Absolutely Brilliant

I'm not a big Facebook person. I never would have joined if not for my brother and I've never been a significant participant, though I check it occasionally. But then I found this Christy Oates video through a Furniture Society link and now I have finally come to realize that Mark Zuckerberg has created something with more cultural importance than being able to sporadically see nephew and niece pictures/videos.

E-waste Marquetry Project from christy oates on Vimeo.

I look at a lot of art and though I often see things I like, what I find really special about looking is finding that rare piece that is so spectacular that it totally captivates my attention. This is one such piece. A perfect combination of traditional craft with modern technology; fine art and craft; human vision and computer precision; found objects with meticulous planning; and, most interestingly, it brings together conceptual art with aesthetic art. Like Rich Tannen's Tray in Maple that I saw last year at a Furniture Society show, it could not be made without computers but it still retains an elegance that can only be created with intense human design and oversight.

I think it should also be seen as a multimedia piece. The video is as much a work of art as the final product. Had she simply written a paragraph explaining the process it would not be as fascinating. The video does so much more than explain, it gives the work context.

Being completely captivated, I email Christy to get some details. So that she isn't inundated with the same questions, here is what I learned:

-- The video compresses only 40 minutes of the assembly but putting it together actually took 35 hours; she spent another 40 hours setting up the files for laser cutting and the entire process took about 120 hours over three months.

-- There are 145 pieces in each section, the first section was mirrored, then the pair of sections rotated 9 times create a total of 18 pie-shaped sections. There is a total of 2610 shapes in the entire piece. The smallest shape is 1/16” square.

-- This is a non-functional piece of fine art (looking at her other videos, it is a question that you have to ask).

-- It is finished with Watco's danish oil.

-- She used epoxy glue and pressed the veneered pattern, a thick paper surround, and a backer to a panel of mdf using a vacuum bag. The white border you see in the picture is a picture-framing matboard which is also laser-cut to fit the perimeter of the piece. It just lays on top of the substrate and hides the paper surround. She will be making a frame for it to hang on the wall.

As more background, Christy recently attended Wendy Maruyama's prestigious studio furniture MFA program at San Diego State University and has already garnered a number of prestigious awards. Most prominently, she has been included in the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery 40 under 40 exhibit (July 20, 2012 to February 3, 2013). Although she just finished the piece last week, it is already spoken for. After seeing the video, the Renwick Gallery curator decided to switch one of her furniture pieces out so that they can display this piece. Hopefully, they will also find a way to display it with the video. I look forward to seeing it in person and posting more images.

Absolutely Brilliant!

Much Better Now

After finishing The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in January, and getting it photographed, I was disappointed with some of the color matching between my work and the actual test pattern. In addition, I realized that having two inch thick blocks in the middle section was too distracting --- so, I took it apart to add some color and take 1/2" off the middle blocks.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
36" x 49" x 1.5"
March 2011

Since I photographed this one myself, the quality of the lighting and the photography isn't as good as the first one but you can see that the yellow, red, and blue are much closer to the actual test pattern now. The green is also better but I think the lighting makes it look the same as before. I didn't add anything to the blue green panel and don't know if the lighting makes it look lighter or if I took some color out in the repolishing process.

Official Television Screen Test Pattern

Here is the original. I'm happy for now. Hopefully, I'll sell it before I have a chance to take it apart again.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
36" x 49" x 2"
January 2011

Holly Tornheim @ Baltimore ACC Show

There were a number of great wood artists at the Baltimore American Craft Council Show but I've decided just to discuss the work of my favorite, Holly Tornheim, or else I'll never get it posted.

I was anxious to see her work in person after seeing her Unfolding Wave sculpture on the cover of a 2010 SOFA catalog. She creates small wood sculptures that are remarkable for both their extreme beauty and technically difficulty. From what I've seen, she often employs sharp edged curves with a recurring theme of both gentle and cresting waves. Though her sculptures stand on their own, she often takes advantage of spectacular lumber like quilted maple and claro walnut to further highlight her designs. At other times, she uses wood that is completely void of figure and grain pattern so that the viewer only sees the form she created.

As with this walnut tray, some of her work is functional but most of what she brought to the show was purely sculptural.

claro walnut tray

This piece, Meander, is playful in that it invites the viewer to rearrange the blocks to create one's own design. It seems to be a very therapeutic piece. I think it would help to create tranquility in someone who took the time to rearrange the work. Very zen.

Meander
holly

The sharp edged curves in this piece remind me somewhat of Sam Maloof's work but, unencumbered by functionality, she is able to take the form to another level.

quilted maple

In showing a wide range of versatility, Holly also creates trompe l'oeil sculptures, like Memory (below). It feels very emotional to the point where it is almost disrespectful to not lingered in silence for a bit.

Memory
spalted maple, yew, African blackwood, holly

And I especially like the contradictions of Black Vessel, black v white, abstract v figurative, contemporary v primitive, functional v purely sculptural, symmetry v asymmetry (I see symmetry but mentally I'm expecting asymmetry). Visually it is very simple but intellectually it is quite complex; you want to think you are looking at some kind of animal but the more you look the more unsure you are of what you are seeing. What is it made for, should you put jelly beans or spare change in it, or is it made for a sacred ritual, or just to observe. Should you touch or just look? Can you play with it? It is interesting how much thought it can evoke. Personally, I think it should be used for a sacred ceremony, perhaps one in which the gods are offered jelly beans.

Black Vessel
holly, African blackwood

And finally, there is this interesting abstract curly maple sculpture that looks like it has gift wrapped itself. I like the interaction of geometric shapes with the amorphous curves.

curly maple

Baltimore American Craft Council Show Debrief

Finally, a decent show after a very disappointing 2010. I don't like to judge a show on floor sales alone but it is always good to come home with less than I left with. This show was also a good opportunity to connect with art consultants and interior designers who I wouldn't expect to hear from for many months later and I could also tell that there were many more serious collectors than I typically see at a show. Though it is a very stressful event, being both physically demanding (standing and talking for at least eight hours a day, six days straight) and emotionally draining (worrying about all the logistics of a show along with the financial concerns) it is something I feel I'll have to do again in order to build on the exposure. Serious collectors don't like to buy work from an artist they just met and developing those relationships is an important aspect of creating a financially self-sustaining art career.

Booth Shot - February 22, 2011

The big surprise for me was hearing the reaction of the public to Green Chimneys. I really didn't know what to expect and was completely shocked that it was by far the favorite piece in my booth until I sold it on Friday. I have no idea why, and would rather not try to analyze it (if ignorance inspired me to create it, ignorance will inspire me to make something better), but it is encouraging that I should explore my wedge series further. A number of people asked if I could make another one if it sold. Although I can understand the request, it isn't something that I feel comfortable doing. The idea of replicating a piece just isn't very appealing and I'm sure I'll be both disappointed and bored with it. I'm much more interested in seeing what is next and how the series evolves. In thinking about it since the show, and after playing around with some scraps I have laying around, I've decided I want to do something with double-sided wedges. I'm sure they will be much more interesting and fun than retreading paths I've already been down. The show also piqued my curiosity as to what the public's reaction will be to my most recent wedge, Carolina Spring, which I didn't bring with me for packing and display limitations.

I also (finally!!!) sold Frozen Flame after having listened to literally hundreds of people tell me how much they loved it over the last year and a half. I really couldn't understand why it didn't sell but some pieces tend to be like that, much praised and unpurchased, while others seem to move unexpectedly and without much fuss. I know it wasn't priced too high, perhaps it was too low. I don't know, the sale of art and the reactions people have to it are a complete mystery to me. As an added benefit, it was purchased for public display at Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics.

In addition, I sold an older piece, Eleven Rectangles w/Blue, as well as all three of the new birch ribbon sculptures that I brought with me (pictured on the right side of my booth). Although I know I could easily continue making and selling pieces in the ribbon series without much modification, I need to explore ideas about taking to the next level to keep it interesting. I want to bring one with me to CraftNewYork so I decided to add some walnut veneer fractures, similar to the recent Forever Holiday piece.

On other news from the show:

One woman stopped by my booth, looked briefly at the work, turned to me and said only "Don't give up" before walking away. I don't think I was looking particularly despondent at the time, so I take her reaction to mean that she thought I was heading in an useful direction and should keep on plugging away at it. I'd be interested to learn whether she stopped by other artists' booths and told them "Give up" in a similar manner.

One well know magazine publisher was adamant that I needed to create shelves and small tables to go with the work in order to help right brained people understand how to display my work. I listened, engaged this person in a discussion, but decided it would be counter-productive. I get enough people asking about making tables, counter tops, and floors (god forbid floors, that would be the least useful thing I could do) without confusing them more with shelves.

One woman entered my booth and couldn't stop smiling. She particularly liked 45 Rectangles but she said they all made her smile.

I was surprised to only count eleven people who said they hadn't seen anything like my work before. At smaller shows I'll typically hear that from around 20 people. Perhaps they felt insecure, as if they should have been more knowledgeable in seeing someone else doing something similar.

One woman, in looking at my prices, said "This one is only $1000!". I told her I could charge her more if it made her feel more comfortable (and no, I didn't make the sale). Yes, I think the work is under-priced too but until there is a significant demand and I have a smaller inventory, what can you do?

I was very impressed with the new American Craft Council Executive Director, Chris Amundsen, who took the time to meet and talk with every artist at the show that he could. It wasn't in a meet and greet rushed manner either. He methodically worked his way, booth to booth, and casually talked with each for an extended period. I must have talked with him for a total of 20 minutes (he caught me twice because I was standing by someone else's booth at one point). He either picked up the pass later in the show or resolved to start at the other end next year because at just 10 min/artist it would have taken him over 14 days to finish. Of course, when he asked for ideas or suggestions, I can't be blamed for pitching the idea that my work be featured on the cover of the magazine. I'm sure he stopped asking well before the end of the show because he likely would have heard the same thing a few hundred times. It may be self-serving but I still think it is a good idea.

Two people I didn't know complemented me on my new eye glasses. I must have done a good job in picking out this last pair. I was trying to find something that made me look like an artist. With the last pair I tried to do the same but one friend said they made me look more like an arts administrator. I think this pair projects more of a risk taking personality without making me look crazy.

I collected 56 email addresses.

And, last but certainly not least, the show was a great opportunity to meet a number of great artists and talk about their work, most notably a number of wood artists that I'll cover in an additional post.

More New Work and New Titles

Here are some more images of new work. This first one is a continuation of my wedge series, being my forth. For what ever reason (perhaps the sub-zero temperatures we are experiencing in Vermont right now), the red in this piece reminded me of the redbud tree buds you see while driving around the North Carolina country side in April, hence the title. It was made by laminating a sheet of walnut veneer between two 2" thick boards of curly maple so there is a fine black line between the two sides. It hangs flat against the wall by resting on a cleat that sits inside a mortise.

Carolina Spring (left side)
shellac on curly maple and walnut
29" x 4" x 9"

Carolina Spring (right side)

The title of this piece is based on what I think is its celebratory feel, looking almost like confetti falling down. The maple is about the whitest I have ever worked with and is a dramatic contrast to the almost black of the walnut (hence, the different colored background). The thin diagonal lines running across the maple is a walnut veneer that I glued vertically between the maple quadrilaterals. It rests on a cleat that off-sets it one inch from the wall.

Forever Holiday
shellac on curly maple and walnut
41" x 25" x 1"

Along with the pieces above, I had professional images taken of work that I completed a couple of months ago. I retitled the one below (mentioned in a earlier post) A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration because I decided that my work is much better with poetic titles rather than descriptive ones. The line came to me when I heard that Nelson Mandela was recently hospitalized and I thought, how sad, but an instant latter I thought, but he is 92 and we should be more happy about the life that he has led than sad he is nearing the end. It is a lot of pressure making work that has to live up to the titles but it is also better that the title add something to the piece than for them to just be an afterthought.

A Tear of Joy and Profound Admiration
shellac on curly birch and curly maple
52.5" x 32" x 1"

I also retitled this piece (mentioned earlier here) Green Chimneys, for the same reason. It is named after a Thelonious Monk tune because I feel it has a musical feel that is somewhat similar to the unexpected notes he would play. I also like how there is "green" only in the title, adding a little mystery to the piece.

Green Chimneys (right side)
shellac on curly maple and cherry
49" x 20" x 4"
Green Chimneys (left side)

Now that I have these pieces out of the way I'm trying to finish another ribbon (from this series) in time for the Baltimore ACC show at the end of the month. I went to the lumber mill last week and picked up a beautiful board of curly birch, 9" x 3" x 10'. I was planning on picking up a thick board of cherry but what I found was a third the price and much more interesting. I'm excited to seeing what comes of it.