Sept 30, 2010 Depth

These leaves look deep red against a background of green and brown. But a closer look reveals that they are orange with burgundy splotches. In art, often the identifiable color of an object is made of a combination of colors, adding interest and depth. 

Sept 29, 2010 Fading

As this ginko leaf is starting to turn from green to gold, the fading colors and slight blemish at the base make it appear butterfly-like. While the line between plant and animal is blurred, so is the line between plant and art.

Sept 28, 2010 Variety

This jumble of small tomatoes creates an interesting composition. Each red and yellow form is slightly different from the next and only a few have green tops. But it is the variety of direction and spacing of the forms that makes this composition some alive. 

Sept 27, 2010 Color+Form

The pairing of complimentary colors yellow and violet make these asters pop. The numerous thin petals, overlapping and slightly askew, create a delicate star burst form. Color and form work to make a great composition.

Sept 26, 2010 Flat

The variation of lines created by both moss and rocks, punctuated with a few dark spaces, reminded me of an abstract painting. While the crevaces are intriguing, it's the flat plushness of the green that intrigues me.

Sept 24, 2010 Standout

Looking like a bunch of stacked, puffy orange umbrellas with ragged edges, this fungus stands out in the green landscape due to its color, shape, and texture. Like some art, this fungus is not afraid to be bold and different.

Sept 21, 2010 Double Take

I snapped a photo of these flowers because I thought they were interesting. When I looked at the digital image I was struck by how the composition reminded me of a group of people vying for the camera's attention. Capturing a form's image for one reason sometimes makes you see something entirely different.

Sept 19, 2010 Support

Zucchini blossoms are very delicate (and delicious) but their shape is supported by the spines emanating from the base. Working with paper, I find that figuring out the supporting structure is an important part of the art-making process.

Sept 18, 2010 Similarities

The diamond-shaped strands of the web (yesterday's post) reminded me of another image I've been looking at--a pine cone architectural detail from the Pantages. The similarities between the two forms has made me eager to create something that incorporates the pattern.

Sept 17, 2010 Temporary

It took the rain, just the right light, and a dark background to make this spider web visible. Change any one of those elements and it "disappears." This web makes me think about the ephemerality of all art.

Sept 16, 2010 Revisit

I went back to the Pantages to look at the building's ornamentation again. Along 9th Street I discovered additional architectural elements, some of which had more details. I found this piece which doesn't appear on the Broadway side. In art, it's always a good idea to revisit your inspiration.

Sept 15, 2010 Placement

On the cinder block wall of a local market, next to the BBQ gas tank recycle pen and a newspaper dispenser, I found this Northwest scene. The placement of art sometimes doubles as art itself.

Sept 14, 2010 Process

In creating my installation "Re-Present" for Spaceworks Tacoma (upcoming, Oct. 2), I'm working to re-present some of the architectural details found near the installation site on the exterior of the Pantages Theater.  I've been ripping, gluing, cutting, and attaching paper. Here I'm shaping leaves to be part of a garland.

Sept 13, 2010 Side View

Looking at this dahlia from the side, I realized that the form of the petals looked familiar. They look a lot like the paper cone that florists put around bouquets. Repetition of the familiar can create some interesting new forms.

Sept. 12, 2010 Interplay

The flower heads and stalks of these onions look a bit like plants in Dr. Seuess' books. The stalks appear to be straining under the weight of the puff balls; I like the interplay between the sphere forms and the slightly curved stems.

September 10, 2010 Statement

Golf ball meets Brillo pad are the first words to mind about the central part of this flower. The contrast between the regular bumps/depressions of the tip and the more random hair-like edges makes a striking textural statement.

Sept. 8, 2010 Immature

These maturing figs, looking a little like boxers' punching bags, lack the definition of form seen in the ripened fruit. They hold their own sort of tension, but the final shape will be more visually interesting.

Sept. 7, 2010 Reveal

This moss covered tree trunk with a gaping hole made me think about concealment. The moss is plush and green where it covers, but where it doesn't the form's unique features are highlighted.

Sept. 6, 2010 Reapproriate

The base of this light pole is a composite of an Ionic column and a Corinthian column. Columns are usually meant to be part of a building and provide support. Here, as it often happens in art, there has been reappropriation of utility.

Sept. 5, 2010 Grate

A grate in downtown Seattle that covers the dirt beneath a tree is decorated with very flat, stylized representations of leaves and buds or branches. What is above is below. Art is full of irony.

Sept. 4, 2010 References

Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater features cloud and botanical-inspired decoration on the ceiling covering its street entry.  It is interesting how many botanical references can be found in architecture, if you know where to look.

Sept 1, 2010 Star Burst

I have a set of outdoor pathway lights that send out illumination in exactly the same pattern as these very spike-y flowers. The star burst form of the reflected light and these flowers are economical in their statements.