It needs a light sanding, a patina on the bronze and the concrete.
Faux bois Wedding gift ❤️❤️#15
Today I poured 30 lbs. of white concrete and 29.5 lbs. of grey Portland for the seat. In the mix was .5 lbs. of the ashes of Robert Ira Travis, my dad. He was born on December 10, 1927 he passed away March 24, 2018. When I measured out the ashes thIs small metal piece was in his ashes. I think it must have been part of one of his four hip replacements or two knee replacements. It was like finding the toy in a box of cracker jacks. I think Griffin and Alex will enjoy it embedded in their piece.
Bolt, name and ashes of R.I. Travis.
I used the white concrete to create motion in the old wood.
I went a little crazy
The seat has lots of rings from burls in the plank. Griffin and Alex love bugs and mushrooms (the fruit of fungi) both of which cause burls. The seat of their bench is riddled with big burls.
A sweet knot with some severe old wood cracks.
Once the piece hydrates for 5 days I will take a sander and smooth down the seat.
I gave the birds a knot to perch on.
Another view of Bob Pa’s moment in the bench.
Every few hours I check on the marks to make sure they have not filled in. There is a lot of concrete on the seat and the white concrete is taking a long time to set.
Stitching a Sweat bee and incorporating time and movement
Another day of social distancing and not being able to get in my studio. Today's stitching, I added the first of several sweat bees. In reality, they are only about 1/4 ” long. They have beautiful metallic greens and blues. I am working to show more time and movement in my stitching.
I added a tiny sweat bee - he is moving fast and as a result blurry
First I cut some thread of the colors I want the bee to be.
Next I wad them up into a cocoon.
Then I untangle them into the shape of the movement of a bee.
Then I stitch them into the shape of the movement.
Family fossil patinas
Ready set torch
One for Griffin and Alex, one for Sage and Cameron one to $$$$
Each one us individually signed
I applied a darker patina on the chipped edge.
60 calves
A big shout out to @roamranch They are expecting 60 calves this coming spring. This past summer during my first visit to Roam I took this photo of the momma cow awkwardly nursing her bison calf. Watching the herd with the calves was a day I will always cherish. I have never shared this touching photo, I was saving it for something extraordinary. 60 cows with calves is pretty special. I could not be happier for Katy, Taylor, Julia, and Cody. I also want to thank them for sharing bison bob the @epicbar bison with me on Tuesday. Getting close up and learning about bison and their impact in regenerating overgrazed prairie has been a long-long time dream/goal of mine. Thanks to these good people and land stewards at Roam Ranch, things are falling in place to create a new body of art that looks at regeneration agriculture. #environmentalart #bison #bioart #gass #calves #sequestercarbon #mothers #ilovebison
SITE Gallery- Sculpture Month Houston - Building the support system
Finally, I feel like I can make some progress. Step one is to make a structure that I can hang my sculptures from. The gallery owners are trying to preserve the space in its original condition, and ask the artists to deface the silo as little as possible when installing our work. Normally I use acrylic hangers that I designed to hold the pieces. Each bracket takes four anchors. I feel like that is too much destruction to the silo. Instead, I decide to buy some black 14 gauge wire fencing, 20 feet X 36”. The silo funnel has metal bands tack welded to it. The middle metal band is 31” from the wall. I cut the fencing in 31” pieces. I cut one end in a concave shape and the other end convex. The convex end will rest on top of the metal band and the concave end will be supported by two screws in the cinderblock wall. This is 19‘ high, and I feel pretty good that my screw holes will only be minimally defacing the silo.
Close up of support system
The moment I got off the scissor lift and looked up at my support system, I realized I had made a big mistake. I should have painted them white. The black stood out too much on the white walls. I could not sleep that night trying to decide if I should repaint them... It was not easy, but I spent the next half day painting the system 19’ in the air white.
I think it was worth it, the support system is much less intrusive.
I hung from the support system 8 fishing tackle swivels with 25 lb filament attached to each swivel. Four of the swivels are 36” apart 18” from the wall. At these distances the pieces will not touch each other or the wall. Everything should move independently. These are for the big pieces. The other swivels are for smaller pieces and are spaced randomly. I am guesstimating where I want these. Tomorrow I will start hanging work.
SITE Gallery Houston
Behind and attached to the Silos at Sawyer Yards
The lobby of the SITE Gallery Houston with the mechanicals of the grain silo in place. Just the coolest
Green marks the spot
"..in every falling leaf there is some pain, some beauty......." - a poetic moment -
On my brisk morning walk this beautiful leaf stopped me dead in my tracks. I carefully scooped her up and gently carried her home. She is so beautiful I could not take my eyes off her. I took at least 30 photographs of her. When I was through she whispered a saying I once read.
"In every change, in every falling leaf there is some pain, some beauty. And that's the way new leaves grow." - Amit Ray
A fallen leaf
I can see her pain in the veins that articulate her flesh, and I can see how that pain has entrusted in her a strength. I can see in her frailty a grace. I can see in her a beauty that can only come from falling.
- cindee