Jan 31, 2011 Fill

HIgh tide turned these pier posts and decks into a composition of dots and lines. It reminds me that filling up the negative space can profoundly alter a form.

Jan 29, 2011 Felt

Moss always strikes me as nature's felt. Here on this wall the bulbous mounds of moss form a topography of rounded hills and plush valleys. I wonder how I could emulate the form.

Jan 26, 2011 Web Again

In the last 6 years I've created 11 installations. You can see images, videos, and info about them on my website's updated installation page, http://www.ryksenn.com/installations.htm. This year I plan to create small sculptures, but I've applied to a couple of installation opportunities and we'll see what happens.

Jan 25, 2011 Cube

What was once a white concrete box that covered a stairwell at the Jupiter Hotel (Portland) has been transformed into a cube of art. The patchwork mural, each side with a different color theme, has softened an otherwise clunky piece of functional architecture. The form has been made into a point of interest.

Jan 24, 2011 Tilt

I like the way that this huge cairn (outside the Portland Greyhound station) leans to one side at the top. It could have been a cone shape, but instead the top is mashed down and tipped. The change in orientation makes this an exciting form.

Jan 22, 2011 Lights

The storefront, traffic, and far away building lights make Portland seem like a jeweled city. The light dots add an essence of infinity.

Jan 20, 2011 Web

From time to time in 2011 I'll be posting about my art process. As a way to share my work I make frequent updates to my website. I just finished updating my sculptures page, see http://www.ryksenn.com/sculpture.htm. (Click on an image to see it bigger and use your arrow key for a slide show.)

Jan 19, 2011 Weight

The stone, slightly askew, backed up to the disarray of the swaying grass, makes me think about how the weight of forms can be used to create a subtle tension.

Jan 17, 2011 Witch-Hazel

What I like about this witch-hazel is that the droopy, thin, yellow petals are matched with the droopy, big, brown leaves. The color combo and the forms seem like an unlikely pair--and that's what makes them interesting.

Jan 14, 2010 Support

The center of the cut reveals that the tree's center was compromised. In my own sculptures I occasionally find that I haven't given enough thought to the support structure. Sometimes this is good, in that the form then takes another direction. But sometimes I have to do some very tricky retrofitting.

Jan 13, 2010 Cut Off

The remnants of the cut to this tree are visible--bits of sawdust at the base. When I captured the scene I didn't notice that the stump "touches" the double yellow line of Ruston Way. Sometimes after you create work of art you discover an unintentional compositional element.

Jan 11, 2011 Mystery

These wilted purple leaves are tucked under, avoiding the cold. The irregular, dark negative spaces make the forms pop out of the composition. The well defined stems pierce back into the darkness, adding a bit of mystery.

Jan 9, 2010 Bulk

Located in Commencement Bay, this paper mill remanent provides a perch for birds. The outline of the concrete form has an interesting shape which is enhanced by the transient wildlife. The birds are an elegant, mobile addition to the bulk.

Jan 8, 2010 Splash

When it's gloomy outside, you can duck inside the W.W. Seymour Conservatory for art inspiration. The stark contrast of the white and yellow at the base of these petals is harmonious with the orangish petal tips. The splash of light colors gives the forms a stroke of randomness.

Jan 6, 2011 Peer

Like eyes with baggy folds, these branch collars seem to peer out in all directions from a periscope. In an era of CCTV and video cams everywhere, it makes me think about what nature sees but doesn't report back (at least not in a way we can understand). The folds exude a sense of weariness.

Jan 4, 2011 Double

Near the Louise Bourgeois "Eye Benches" sculptures at Olympic Sculpture park (see yesterday's post) I spotted this double. The setting sun cast a tree's shadow against the retaining wall. The swath of blue sky helps differentiate the shadow from the 3-D form.

Jan 3, 2011 Forward

In 2010 I made it a goal to blog every day about forms that inspire or inform my art (for the record, I blogged 307 days). Looking forward to 2011 my goal is to make a series of small works. With that in mind, I probably won't post every day, but I may include images of my works in progress along with the inspirations.

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.