption.

Dec 17, 2010 Overlooked

The poinsettia's true flowers are these bud-like forms (the brightly colored leaves attract insects to the flowers). Sometimes it is the tiny details, which are so easy to overlook, that are the most fascinating part of an art work.

Dec 16, 2010 Shimmering

While this poinsettia appears to be shimmering, it actually has white pigment along the leaves' veins. Sometimes heavy handed coloring looks awkward and fake, but somehow poinsettias can carry off a variety of "unnatural" color combinations.

Dec 14, 2010 Fiery

This lit tree seems out of place among the larger, less symmetrical trees. Taken by itself, the form created by the lights looks like a torch flame. The fiery lights create an interesting contrast to the surrounding scene.

Dec 13, 2010 Tangle

These Pt. Defiance Park trees fell from a hillside and landed across a pathway and into the sound; they were then cut and left to drift away. The tangle of branches forms an interesting network of intersecting, diminishing lines.

Dec 12, 2010 Place

There are some places that are an inspiration to me, among them is Tacoma's W.W. Seymour Conservatory. These Poinsettias show the shadow of the conservatory's window panes. The colors and forms at the conservatory are ever changing.

Dec 8, 2010 Distraction

With a diagonal, circle, Y and V lines, this is an interesting composition; however, the reds against the green distracts from the lines. Sometimes in art you need to look beyond the distractions.

Dec 7, 2010 Austerity

These flowers had golden petals a couple of months ago; now they have transformed into sentinels of black stamens and caramel stalks. There is strength in the austerity of the forms.

Dec 6, 2010 Turbulence

Sometimes art, by its very existence, creates turbulence. This stone creates a beautiful flow of diversion.

Dec 5, 2010 Interplay

These lemons, tangerines and limes have subtly different shapes and harmonious colors. I am transfixed by the interplay of the oblong and spherical shapes that create a series of arcs.

Dec 2, 2010 Arts Ecology

Here's three artists' views on sustaining an art practice. Artist Trust Blog: I Am An Artist: Tacoma Tends to its Arts Ecology: "The City of Tacoma diligently tends its arts ecology. Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month takes place each November to illustrate Tacoma’s collec..."

Dec 1, 2010 Sections

The sections of this acorn squash radiate from the center into great elongated bulbous forms. A few of them have a bit of a crease. This subtle variation heightens the overall sense of sections.

Nov 30, 2010 Form

One form reminds me of another. The petals radiating from the center look like tiny canoes. The starburst pattern is always a winner.

Nov 29, 2010 Commodity

When shopping, I find it frustrating when I can't find a price tag. Seeing a huge price tag on a holiday tree made me think about how the price of art is often hidden--both literally and figuratively. And can we put a price on art or nature?

Nov 27, 2010 Set

Multiple repeating images are sometimes used in art to achieve abstraction, call attention to form or pattern, or call attention to a subject. These are four of hundreds of pods I found beneath a tree after a wind storm--the immediate landscape was full of artful repetition.

Nov 26, 2010 Public Art

It's fun to stumble upon spontaneous, temporary public art. Here the carefully sculpted forms are complemented by found objects. The upraised arms create a joyful mood. 

Nov 24, 2010 Poke

The tension in this form is the blades of grass bursting from the burden of the snow. It could easily be reduced to a 2-D drawing that takes advantage of the many linear lines.

Nov 22, 2010 Snow

The accumulation of snow on a bush creates a new landscape. Monumental forms are created as the snow builds and then bridges the gap between leaves. It's the sculptural equivalent of painting over an old work.

Nov 21, 2010 HIdden

The almost perfectly square parting petals of this camellia reveal a hidden cedar needle shard. In art, sometimes you need to observe from inches away in order to see the surprising elements.

Nov 20, 2010 Article

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/11/19/1430640/elegance-irony-honesty.html
Here's a link to the News Tribune article about all the Spaceworks installations; mine is mentioned in the last paragraph.

Nov 18, 2010 Infrastructure

After a recent storm this seed landed on red maple leaves. The veins of both the leaves and the seed are very evident. It's a reminder that sometimes it's nice to see the infrastructure of forms.

Nov 17, 2010 Junction

The thin gnarled branch meets the overlapping cone scales at a crusty junction. While it wouldn't seem that combining two forms in this manner would work visually, here it does. Sometimes in art you need to try something that doesn't seem intuitive.

Nov 16, 2010 Glossy

Among a pile of brown leaves a golden one shines through. The color is enhanced by the glossy sheen of rain water.  The form is ever so slightly convex.

Nov 15, 2010 Topography

The texture of tangerine skin isn't just a field of pits, its a topography of elongated valleys. The variation of the indentations is hardly noticeable because of the intensity of the form's color.

Nov 14, 2010 Tension

The negative space between the avocados helps to create a strong composition. There is a good sort of tension between the texture of the skin and the stem nub.

Nov 13, 2010 Red

There's a saying about getting art viewers' attention, "Make it big, make it red." But small and red is good too. The repetitive forms of this small, dried, red corn cob would translate well into a large sculpture.

Nov 9, 2010 Drop

Clear water drops under low light on top of a gray car.  The otherworldly texture is the result of lighting and background.

Nov 8, 2010 Outside

Some of the moss has stayed inside the lines created by the bricks. But it is the moss that has strayed outside the lines that has a more interesting form. Like art, it is sometimes better to color outside the lines.

Nov 7, 2010 Jumble

A jumble of red leaves on green grass. With the pile and the perspective it might take a moment for the eye to decode photo.

Nov 6, 2010 Open Studio

Come by my studio this weekend 10am - 4pm.  Today (11/6) and tomorrow (11/7) Tacoma artists open their studios for visitors.  See elements of my last four installations. I'm #6 on the tour map.

Nov 3, 2010 Gold/Blue

Another take on the gold on blue topic. This time a live tree replaces a transported stump and the sky replaces the water. The saturation of the colors is reversed (see Nov 2 post).

Nov 2, 2010 Golden

Stripped of its bark, this stump is luminescent every time I see it on the Tacoma waterfront. It is as golden and imposing as a memorial sculpture.

Oct 31, 2010 Re-Present Video

Here's my video about my Spaceworks Tacoma installation, "Re-Present."

Oct 30, 2010 Nest

This bird's nest has some surprising human-made elements that appear more decorative than structural--a blue twist tie, green landscape tie, and a wad of fishing line (bottom left). The form itself is a beautiful swirl of sticks, stems, and leaves.

Oct 29, 2010 Distinction

A few fallen leaves are isolated on a curb, a hint of a tree line is in the distance. The fog creates a clear distinction between foreground and background.

Oct 28, 2010 Subtlety

The difference in textures between the veined leaf and the rocky asphalt is highlighted due to the warm colors set against the steely gray. I ask myself, if this had been a painting or sculpture, would I have wanted more subtlety?

Oct 27, 2010 Vibrant

Autumn leaves are falling off the trees and flowers are looking spent and tattered. The wrinkled and torn petal still has a vibrant color and shape.

Oct 26, 2010 Silhouette

The dark silhouettes of the trees and building highlight the light gray clouds against the dark gray sky. The volume of the clouds stands out from the flat foreground.

Oct 25, 2010 Interpretation

In this grate I see references to mountains, rivers, rain, and lightening. The stylized and abstract design leaves a lot open for interpretation.

Oct 24, 2010 Orange

The intense pumpkin orange color seems out of place for leaves on a tree. Art and nature are full of optical illusions.

Oct 23, 2010 Imprint

An imprint left by a dumpster creates an interesting form in the grass. Trenches bracket the dead grass which has hints of new growth. The dark green frame sets it all off.