my week

This is my favorite time of the year in Portland.  The late afternoon light is ideal for shooting pictures, there's a slight crisp in the air, and I can start wearing layers.  I love scarves, in particular.  The beautiful hand-dyed scarf is from Driftwood & Fossil.   



Our family had a couple of outings this weekend.  On Friday, we took advantage of free admission night at the Portland Art Museum.  We spent an hour looking mostly at the works of Oregon artists.  I can't wait to come back in a few weeks to see the upcoming exhibit, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece. 



On Saturday, we drove to a farm outside of town to pick some apples, asian pears, tomatoes, and raspberries.  We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.  On our way home, we witnessed the stunning sky and moon.  Mt. Hood was in a purple glow.  I had never seen anything like it before.



My time at my art desk has been limited this week, but I did start a marker drawing inspired by a trip to central Oregon in August.  One of my goals this fall for my Etsy shop is to add more 11" x 14" prints.  I just listed a larger print of In the deep dark woods.   I'm hoping to finish a couple new print designs this month, including the one shown above.

welcome back, rothko

 Rothko (Taschen 25th Anniversary Special Edition) by Jacob Baal-Teshuva.  The Portland Art Museum in the background.

Mark Rothko (1903-1970)

Mark Rothko and I have a few things in common.  We both taught art, have a fascination with Matisse's Red Studio, and we have roots in Portland, Oregon.  In fact, we attended the same high school- Rothko, 65 years prior.



I am a huge fan of Rothko's signature color-block paintings.  So, I was thrilled to say the least when I first heard that the Portland Art Museum would be showcasing 45 of his works this spring.  It was at the Portland Art Museum where his first one-man show took place in 1933.



I decided to go the Rothko exhibition on my birthday last month.  I wanted a quiet evening with my husband, and looking at art in a museum is about as quiet as you can get.  For a moment, time was forgotten as we slowly moved from one painting to the next.  The works in the show span 40 years of Rothko's art career, so there was a lot to take in and process.



I like to study paintings up-close.  I try to decrypt the layers of paint and sequence of brushstrokes.  By understanding the creative process, I feel that I have a better grasp of the artist's emotions involved.  Rothko himself encouraged viewers to look at his art at an intimate proximity for this very reason. 

"The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious
experience I had when I painted them. And if you, as you say, are moved
only by their color relationship, then you miss the point."

Hickey Robertson.The Rothko Chapel

If I'm ever in Houston, Texas, on my must-see list is The Rothko Chapel.  The non-denominational chapel
was completed in 1971.  Inside are fourteen Rothko paintings.  What a beautiful space to go to for spiritual reflection and meditation!

things i'm fond of today

The Obliteration Room.  Installation by Yuki Nakano.  Visitors help "obliterate" a white room by adhering colored dots on walls and furniture.  The top photo was taken on day one.  The bottom photo is seven weeks later.  The Obliteration Room is currently at the Gallery of Modern Art in Queensland, Australia. 

Furniture by Los Angeles-based designer Tanya Aguiniga.  Shown are Felt Chairs, Birch Bench, and Zinacantan (steel and wool yarn).

Cendrine Rovini.  I've been following Cendrine's art for awhile now.  This particular piece, La récolte d'oraisons, is one I'm particularly fond of.    It's part of her current solo exhibition "Liquid Vermeil" at the Da-End Gallery in Paris.  Cendrine talks about her latest works in this video.

Bags and slippers (linen and leather) by Tarco Nakazato.  I love the color combinations and graphic elements.

Cal Lane.  Lane describes her art as "pullling together industrial and domestic life." Above are two of my favorite works of hers: Plasma cut steel wheelbarrow (2007) and Dirt Lace installation at Purchase Collage, New York (2004).

  

Dazzling chandeliers made from discarded objects

Drop, 1800 plastic bottles, 2007.

According to British designer Stuart Haygarth, one man's trash is another man's treasure.  He collects thousands of discarded objects, mainly plastic items, and creates stunning chandeliers out of the found materials.   Drop (shown above) is a lighting structure made from the bases of 1800 plastic water bottles.  The pieces were tumbled in a cement mixer to give the plastic a frosted glass effect.



His lighting designs are as thought-provoking as they are beautiful.  Tide (shown below) is constructed with plastic debris and other manmade materials washed ashore along the Kent coastline.  Haygarth shaped the collected items into a moon-like structure, since the moon creates tides that wash up the discarded objects onto the shore. 

Tide, manmade objects washed ashore, 2004.

Spectacle, plastic framed spectacles, 2006.

Icon Experiment: Stuart Haygarth from Penelope Shaw on Vimeo.

Tail Light, vehicle light lenses, 2007.  [images courtesy of www.stuarthaygarth.com]

In addition to his creative lighting designs, Haygarth uses reclaimed objects in installations.  Here is a video of the 2010 installation Framed in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).   Framed is comprised of hundreds of painted picture frame off-cuts.







FRAMED Stuart Haygarth/John Jones installation at the V&A from Stuart York on Vimeo.

When drawing on walls with permanent marker is okay

I love these installations by German artist Heike Weber.  Equipped with only a permanent marker, Heike creates a sea of flowing lines on walls and floors of hotels, galleries, and historical buildings.



Heike also creates amazing kilim rug designs using only silicone.  See her latest installation works here.

"Painting" with reclaimed wood

photo: Nash Baker        

Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira creates incredible sculptures out of old wood fences from construction sites.  Shown above is his installation last year at the Rice Gallery in Houston.  It's titled Tapumes, which means "fencing" in Portuguese. 



His three-dimensional works are representational of two-dimensional works.  He forms the wood pieces in his scuptures to look like paint strokes on canvas.  It's brilliant!



Below, I've paired some of his paintings alongside of his three-dimensional pieces.  You can see the similar qualities in movement, tone, and pattern. 

Here are a couple of fascinating videos on Oliveira's sculptural works.  The first video features the artist talking about his art and the fencing material used.  The second video shows the artist installing Tapumes at the Rice Gallery.    

I spy something red

Ran Hwang, Dreaming of Joy, buttons and pins, 2008.

Rein Nomm, Winter Feast, a single strawberrry, 2005.



 

Labokoff, Trio, mixed media.

Mark Rothko, Red, Black, and Maroon, 1957.

Alexander Calder, Red Lily Pads, 1956.  Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Golly Bard, Cloche No. 3: Captured Hearts, watercolor, 2010.



Happy Valentine's Day!

The wonders of salt

photo courtesy of The Meadow

Last summer, we toured Oregon's wine country for a day with several other couples.  At one of the vineyards, we stopped for a lunch break and had an Italian inspired picnic.  Our friend Mary- who is the most gifted hostess I know- brought along many goodies, including  a salt block.  She sliced fresh veggies on it, and I was hooked! 

The Meadow is a wonderful little shop in town that specializes in salt, chocolate, and wine.  It's my new favorite place now (thanks to Mary!) to look for gifts for family and friends. With fresh cut flowers by the door and every inch of the space filled with fine edibles, I feel like I'm transported back to France.

From mountains to seas, salt is a natural resource that is gathered by people all around the globe. Recently, I stumbled upon amazing works of art made from sea salt.  The following are installations created by Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto.

Utsusemi.  Toyama, Japan.  2005.

To Remembrance. Ishikawa, Japan.  2009.

Sakura. Ishikawa, Japan.  2008.

close-up of Sakura installation

Seeing spots before your eyes?

Yayoi Kusama started using dots in her art work when she was 10.  She turned 80 this year and has been celebrated as one of the greatest living female artists today.  Her "dot" installations have been displayed in museums and galleries all over the world.  In the U.S., her sculptural works are currently on display at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami. 

Dots Obsession, balloons and vinyl dots, 2000.  

Pumpkins, fiberglass, reinforced plastic, 2008. Gagosian Gallery.  Photo: Rob McKeever.

Fireflies on the Water, light bulbs, water, mirror, 2000. Victoria Miro Gallery (London) and Ota Fine Arts (Tokyo).

Dots Obsession, 2004. 



I would love to see one of her installations one day, especially Fireflies on the Water.  Looks magical!