the dirt
Greetings from Sweden!
After a very long journey, I arrived in the lovely town of Mariestad of the shorefront of Lake Vänern. The hours of sunlight are very limited here this time of year and the drizzly weather makes for fabulously moody skies. I spent the first few days getting over the worst of the jet lag by getting a lay of the land, walking through the nature reserves and watching the locals prepare for the upcoming holiday season. The location for my artwork will be in the Universitetsparken where the University of Gothenburg holds their horticulture program. It seems like the perfect place for my Umbels to reside.
My time in Sweden has not just been spent staring off at scenic vistas, in my few days here so far I’ve unpacked my crate (everything survived- yay!), I have most of the flowers attached to the metal structures, the location of the Umbels has been selected, so the holes for the bases were dug and lighting placement was also chosen. The next few days involve sanding down the connection point of epoxy between the ceramic and the metal so that it’s a smooth transition between the structure and the flowers and then painting the transition to match. There’s also a few interviews with the local news who are interested in my crazy sputnik looking flowers and then it’s looking like Friday morning will be the official final placement. I really can’t say enough about the kommun (municipality) of Mariestad that has answered every question, solved every hiccup in the process at every turn and been so compliant to the artists choice in how steps are taken. I think I’ve been very spoiled here with this amazing public art committee. Final installation pics are coming soon!
December Studio News
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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Sweden, here I come!
I was so happy to hear that my crate of artwork arrived safely in Mariestad Sweden!
One hurdle accomplished. Yay!
I leave for Sweden today and will be spending the following 10 days assembling and installing two large Umbel Flowers for the Off Season Art Gardening: Humle Park project. I’m so looking forward to meeting the team I’ve been planning with in person and exploring Sweden for the first time.
Hoping that it all comes together as planned and that the artwork looks great installed! Fingers crossed!
more to come soon….
Sip & Shop Show!
I will have Art Hearts for sale at this event alongside talented local makers!
Be sure to check it out for all your holiday shopping!
Studio Closed for Thanksgiving!
INSPIRATION THROUGH EXPLORATION:
We are taking a break and headed off into the desert for some off-the-grid time this Thanksgiving week.
I will be returning emails and filling orders when I return, if you want to start your holiday shopping early, don’t forget, the online shop is open 24/7!
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
My Art, Your Space: Lichen Series
I’m so happy to share that two Lichen Series pieces have found the perfect forever home!
There was a lot of time and contemplation that went into this installation but it was so worth it, they really look perfect in this entry hallway. More pics will be up on the website soon!
About the Lichen Series:
The Lichen Series are vertical stalk shaped structures which have a variety of ceramic lichen inspired pieces emerging from and fused to them. This series play with ideas of death and regrowth, the power of negative space and the contrast of dark and light. These pieces are hand-built and hand-carved from high fired stoneware and each piece is original and unique. There are 7 more available for purchase.
photo credit: Michael Cinque Photography
And she’s off!
Yesterday afternoon, my art went out on an adventure! A crate of sculptural parts is on its way to Sweden and I’ll be meeting it on the other side in a few weeks. Fingers crossed that it makes it there ok!
I know I’ve spoken about this before but the pressure of creating installational artwork is always a thrill. I really never know if it will all work out until it has. This installation in Sweden is no exception. I’m shipping all the parts which I hope will arrive ok, then I’m counting on my team in Sweden to help me assemble and install this piece in a place I’ve never been before. I’m also trusting all of my testing and consultations with experts that the clay will be able to survive the winters there. All the moving parts of this project make for a slew of opportunities where everything can go wrong, but that’s all part of the fun!
More to come on this project in a few weeks!
New images from the lichen series are up!
These pieces from the Lichen Series haven’t been shown very much, so if you haven’t seen these pieces in my studio, I finally got some good photos of these three trees and they are up on the website now!
The Lichen Series is about new growth from the old, in these pieces the ceramic lichen forms are growing on California black walnut planks that came from a storm fallen tree. The glazed ceramic pieces are inspired by the structures of shelf fungus and have been placed in compositions that follow and enhance the natural grain of the wood. Read more here…
If you’re interested in purchasing them, please contact JCO’s Art Haus in Los Gatos.
Save the Date: LoOk Collective Winter Show!
