Things are now going smoothly maybe too smoothly. All the work I did this summer is paying off.
Copy of SITE Gallery- Sculpture Month Houston - Installing the work#2
SITE Gallery- Sculpture Month Houston - Installing the work - my pregame plan
With lots of time spent preparing to install my work, installing it went by quickly.
During the days prior to the installation, I imagined trying multiple compositions of the pre-assembled sections, spending lots of time looking at it, adjusting it, and tweaking it and then adding smaller elements to tie the work together... and repeating the same process over and over until I was satisfied it was finished. That was my pre-game mental plan.
Once the support structure was in place, secure, and painted, it was time to install the work. First, I hung the two pieces I knew would be part of this work. I then looked at the way the shadows were falling on the concave surface of the wall and hung the two end pieces. It was then late in the day, and I decided to call it a day and decide what the next step was with fresh eyes in the morning.
The next day I showed up early in the day ready to sit, look and make changes that would be best for the work on the concave wall of a silo. I was excited to see the curator, Volker Eisele, in the parking lot when I arrived. I invited him to come take a look at my progress.
Smiling he said, "You are done, it is finished." I was really happy that he was pleased, really happy. I was also surprised. Finishing this early was not my game plan. Yikes! It isn’t easy for me to mentally change my game plan. I think Volker could see this in my face, and as he walked away, he said, "You know my name is on this too, it is good." I completely understood and reminded myself how lucky I was that he liked it.
A good problem.🙂
ps. I now have the equivalent of another silo full of work in my studio………. bursting at the seems. Anyone need a keystone animal environmental installation?
Packing the hanging pieces for transporting to the silos.
Last week I spent everyday packing and boxing the pieces I made this summer. I needed boxes they could hang in. Regular wardrobe boxes are not wide enough, so I made my own wardrobe style boxes to transport the sculpture pieces. I took two 30” X 30” X 30” boxes, stacked them and taped them to make them 78” tall.
Then I wrapped each element of each piece in thin plastic dry cleaning bags and kitchen zip lock bags. I don’t want any thing getting tangled. Each little section is in its own plastic cocoon.
Each small element bagged separately making bouquet of bee cocoons
Making my own wardrobe style boxes.
My pieces hang from the top of the boxes. I needed something to support the top of the box. Southland hardware yard sticks were the cheapest thing I could find. I think they will work.
My sculpture wardrobe boxes have doors.
The pieces in bags make awesome amnion shadows
7 boxes ready to go.
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
Sculpture Month Houston
In May I started seeking a space to exhibit new environmental, 4D kinetic sculptures. I hoped to use this new work as a start to an art installation inspiring conversations about topics I am very passionate about; the unexpected consequences of forcing natural processes into an industrial model and the complex relationships between humans, plants, and animals.
The stars aligned in July when Sculpture Month Houston’s founder and curator, Volker Eisele, invited me to be one of the 19 artists asked to create a site-specific sculpture in the historic Success Rice Grain Silos behind the Sawyer yard’s artist studios. In the 50th anniversary year of man landing on the moon, this year’s exhibit title is Outta Space from the 2012 Van Halen album A Different Kind of Truth. Outta Space will combine two curatorial themes: one features work focused on environmental degradation issues and the other focuses on interpretations and explorations of Alternative Worlds as envisioned in the fantasies of the artists.
I have passionately committed myself to this installation every day since July. My passion comes from spending my early years on a farm in west Texas, from my concerns regarding industrialized food and its effect on our health, from my love for historic buildings and, most importantly, from my desire to make an impact on the return of our most important keystone species.
As a site specific installation artist my aspiration is to create a piece that is unique to the silo’s space and true to my work. My silo is a circular space constructed from cinder blocks, 18’ in diameter and spans 20’ in height. It has, in the center of the space a 10’ tall funnel suspended from the ceiling. There are a few old, large light fixtures, conduit runs vertical and perpendicular on the walls and there are three entrances to the space. I have three weeks to install the work that I have assembled to date. My mantra as an artist is “if I am not nervous to take on a new project then I am not stretching myself”. I am slightly anxious, yet happy to embrace the butterflies and honored to have my name listed among this year’s SMH artists.
In celebration of the opening there will be food trucks, a bar and music provided by Chapel In The Sky with projections by Michael Walrond - SHDWSOFDUST.
OUTTA SPACE
Public Opening for the Exhibition
SITE Gallery Houston,
1502 Sawyer St. Houston, TX 77007,
(The multi-story building behind the artist studios facility).
https://glasstire.com/2016/11/04/the-problems-and-rewards-of-houstons-silos/
https://glasstire.com/2017/10/30/a-conversation-about-art-and-the-silos-on-sawyer/
7 days left
7 days left to rip and wrangle rusted wire cloth, then delicately stitch the wire fragments into biospheres of frail and vulnerable abstract wild bees and organic shapes. Then coat hydro stone and cast shadows, to kinetically unveil the unintended consequences of forcing natural processes into an industrial model. Then pack, transport, unpack, install for 21 days, and open........ find more locations to install......... rinse and repeat.
Getting ready for this falls "known and underknown" show at art Brookfield- downtown Houston
My piece "that ball is not going to throw it's self" was selected along with my "fetch I-VI" lenticular.
I will be replacing the pedestal on the "tat ball is not going to throw it's self" piece with a chair. I am going to paint the chair with drippy, thick, flat white paint. It will look like plaster. I will then attach the wire dog to the back of the chair.
I bought this chair on Montrose at a 1/2 price sale.
The painting will start next week and probably go on all summer.
Known and Underknownexhibition to be installed in the lobby of 1600 Smith on September 8- November 13, 2017.
Tres Perros - wire
I am almost finished with #III. Here is a video of me seeing how she fits in with the first 2.
shake shake shake- wire III (day 1-2)
Day 1-
The goal is to have 5 wire shaking pieces that make 1 massive sculpture.
Screen shot photo for inspiration and the first two pieces.
Tools and materials ready- nose and 1 ear.
The head.
Day 2-
Still working on the head.
Left front paw- a little pigeon toed.
Left and right paws and legs.
Body parts - the front legs on the right. The head on the left.
It looks like a mix between a bat and 1/2 a dog.
Mage is all ears and front legs.
Coming along but very strange looking.
Stepping back for a moment
That is an ear in motion.
The lower ear.
Uh oh-
awkward
My pliers rack.
It looks better in person. the back half will have to wait until tomorrow.
Seeing how her front half works with the other two pieces.
Just playing around with placement
2 and 1/2 pieces.
Work in progress.
New piece in the works- I am still working on the name. It will be part of my "shake shake shake" work.
9/26/2016
I started a new sculpture. I hope it works with my shake shake shake work.
Pedestal ✅ photos of similar pose ✅ wire✅ wire cutters✅ music ✅
Starting dogs left paw .
Paws pulling up on edge of pool.
Right paw gripping edge.
Starting the body
Adding back right leg for support.
A good place to stop for the day.
I Moved the piece from my garage to my studio at Glassell. It got a little banged up in the move. There is a lot of negative space involved in these pieces so it is important to have a clean white background behind whichever side I am working on. I have created a movable partition that I move around it as I work.
.
Yikes! So many problems to fix at this point. (Left view)
His tail is wagging far to his left. (right view)
I worked a full day on legs and torso and I am feeling a lot better about how it is shaping up.
I will address the head in a deprecate post.
new wire sculpture "shake shake shake-jump".
"Shake shake shake" started with 5 simple abstract drawings of dogs shaking water off their coats. Here is the back story-
Easter of 2015 - grateful to have both kids in town we decided to go to the Buffalo Bayou Dog Park - all of us. My son Griffin took a slow mo video of our elderly Labrador Kitty. Kitty loved the dog park and would retrieve tennis balls from the pond like she was a two-year-old pup. She would consistently drop the ball at your feet and as you would bend over to pick it up shake all the water off her coat right on to all those standing near by. My son’s video inspired my “shake shake shake” series. In the drawings I used bubbles to express not only the action but the joy. The next challenge was to capture the same magical moment in 3D with wire sculptures. I have completed two sculptures and I have 3 more in my head. Then I felt the need to capture the dogs intense hyper focus on the ball before he is released to chase it down so I made "sit". "Sit " is on exhibit at MFAH Glassell studio school Interspace Gallery in the 2016 student juried show. This series of sculptures and drawings seems to continually lead to more work. I completed 6 - 50" X 60" drawings I call "fetch". The fetch pieces are more about the water as the dogs splash through water to get their balls. These pieces are all about ears and splashing. Still I feel I need 1 more piece to complete the story. The past 3+ weeks I have been working on another wire sculpture "jump". My goal is to capture that moment when time seems to freeze for a split second, the energy is calm and focused before the big splash landing in a lake. The point of view is from in the water and below the dog. Here is my drawing of "jump".
"Jump"
30"X 22"
ink, charcoal collage
Below I have documented the process of making Jump.
"Jump" The sculpture will hang off the cieling at least 7' off the ground. Starting was easy as I was able to work on a table.
Step 1 make a design his face with ears flying up and tongue hanging out.
His head is now hanging from the runners on my garage door. Please no one open the door.
Add a couple of hind legs, a tail and 1 front leg.
Still working
Hiding the garage door runner with paper. The wires get lost if the background isn't pure white.
It turns out hanging it off the garage door was not a good idea. I have been banned from working off the runners. Sorry Curtis.
Here I am trying to firm up the piece. In doing so I have over worked the outline. At least it isn't falling apart. Working in mid air (no table) on a ladder is not easy
. ......trying to get rid of any structure I don't have to have and creative beautiful lines, symmetry, and create that moment of flying/jumping/floating before the big splash.
Working in the sculpture room at Glassell. I am the only person here everyday. I am getting spoiled having such a great space to my self.
Struggling
Tweeking and struggling
tweeking tweeking tweeking
I love the legs - the head is much more challenging.
Better
I like this angle
I decide the tongue hanging out was ruining the focus of the dogs energy. Here is the new mouth.
Getting better I think???
i am almost there.
Reworked the face
A few adjustments in his forehead.
A few more ear tweeks tomorrow.
"Jump"
wire
I will upgrade these photos when I get in my new studio.