This is an experiment with a raw clay form returning to the earth. The piece settled on a bed of seaweed while the waves gently washed in and sped up the reclaiming process. I love the little bubbles and sound of the water permeating the clay. (sorry for the vertical format!)
After the jealously of watching all my friends travel photos appear on Facebook in the past few years, I can finally cross Iceland off my bucket list…and it does not disappoint! I arrived in Reykjavik and spent one night in the city with enough time to wander around town before leaving for the eastern coast of Iceland the following morning. The corrugated steel houses with their simple design and bold colors and the Icelandic lambs and horses grazing in epic landscapes makes it very easy to fall in love with Iceland.
In the photo above you can see a little village along the fjord called Stovardfjordur and that is what I’m calling home for the next few weeks. It’s a remote little fishing village of around 200 residents, many of whom worked at the Fish Factory, when it was an actual fish factory up until the early 2000’s. When the factory closed, the town was decimated and many local businesses left along with a lot of the population. In an effort to save the building from demolition and revitalize the village, a group of founders coordinated buying the factory and turned it into the creative space that it is today. Over the past four years, they have done a ton of work with their own hands on the enormous building while the entire group was and still is operating on a completely volunteer basis. Along with the artist-in-residence program that has shared and private studios, they also host local concerts and events, have a working print shop, dark room, wood, metal, textiles & ceramics studios, plus a professional recording studio that is -almost- finished. And of course they have plans and dreams for lots more. The founders of the Fish Factory believe that you can’t have a thriving village without culture, so they are being the change they want to see in their world and their commitment is inspiring.
In addition to being bowled over by the incredible scenery here and completely impressed with what this small group of art entrepreneurs have created from an abandoned fish factory, I’ve simultaneously settled into my corner of the shared studio space and started making art. I came with a foggy plan in my head of what I thought I’d like to make, but there is so much inspiration here it’s hard to not get distracted onto side projects too. So I’ve been 3-D sketching/doodling to help me filter out ideas with more potential for completion in my time here and I’ve got some promising starts.
I’m using the translucent porcelain clay that I was experimenting with while on my last residency in June (yes, it survived being in my checked luggage!) and I would like to create enough pieces to do an ‘in the field’ photoshoot onsite, I’m just not sure if there will be one or two (or maybe three!) site specific installations. I’m playing with some ideas from seeding plants I’ve found on my hikes as inspiration (see image above) for some land installations, which I think could be very successful. The work I had planned on making is based on radiolarian forms (lace-like skeleton structures of single cell ocean dwelling plankton) which would be a water based installation. And then of course there are the other ideas that can’t help but sneak into my studio practice, we will see if there is enough time for them to come to fruition. I realize that I’m being a little vague about my plans, but I’m not exactly sure where it’s all going yet, so here’s a sneak peak at my current studio table, I’ll let you know how it progresses as I head into week two here…
And remember, if you want to keep up with what’s going on with me on a daily basis, you can follow my Instagram account for works in progress, inspiration through exploration snapshots and just musings on life as an artist.
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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I board a red-eye flight bound for Reykjavik tonight and probably by the time you read this I will have officially landed on Icelandic soil. After an overnight in the big city, I will be making my way across the island to the eastern side and eventually arrive in the small village of Stoovarfjordur.
I have everything I need for lots of hiking and exploring plus my studio tools packed and ready to go. I decided to bring clay with me in my checked luggage – which I’m sure will trigger a bag search- but since I’ve been working with a beautiful translucent porcelain, I wanted to make sure that I had the right materials to work with at the Fish Factory. If you want to follow along on a daily basis, I’ll be posting to my Instagram account regularly and I’ll be writing once a week posts right here on ‘the dirt’, so be sure to keep in touch while I’m gone!
I look forward to this amazing five week art adventure and thank everyone who donated to my residency with all my heart! You guys are the best!
In order to squeeze in just one more art event before I flee the country, this past weekend we headed back out to the Buffalo Creek Art Center in Gardnerville Nevada for an end of summer bbq art show. I brought my three Lichen Trees with me and a few pieces from the Bone Series | Medusas that I had made while I was an artist in residence there this past June. It was so nice to be back, meet some of the other artists and enjoy the beauty of the eastern sierras again.
The event had nearly 100 visitors come to the ranch and meet the artists and their work. It was great to talk about my time there and the process of making my work with everyone. I can’t say enough about the owners Steve & Lana and the caretakers Bill & Mel, they welcomed me with open arms from day one and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had in working there this summer.
In the midst of getting ready to leave for Iceland, prepping for Open Studios and having a slew of little pop up art events going on, I’ve also been getting ready for an installation at Cin-Cin Wine Bar & Restaurant in Los Gatos. This show will be up for about six months and includes work from the framed Bone Series pieces and a site specific installation of the Relic Series.
This space came with it’s own set of challenges but I think that I was able to over come them to create a really nice exhibit. Here’s a sneak peek of the work, but make sure to get down there and grab a glass of vino while you check out the art! And if you’re interested in purchasing any of these pieces for your own space, you can contact JCO’s Art Haus for details…
Cin-Cin Wine Bar & Restaurant
368 Village Lane | Los Gatos CA
Exhibit Reception: October 24th, 6-8pm
You can pick some of my smaller works at JCO’s Art Haus in Los Gatos along with other notable bay area artists for their annual Affordable Art Fair!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2018
805 University Avenue #E • Los Gatos CA 95032
Well, with the big news that we ARE allowed to have Open Studios in our studios at Mission Industrial this year, I got super busy getting the studio ready. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, you can read more here and here. I know it seems a little early, but by the time I come back from my Iceland residency, I will have about 6 days before Open Studios, so I’m going to just have the studio ready to go!
This year I will have a ton of work on display- new work, old work and I’m including photos of my outdoor installations. There are some series (like the Nest series) that only have a few pieces left – so this is the last chance to add them to your collection! Plus I will have some seconds for sale at super low prices and Art Hearts will be available too!
So please join me October 13, 14, 20 & 21st from 11 – 5 at 2523 C Mission St Santa Cruz, artist #307 in the catalog!
Just a few days ago, the artists at Mission Industrial Art Studios got word from the powers-that-be that we WILL be allowed to have our studios open for this years Open Studios event in October! YAY!!
If you’re unsure why this is the BIGGEST NEWS OF THE YEAR, then read this post first about all the changes at Mission Industrial. Then this post about what I had planned to do for this years Open Studios.
With this new exception in place, I will now be showing my work in my own space, 2523 C Mission St, Artist #307 in the catalog and I can’t wait to see you all there! Now that you’re all caught up, aren’t you excited!?!?
I should also note, that none of the other changes at Mission Industrial have been revoked, so we are still unable to hold classes or have other events and as it stands now, this could be the last Open Studios at Mission Industrial, so make sure that you get over here to check out the eight artists participating.
October 13, 14, 20 & 21 | 11 – 5
The Rock Candy Series colorful ceramic gem-like forms are now available in the online shop! They are intriguing objects mounted on the wall or placed in the garden as colorful eye candy.
Rocks are organized in the online shop by color but sold individually, mix and match to create your own creative composition.
Each rock ranges in size from 1″ – 4″ and they are $35 each regardless of size. There are 14 colors to choose from!