Symbiosis 2013, things connected

This new sculpture is another conglomerate of elements that are states of symbiosis in nature. Nature being that state or politics between living things in the wilderness that i see and witness. Elements being the flora and fauna that exists and only exist because of one or the other elements in the chain of nature. Today i was doing a little bit of research on a few rivers systems, one being the North Umpqua in Oregon. My friend Melinda who I've been doing some woodworking for highly suggested that I make time to go and experience this watershed since it has such an incredible level of biodiversity and wild state that seems so untouched still and very accessible. After a quick search on the web it looks like its on my visit list for 2014 after Paris and of course it has great fly fishing opportunities. The small cabinet is veneered in Redwood Burl and was a cigar box that my friend Bruce gave me after a camping trip, while the dragon fly inside came off the radiator of my truck when i was on my way home from studying split cane rod building with Chris Raine in Dunsmuir in June.

Mapping the Terrain 2013

This show that i'm in is a really smart survey of current mapping projects artists are experimenting with in the local bay area right now. Located in the Mills building on 220 Montgomery street in downtown san francisco, the exhibition gives generous space to my work as well as others. My works stem out of my personal art practice that starts in the "field" or more like extended journeys into the wilderness, beyond the roads that most people will visit, and even more remote than the average hiker will tempt to visit. Most times it can take me 5 days to reach a valley in the High Sierras, and its not uncommon that 15 to 30 people may even visit these wild places. Two sculptures that i made are in the show, Endo-Biotic Symbiosis and Evolution, are culminations of the wilderness experience. In another display case, curator of the exhibit, Kerri Hurtado of Artsource inc., has displayed many of the research materials i often collect from individual places in the wilderness and my actual pocket sketch books that i use while trekking into the backcountry. Among my sculptural pieces are some really interesting works by Lynn Beldner, Francesca Berrini,Val Britton, Jutta Haeckel, Dana Hargrove, Charles LaBelle, Michael Light and Lordy Rodriguez If your in the downtown area of San Francisco or you know your headed that way let me know and maybe we can meet at the space and have lunch? There's a great vietnamese resturant not far away called Golden Flower.

Endo-Biotic Symbiosis

Ive been super busy since the new year in the studio. New sculptures that seemed to be languishing along on work tables suddenly became clear in how they were to procede. Newly finished is a sculpture Endo-Biotic Symbiosis. the outer sides are styrene forms taken off of tree bark that are monted and hinged to panels. Open sculpture is a narative about the inner dependency that flora and fuana has in the wilderness. The sculptures slip cover is quarter sawn sycamore with a deciduous tree image cut out relating to the trees in the sculpture.