foundation OBRAS

I'm now in the middle of week three of my month long residency at Foundation OBRAS in Portugal. Here's what I've been working on:

I designed a giant "azulejos" pattern and turned it into a stencil which I used to paint on the wall of the former Evora Monte train station (now closed to passenger trains since 1988 and cargo trains since 2011).

The two plants I chose for the pattern are endemic to the area... the Esteva (no English translation, but a kind of rock rose), which grows like a weed here. The flowers are white with yellow centers and dark purple-red blotches on each petal, and the leaves are very sticky. The other flower is a beautiful kind of plume thistle.

The walls of the room I chose in the station (out of two accessible ones) were literally crumbling as I painted them. See the pieces of wall in the corner?

Nearby Estremoz is known for its marble, and many buildings were built from gorgeous chunks of it. We went to some marble quarries and took the scraps that were apparently deemed unworthy for the market.  I've been drawn to long, loaf-like pieces. 

For the piece above, I was inspired by a hike some of us took to an overlook where there are old holes that were long ago carved into the rock. No one knows quite what their purpose was, but it's fun to guess. It's thought by some they were used for shamanistic purposes. 

I'm making these marble sculptures that have very specific (and strange) functions to leave around the landscape. Maybe someday, someone will find it and wonder what that ancient carver (me) made it for.

The one above is made to hold nespera (loquat) seeds. The one below is still in progress and is meant to be a snail forum.

I checked back this morning to see if the test snail I put there stayed. Unfortunately, it ran away...but I still like the idea of special holes for snails. 

I'm also working on a video of ants fighting, but I had trouble loading it, so you'll have to see it later. Até logo.

a work in progress

I'll keep this brief, but I wanted to share one of my projects here. Other projects from last semester can be viewed here on my website (the still-in-progress brick project, neighbor hood book, conversation collaboration, and koti pizza). Unfortunately, I haven't had time to provide contextual information for those yet.

This project is currently taking up most of the space in my studio. I realized yesterday that it needs more work, so it's officially a work-in-progress again. Yes, that is a giant air plant in it!

It's been a very busy semester. Open studio day feels like it was ages ago, and that was the last time I wrote a post here. So, there is approximately only one month left before summer break, which means I'm almost half way done...and I still have so much to do.

More to come in the future! Thanks for checking it out.

mosquito test

The forests are so beautiful (and look so peaceful) here in Finland. However, every time I step inside one, I'm surrounded by flies, mosquitoes, spiders... How maddening that the time of year when it's warm and sunny, and one would want to have skin exposed, is also the time when you're most likely to be attacked by little, annoying creatures.

Yesterday, after such an adventure into the forest (to pick bilberries), I came back to my desk and made a big, ugly mosquito using newspaper and a torn up book, along with some black cord I found, feathers my friend Ais gave me, and a few BBQ skewers.

I'm trying to figure out how to move the mosquito in a way that mimics the creepy way that they buzz around with their nasty dangling legs. He's a little test I did today:

kickstarter launch!

Today I launched a KickStarter campaign for the artist residency I will be attending this summer in Haukijärvi, Finland at the Arteles Creative Center. After many weeks of work on the video, it's a relief to finally be able to share all the fun little animations I made with you.

The project is:  Ephemeral Past --> Material Present

Check out the Video

I will keep a Finland blog that will be open to the public until June 9, 2013. After that date,  the Ephemeral Past --> Material Present blog will be private and dedicated to all $25+ backers of my KickStarter campaign, who will be added to the "readers" access list.

I'm grateful to all backers and supporters of me and the project ... Backers below $25 will still receive official project updates via the KickStarter site, and will be able to view this blog as always, but those updates will not be as frequent or as detailed as the ones on the Finland blog and won't include extra insights and fun details about food and travel.


I have never kept a blog during my travels, so this is a very special case where I have decided to do so as an extra special part for most of the rewards. 

While the campaign is active, I still have the ability to add rewards. If you think of something I may have overlooked that would make a great reward, please feel free to leave a comment and I will consider it!

Thanks to all for your support! Remember, KickStarter is all-or-nothing, so please spread the word. :)

winging it

Here's a peek at what I've been working on lately using those cardboard boxes. I managed to watch two films while making these parts: 1) The End of the Line (a documentary on over-fishing) and 2) The Flaw (a documentary on income inequality and the financial crash).

Now I'm off to get started on my KickStarter video! If you have any suggestions for great rewards for me to offer to backers for my project in Finland, feel free to leave a comment.

Until next time....

process: corrugated

... taking apart boxes for my next project ...

february 2013

mapping home

october 2012

genuine and bonded

men's leather belts, cut and layered; closet door

september 2012

fair trade ?

West African trade beads, Dutch wax fabrics, silk/cotton yarn, tied onto wire frame

august 2012

sneak peek

The project I was working on in June (work in progress) has been brought to a temporary standstill due to problems acquiring materials. I was relying on a Goodwill Outlet for what seemed like an endless supply of leather belts. It seems someone else is on to my secret supply of cheap leather! 

In the meantime, I have been working on another project and reorganizing my studio (finally a clear floor, thanks to some shelves). Here's a sneak peek:

work in progress

june 2012

perpetual spring

may 2012

see it in progress

work in progress

may 2012

I loathe styrofoam, but a few slabs of it came with some furniture we bought, so I've been putting it to good (re)use in the studio as a surface to organize and photograph on . 


The sunlight was trickling in beautifully through the blinds and across the floor as I snipped away with my favorite scissors. Meanwhile, the B was hanging out in the studio too, now that the semester is over...busy with his needlework project. 


I should have more photos soon as this project progresses.

In other news:

Scripts and Systems

If you happen to be in Lexington, KY between May 24th and July 15th, you can see this piece.
Lexington Art League @ Loudoun House: 

209 Castlewood Drive

 Lexington, KY 40505

system: pyramid

april 2012

this photo of my work was found on the Lexington Art League's Facebook page:

orb

february 2012

detail

 

older works: buttons

I have a friend visiting tomorrow from Florida for a long weekend, so I am in the process of cleaning up the studio to serve as a guest room. Since my mother moved across the country to greener pastures some months ago, I have now in my possession (and feel the weight of) all of the things I have kept throughout my life, from a koala puppet named Timothy to the first book I made at the age of six.

I had several unopened boxes I had been avoiding for as long as possible, and today I dug out this piece from circa 2004.

2004

It was squashed, and the wires had gone a bit rusty, but I managed to reshape it. Curiously enough, I cooked octopus for the first time last night (with great results). The design of an octopus - with its perfectly laid out tentacles and suckers - is far more elegant than this piece, but it was easy to draw a connection.

last night's dinner

I still have a lot more to unpack (but that won't be happening today). I'm curious to see what else I have held on to.

work in progress

february 2012

paper ball

paper ball - november 2011

(in progress)