A Painting

Here's a new piece that I'm working on in the studio right now. I have been making these panels lately that read both as paintings as well as sculptural objects.

New work

I designed these vessels... or mass-els (thanks D Schafer) from a profile of a traditional Korean vase form. Each piece uses the same profile, but using a different shape as the footprint. Thirty-two 1/8" slices of MDF were cut on a laser plotter, then assembled and smoothed with wood filler. It was my original intention for these prototypes to be used for a plaster mold, and eventually cast in porcelain. However, I am more interested now in the forms in their solid, unfinished state.



These six paintings were shown in my last critique, along with the laser-cut vessels above. The idea of understanding and constructing form between two and three dimensions, as well as an interest in developing systems and templates for realizing form has been consistent in my painting, sculpture and design work.

New Drawing & Painting

I just posted 30 or so images of new-ish 2-D work here

The CAD/CAM, Adobe Illustrator, vector language aesthetic has been extremely influential in my understanding of how drawing and sculpture comes to be. The idea that all form can be quantified as a collection of infinitely scalable lines and points is changing the way I perceive form. This raises the question of whether or not the "hand" of the maker is still necessary to create meaningful work. Right now, I think of my hand as a tool that I can use to distort an idealized form through the shortcomings of my own precision.

Digital

The last few weeks I've been experimenting with the laser cutter, and generating form with 3d rendering software. Here's a few shots:




The information extrapolated by tracing the profile of a traditional vase form is used in creating both the footprint and the interior silhouette. I would love to see this piece as a 20-story building.

On Measuring and not Measuring

A few photos from an piece that I made for a show called 'Necessity: Mother of all Invention"
Materials include high-fired stoneware rods, raw clay vessels, thread, wood, foam, clamps, tape, drawing, plaster, acrylic, and rubber. I will post more images of the show soon. Perhaps a catalog will become available.

Breaking News from Michigan

It got really cold.

Post-Heart Daybook

Post-Heart Daybook is a (thoughtfully) disorganized journal of my studio work and thought process during 3 weeks between my 1st and 2nd critiques this semester at Cranbrook. The book has 115 pages of images and is available at lulu.com

Newness

Notice how the 'manliness' of building your own table can be easily canceled out by adorning the new table with a very pretty pink chair.

Plastic casts from my homemade (but legit) vacuum former. I will talk about how I made that machine, but it is a post for another day.

Plaster casts taken from vacuum-formed plastic molds. To be eventually realized in slipcast porcelain.

Modular painting study. Gouache & acrylic on wood panels

drawing of 4:00pm sun

object and shadow as drawing tools

Week 9

I have a bunch of new drawings in progress that I'm really excited about.



I'm also playing around with some new objects



acrylic on porcelain

Dinner for Anders

Danish ceramic artist Anders Ruhwald came to Cranbrook this week to lecture and meet with us. Michelle Lee and myself, both admitted kitchen control-freaks, decided to collaborate on a meal for him. I produced a set of handbuilt porcelain dinnerware for a 4-course meal, and a menu was designed around the dishes.




Small Plate: Roasted root vegetables, herbed chevre fritter.
Homage to Effie Ophelia



Small Plate II: Tuna sashimi, twice fried Japanese eggplant,
wasabi aoli (Notice Michelle's handmade chopsticks)




Main: Panko dusted grouper, green apple licorice,
jalapeno & sesame seeds, beet stem



Sweet: Pound cake, passion butter, raspberry, aromatic bitters, fennel