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.

Oct 22, 2010 Arrangement

Three stages are visible in one glance and the bud-to-bloom sequence is aligned centrally. While botanical drawings sometimes display images like this, it's rare to find the forms arranged this way in nature.

Oct 20, 2010 Sidewalk

An innovated approach to the usual urban tree-in-a-square-sidewalk-hole. This hole is filled with slate and grass, making the sidewalk a flat surface form broken up with interesting shapes and textures.

Oct 17, 2010 Water

The fountain in Capital Hill's Cal Anderson Park looks a bit like Tacoma's Museum of Glass cone. The water cascading down transforms the form from a static stone sculpture into an active and changing performance.

Oct 15, 2010 Review

A review of my installation Re-Present and Barbara De Pirro's installation vortex plastica by Alec Clayton is here: 

South Sound Arts etc. - Alec Clayton: Spaceworks Tacoma: recycled art

Oct 14, 2010 Volcano

The dividing lines and cavities of these berries look like flattened volcanoes. The spherical forms become more interesting because the craters and mounds are all shaped just slightly different.

Oct 13, 2010 Stylized

A very stylized version of flowers and leaves is evident in this architectural detail. The interpretation is very dynamic and works well in a repetitive pattern.

Oct 12, 2010 Layers

The concentric layers benefit from the color shift. Being able to really distinguish the depth and edges makes this form interesting. But having multiples close together emphasizes the likeness as well as variety of forms.

Oct 11, 2010 Absence

Now that these leaves have lost their color, and are set against the green grass, it's possible to really concentrate on their forms. Overlapping, tucked under, and different sizes, they create a new shape together.

Oct 10, 2010 Situation

A splash of botanical color and form in sharp contrast to the flat beige background, these plants live in the top crevice of a cement road barrier. Situating art in a surprising site can make a huge impact.

Oct 9, 2010 Transition

These fall leaves have been captured in their transition. Like an underpainting that shows through a canvas, the veins display the former green color; meanwhile the red and yellows intermingle on the top layer.

Oct 8, 2010 Reveal

The textures created and revealed by this peeling bark create interesting layers, shadows and forms. It makes me think about making a work and then peeling back the layers to create something quite different.

Oct 7, 2010 On Broadway

Lisa Kinoshita has written about my installation "Re-Present" on the Spaceworks blog.

Oct 6, 2010 Closer Look

These red/orange leaves are striking against the background of green grass. A closer look reveals the contrast of lines exhibited by leaves' veins and the grass. Look even closer and see the green square created by the placement of the two leaves.

Oct 5, 2010 Spikey

Hundreds of thin, green spikes cover the outside hard shell of this pod while the inside is smooth and bone-like. Art can combine some very jarring differences in forms and textures.

Oct 3, 2010 Re-Present

Re-Present is now on view at 906 Broadway. I draw inspiration from the exhibition space location and my ongoing exploration of the lifecycle of ideas. At this site, the windows mirror the Pantages Theater across the street (the block that the theater now occupies was once the site of, among other things, Tacoma’s first library). Theaters present the ideas of playwrights, composers and choreographers--later generations recompose or reenact some of those performances. In this installation I reinterpret architectural details from the exterior of the theater. This theme of re-presentation is related to my interest in how knowledge is transformed over time.

Oct 2, 2010 Looking Out

Today I will begin setting up my new installation "Re-Present" in the storefront of 906 Broadway across the street from Tacoma's Pantages Theater. Here's the view from inside the space looking out at the theater.