Nov. 8, 2011 Element

This is a sneak peek of a visual element that inspired my team's Prairie Line temporary installation--due to be installed on Tollefson Plaza this Friday. My team members are Janet Marcavage and Bret Lyon. Several other artist teams will be setting up temporary installation at different points along the Prairie Line.

Oct. 22, 2011 Cloud

I'm preparing to do a temporary installation at Tollefson Plaza to celebrate the kick off of the Prairie Line redevelopment project. As part of my visual research I've been looking closely at objects and places related to trains. The back side of a train crossing sign makes a powerful contrast to the billowy clouds.

Oct. 11, 2011 Familiar

These horse chestnuts have so many spikes per shell that they appear hairy. Having fallen off the tree, they have split open and now resemble butterflies. When trying to describe sculpture it is easy to revert to   words for familiar objects. The forms here are an interesting interplay between shape and line.

Oct. 9, 2011 Connections

Tacoma Artist Alice Di Certo has a photo-poster-collage on exhibit at the Tacoma Dome Links station that invites viewers to make connections (with thread & push pins) between themselves and others in the Tacoma community. It's part of the storytelling program, Voices of the City. The work reminds me of how a collection of photos evokes different connections for different people.

Oct. 8, Interrupted

This crumpled chain link (in Pt. Defiance park) is a sculpture of intersecting lines. The repetition of the diamond shapes is interrupted by the stretched and compressed portions of the composition. What is lost in this 2D image is that the sculpture has a scooped/cup shape at the top.

Sept. 25, 2011 Cone

Flat yellow petals radiating out draw the viewer into the "nest" where this sculpture sits. The light green cone shape, with its strong diagonal lines and symmetry, is very compelling. The bright sun highlight on the right and the shaded area give it a sense of volume.

Sept. 24, 2011 Seaweed

The puffy packets of the seaweed leaves overlap one another--they start out paper thin at the base and then inflate at the tips. The color differential between the gray and yellow is subtle, but the negative spaces add much needed depth to the composition.

Sept. 18, 2011 Public Art

For the past few months I've been participating, with other Tacoma artists, in a public art training program sponsored by the City of Tacoma. A recent assignment was to create a "gesture" and put it out for public viewing. My work is responsive to the waterfront and the sound. If you walk the Ruston Way waterfront, keep your eye out for it.

Sept. 16, 2011 Riot

The Art Chantry show at Fulcrum Gallery is a riot of color, images, text, and history. I was amazed at how different each poster was, but there was a similarity to them that I couldn't put my finger on. My favorite part of the show is in the back room where the mechanicals are displayed with the final poster.

Sept. 14, 2011 Sunshine

Sunshine in a jar. Cut up and canned, these peaches expose their inner color. Placed in close proximity, the forms' negative spaces are not very pronounced.

Sept. 11, 2011 Bulbous

One of the things I like about fall is the arrival of the many interesting squash--the bulbous forms are inspiring. They seem to start off creating one shape and then move on to make another completely different shape all the while being one form.

Sept. 9, 2011 Engineering

When I look at this dahlia I imagine rolling up paper to make the cone-like petals.While that would be relatively easy to do, it would be difficult to get the cones shaped and secured in a dome form. Looking closely at flowers makes me appreciate the engineering of botanical objects.

Sept 6, 2011 Petals

The yellow and pink petals of this Dahlia have an almost stag horn quality in some places. Draping over, in and around, spent petals add to the composition. The deep green background really sets off the form.

Sept 2, 2011 Fungus

This fleshy orange fungus reminds me of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen sculptures in that it appears soft and supple. The ridges and crevices, the overlaps, and the upwards orientation appeal to me. 

August 30, 2011 Appreciation

When you love an art object and then you learn about the how it is crafted, your appreciation for the artist increases exponentially. The Tacoma Art Museum had a great lecture about the history and process of creating Pendleton trade blankets this past Saturday. The blankets are part of the Chihuly exhibit in TAM's largest gallery.  The lecture raised issues about globalization, market research, and the appropriation of cultural iconography.

August 16, 2011 Installation

Driftwood, white-brown and craggy, is juxtaposed with the serenity of blue lapping water. This Fox Island scene is a great installation.

August 12, 2011 Focus

The brilliant hot pink petals, a bit out of focus, provide a interesting contrast in color and form to the spindly, ice gray stems. It reads a bit like an abstract painting. The blotches of intense color provide a focus for looking deeper.

July 27, 2011 Pier

The remnants of this pier pierce both the land and water. Blue, glassy water provides a nice contrast to the rough gray rocks. The wood pilings stand by like sentinels.

July 26, 2011 Pattern Wall

A wall of color and pattern dominate the large TAM gallery displaying Chihuly's glass works and personal collections. Seen together, the wool trade blankets are a riot of color, pattern, and line that provoke wonder at the infinite possibilities for creating art.

July 6, 2011 Patterns

The strong patterns of the rectangles, the solid white ones paired with the holes on the beige wall, provide a great contrast in presence and absence, enhanced by the vertical line down the center. The bushes are a powerful contrast (in form and color) to the patterned background.

July 3, 2011 Onion

The glossy purple sphere seems at odds with the thin, white string-like roots that protrude from one end. But this onion combines the forms of a shaft, sphere, and treads to make an interesting sculpture.

July 2, Take Down

Today (Saturday) is the last day that my installation "Composites" will be on view in the Woolworth Windows at 11th & Broadway. All my installations have their own life cycle--tomorrow I'll be un-installing in the early morning.

June 10, 2011 Within

Giuseppe Penone's The Hidden Life Within is beautifully situated in the Frank Gehry designed addition to the Art Gallery of Ontario. This massive tree trunk was carved to expose the interior and is paired with lumber also similarly carved--the entire room reads like an installation. See More details, http://www.ago.net/Giuseppe-Penone-The-Hidden-Life-Within

June 6, 2011 Rainbow

The Rainbow Bridge in La Conner provides an interesting compositional element to the landscape, arching across the channel and touching the sky. The bridge fits the environment rather than dominates it.

June 4, 2011 Graffiti

This intriguing bit of graffiti is found along the Prairie Line corridor. I wonder if the artist is asking themself, or the viewer, this question? Besides the alignment of the letters below the white space, I find the placement of the Y and half of the O in the window depression a nice architectural highlight.

June 2, 2011 Within

The gradation of purple on the inner petals of this iris contrasts to the speckled white/purple on the outer petals. The shapes of the inner and outer petals vary quite significantly. It reminds me of a sculpture within a sculpture.

June 1, 2011 Reflection

By aligning the pier's deck with the land mass of Gig Harbor, the focus becomes the reflection intersecting with the actual pier. The horizontal and vertical lines create a new open block form.

May 31, 2011 Inspiring

http://crosscut.com/2011/03/11/arts/20712/S.A.M.’s-exhibit-of-Nick-Cave--soundsuits-:-a-smiling,-sumptuous-journey/

Nick Cave's 10 ft. high wearable sculptures are an amazing combination of colorful textiles, objects, and forms. 'One of the most inspiring exhibitions I've seen in a long time. Part conceptual art, part sculpture, part performance art

May 28, 2011 Sited

Now that there is access to the beach at Chambers Bay, more areas can be explored. The remnants of a building's walls sit like cards in the sand. This is a very linear sculpture that is perfectly sited to relate to the water, railroad tracks, and pier/walkway.

May 27, 2011 Prairie Line

The Prairie Line that cuts through downtown Tacoma is going to be converted into public space, a place for walking/biking/art viewing. The existing embedded rails have a time-worn monumental quality that could be translated into large scale sculptures.

May 24, 2011 Regularity

The cactus pads create a sculpture of segmented forms while the areoles create a regular pattern. The strength of the form is that it mixes a regular pattern with an irregular shape.

May 22, 2011 Revisit

The Rhody has opened up a bit, revealing shriveled leaves ready to unfurl. It reminds of when artichokes open, becoming new forms with their pointy leaves splayed out. Here the new form will be big, soft and flouncy.

May 20, 2011 Mosaic

This mosaic at Seattle Center captures the prickliness of pine needles and pine cones. The yellow, gold and beige tiles perfectly offset the image of the branch. Mosaics are amazing composites of colors.

May 19, 2011 Shadows

The early morning sun casts the shadow of a lilac against my drapes. Breaking up the golden color, the bush becomes larger than life. Sometimes sculptures' shadows can rival their forms.

May 17, 2011 Display

Display is an important part of the farmers market. Here the plants are juxtaposed with a Buddha sculpture; the scale works for the arrangement. When a sculpture's scale doesn't fit the location it can be really off putting, visually.

May 15, 2011

The wrinkled petals of the Rhody are beginning to emerge from the somewhat furry sepals. The combination of textures, and bright versus neutral colors, reminds me of an Alexander McQueen gown. Fashion is wearable sculpture.

May 14, 2011 Sturdiness

Raindrops weigh down and flatten the upper petals of this poppy. Many people think that sculptures need to be sturdy and able to withstand the outdoor weather, but there is a long tradition of art that is soft and pliable and not able to withstand the elements for very long. For example, origami and textile art.

May 11, 2011 Viewpoint

Because the flowers face slightly different directions, the views of their yellow and green pistils vary greatly. The volume is not readily apparent until you get a a look from the side. Sculptures come alive when they provide vastly different perspectives depending on the viewpoint.

May 8, 2011 Dynamic

The conical forms of these Hostas start off in the center very controlled. As the leaves move to the outer reaches they become a little wild and take on different shapes. The unexpected shapes point in different directions and the composition becomes dynamic.  

May 5, 2011 Bold

This close up of the tulip's stamen and the petal bases reveals a bold design. The overlapping segments don't line up perfectly, which adds to the visual appeal. Take away the yellow outline and the design loses its impact.

May 3, 2011 Works

We're so used to the iconography of tulips, represented with a perfect pointy-egg shape. I like it when they expand so that the interior becomes visible. Here the overlapping yellow/red washed petals terminate in a deep purple. The color combination doesn't sound like it would work but it clearly does.

Apr 30, 2011 Re-purpose

The starburst pattern of dandelions is made up of asymmetrical petals. Take the petals off the flowers and they look like yellow grass. Re-purposing shapes into different configurations leads to new ways of seeing forms.

Apr 29, 2011 Eye

Looking a bit like coral, this potato eye is the sum of many parts. The small "hands" appear to reach toward the sky. The all white color makes this form appear to be made out of porcelain. While the pieces seem to be stuck together at random, the sculpture works together a a whole.

Apr 28, 2011 Unintended

I like the variety of shape outlines and the composition of this artwork--it reminds me of both teeth and microscopic organisms. I don't think this is an intentional artwork; it is a water stained piece of cardboard stuck inside a window. But then, a lot of my sculptures have a life of their own and parts of them are unintended.

Apr 27, 2011 Mushroom

The shapes, colors, and proportions of this bus stand (side view) remind me of a mushroom. Its sense of fungus is enhanced by the mossy roof. The form would translate well to a monumental sculpture.

Apr 26, 2011 Landscape

I was fascinated by the landscape found on this piece of rotting lumber. At first I hadn't realized that I had captured the shadows in such high contrast. With sculpture, it's really great when you can get deep shadows that "explain" the contours of the form.

Apr 25, 2011 Miscalculation

In trying to capture the forms that make up these branches, I inadvertently framed the sky with an interesting pattern. The droopy black lines break up the blue and white, creating an all together different form. Sometimes a miscalculation leads you to a new artistic vision.

Apr 24, 2011 Eggs

Sitting among the peaks and valleys of an egg carton, these dyed eggs have a deep rich tone. The original eggs were brown, not white.  Sometimes in art you need to start with a richer color to get a different result.

Apr 22, 2011 Review

Here's the Tribune review of all the spring Spaceworks Tacoma installations (including mine).  Once the Broadway farmers market opens in May I'll make a video about my installation. See, http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/04/22/1635931/peer-into-magical-windows.html

Apr 21, 2011 Fade

The swath of purple fades as it approaches the edges of the petals. It reminds me of how watercolors saturate and inhabit paper. The green background makes these delicate forms pop.

Apr 18, 2011 Wayzgoose

The "Beautiful Angle" team pulls a massive print (made with the help of a steamroller) at yesterday's Wayzgoose celebration at Kings Books. It was inspiring to see so many people interested in art and letter presses.