I never get tired of looking at Kyoko Okubo’s soulful washi paper figures – so much that I wrote about her work in 2007 and again in 2009. I pray that the Tokyo based artist and her loved ones are safe during this unsettling time of tragedy and loss in Japan.
In January of this year Scott Rothstein wrote an artist profile featuring new work by his dear friend. You can find it here.
winding down, wrapping up
Yes, it’s true, my internship in Washington DC is coming to an end this week. I have so much to tell you about my stay here, so much of the experience still to process and so much material to edit, but first I have to finish up my last few days. Take a look on DAM’s Facebook page to see how I spent the weekend. I’ll be back soon with pictures and video of daMuse as a mermaid past her prime. How did I get so lucky to be having this much fun?!
Another favorite post from 2009 is this one about glass artist Shayna Leib. Such graceful, flowing movement in all of her sculptures. Moebius, below, is one of Leib’s new pieces. More new work here.
Moebius, glass
Red Dirt Studios Installation
Today I am going to assist Margaret Boozer and her team as they install a large wall sculpture. From idea to installation is a several-weeks-long process and next month I will show you much more about this process for each of the artists I worked with here in DC.
Margaret Boozer on top of a table constructing the sculpture
My internship in Washington DC is winding down – only a few days left before I return home. With a schedule that is packed to overflowing for the rest of my stay, I probably won’t take a deep breath until April!
A few of the things on my to-do list: Trip to a local beekeeper with Novie Trump – research for an installation she is working on; assist Margaret Boozer with a large installation in the city; dates with Tim Tate to the Renwick Alliance Gala on Saturday night and their brunch on Sunday; a private class with Elissa Farrow Savos and visits from two of my favorite people – my daughter and Tory Hughes – both of whom are in the city for other reasons. And that’s an incomplete list – plus I also need to finish the vessel I am working on at Ani Kasten’s studio and three reliquaries at Novie Trump’s studio. I don’t know when I will find the time to pack!
Once home, the next phase of work for the apprenticeship project begins, including editing audio, photographs (more than 12,000 to go through), writing, and scheduling another internship. And more posts for DAM about what happened during my 9 weeks here, of course.
Instead of posting sporadically on DAM as I complete my final days here, if I feel overwhelmed I will re-post some of my favorite Picks From The Past. Visiting the archives is a gentle reminder that there are more than 2,900 posts waiting for you there . . .
To start, let’s go back to 2009 when I shared Alice R. Ballard’s ceramic pods. The pods are only a small part of her extensive ceramic portfolio. Take a deep breath and dive into her work.
DAM Update
If you follow DAM on Facebook you know that the site was hacked, which is why I couldn’t post. It was a deep spam attack and trying to fix it set me back a few days. The images below show what many people saw when they visited the site and what it looked like on Google.
Dam Spam – ugh!
How Rude!
Michael VanDeMar to the rescue! VanDeMar is the programmer who wrote this very thorough post about how to clean a hacked site. I had been struggling for more than 12 hours trying to fix things when I found the post. I immediately contacted Michael and hired him to clean the hack. He was GREAT and AFFORDABLE and DAM is squeaky clean again. Thanks Michael!
I need a quiet day today. A deep breath. A few moments of reflection. An hour of stillness. Harue Shimomoto’s expertly ‘woven’ sculptural tapestries are the perfect way to start today’s journey. [Click on the images for the larger version.]
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Shimomoto fused glass rods to ‘weave’ the massive installations. Describing the work, art scholar Judy Clowes explains, “This precisely arranged glass environment captures her experience of a particular aspect of each season: a summer storm, a quiet autumn rain, the crisp, cold winter night sky, and the reflective surface of a spring pond.” Clowes goes on to say that the artist is striving for what she calls “a strong quiet: the quiet of a mountain.” Mmmmmm….
The gossamer glass wisps are hard to capture in still photographs – watch the video clip below, of Shimomoto’s MFA exhibit, to get a sense of the size and scale of these tapestries (about halfway into the three minute video).
Elise Winters’ website boasts new pieces bursting with color, playful shapes that sway, swoop, curve and curl and a boundless energy that is matched by the artist. She’s having fun and it shows!
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Red Ruffle Ruche, 2009
Frosted Boa Bangles, 2009
Cool Jewel Ruffle Brooch, 2009
Elise was my first teacher when I started working with polymer clay seven years ago. At the time I knew very little about the medium so when I signed up to take her class I had no idea that I was about to study under one of the leading artists in the field. Lucky me! I continued my studies with her for three years and can still remember the first time I held one of her brooches. The Asian inspired color palette was captivating and the brooch was luminous – so breathtakingly luminous. I’ve never seen a picture that effectively captures that quality of her work.
In addition to being one of the leading innovators and artists in the field, Winters works tirelessly to promote polymer clay as a recognized medium for fine craft. In October 2007 she launched Polymer Art Archive, documenting the evolution of the medium. From the website:
This is a site where professional artists working in the medium of polymer will find inspiration. Museum and gallery curators will be able to access documentation about the evolution of this vibrant medium for artistic expression. And serious collectors will discover windows to new works and the medium’s most collectable artists.
