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Friday, January 22, 2010

Art & Garden Links

My last year of college I had an assignment to research artists that had inspired me. I had a great time delving into the library & pulling all that inspiration together helped me to focus.

Collecting links for this blog was similar, though things have changed somewhat over the years. I found that while there are a tremendous amount of images & information available on line, there is not always one link that represents an artist well. For example, William Morris, whose amazing work is very well represented in his coffee table books, & has inspired me for years has retired, & his website doesn’t do his work justice. I couldn’t find a site for John McQueen either, but did include the links that I could find for both these artists.


Other searches led to new discoveries. While searching for a good link to Constantin Brancusi’s work, I discovered But Does It Float, a site dangerously full of inspiration where I could easily become lost for quite awhile.




Others have become more accessible over time. Years ago I discovered the designer Andree Putman while rooting about in the ASU architecture library, & have since found that her books are hard to come by. I was pleasantly surprised to find her fittingly elegant website.

More links on the right. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mini Surfboards for the New Year.....

Here it is. The beginning of the first project of the new decade here at the Shimmering Shack.....Haven't figured out exactly where I'm going with these yet, except that I think they will be bristly & colorful. I like the way they look in the drying rack, though. I've got a good feeling about 2010.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Mixed Media Mini Surfboard Sculptures


I've been working with the surfboard form for several years now. I love tools, the simpler the better, & surfboards are about as clean & simple as they come. With no moving parts, they are functional & come in beautiful forms & colors.


This series was fun to work on. At least 1/2 of each board is made of wood. I used a tiny hand plane to do a fair amount of the shaping. Then  started adding ceramics, glass, wire, & found objects until things jelled. 


More of the mixed media board series here.


I like that the forms remind me of spear & shield forms from various cultures & time periods.


I find it refreshing & fascinating that in these complicated, computer dominated days the way a surfboard functions can be altered through slight variations in form by a skilled shaper.

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Beach Photos from the Shimmering Shack

Happy New Year all!  

There were a few really beautiful days here towards the end of 2009. The light was just right. Here's hoping for many more in 2010! More new photos here.



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