"...those boundaries between the two worlds."

 Spring House

I signed up for my first semester classes a few weeks ago and recently found out which seminar class I will be taking. The class is called "Lining the Wild Bee" and it will be lead by Mark Thompson, professor of sculpture and fine arts. Here's the course description, along with a few of Mark's works:

"This workshop will focus on the borderlands between human cultural activity and the natural world. Drawing on my 40 years of project work in this field, the emphasis will be a return to first principles of direct experience in contrast to more abstract experiences of representation. Through projects, readings, and several Saturday field trips, the class will explore the boundaries between the wild and the cultivated, the feral and the domesticated - those boundaries between the two worlds. Special emphasis will be given to an examination of the historical crafting and engineering of the landscape and waterways of the San Francisco Bay Area. The early projects will include tracking wild honeybees in the woods to find that one tree in 10,000 holding a different life. Field trips will include the Model of the Bay, the Headlands, the Camera Obscura, the Delta region, and the Underground Gardens of Baldassare Forestiere. Gary Synder, Rebecca Solnit, and Anne Dillard's' writings, along with Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris will be among the works we will review. The history of the decoy along with the evolution of the cabinets of wonder and curiosity to the contemporary natural history museums will be examined."

Invocations (above and below)

How good does that sound?! I am psyched. 

Thanks for reading. 

…With a Little Help

tying and trying and tying with Elle

I had not just a little help while I was in California, but a lot, and it's my pleasure to share this today. When I installed "I Live Here Now," Nikki Coupee, who works at the gallery, helped me all day. It was our first time meeting and I loved spending time with her.

getting helpful thoughts from Nikki while installing

 "I Live Here Now"

The 1000 bows that formed "Intuition" were made by my CCA students. I did make a bunch, but my lovely assistants did the majority of the work. I had a group of 13 people help me over the course of three days and they cut more than 400 pieces in the first day alone. It was fun to have them in my studio and gave me a chance to get to know them better. 

During the installation of "In Between" I had seven people helping me: some students and an instructor from CCA, a friend's daughter and gallery staff. They tied short lengths of monofilament to hundreds and hundreds of bows for hours. My friend, Elle, helped me on Friday and on Saturday, too. She stood on a ladder for hours and tied monofilament, she ran errands for me and gave me rides to and from the gallery. Her presence was a comfort.

And then there's my fabulous gallerist, Mike Holmes, who was a daredevil as he hung the first lengths of monofilament from the skylight. He helped me with the engineering and gave me many words of encouragement, along with keeping me fed and caffeinated. Most importantly, though, he gave me a chance by offering the VdaV elevator for this piece.

Finally, there was this one moment in particular on the first day of the "In Between" install in which I was tying monofilament and thinking about my helpers that day, and those at school. They were working so hard and they were helping ME. I was humbled and amazed and it brought tears to my eyes. These wonderful people assisted with the labor, but the true help was their interest, enthusiasm and faith in me. Their support was priceless. It gave me confidence and energy, while also helping me relax and stay focused. There is no way I could have done what I did without them. I am grateful to each and every one of them:

Devon Matlock, Trevi Pendro, Katie Edgerton, Briatta Bell,
Martina Miguens, Marilyn da Silva, Irene Huh, Enya Chuang,
Sheri Novak, Alice Son, Curtis Arima, Zeeta Yang, Winston Wang, 

Jo-Ann Donivan, Stella Barackov, Elle Sharifpour

and the wonderful staff at Velvet da Vinci:

Diane Komater, Sienna Freeman, Nikki Coupee and Mike Holmes

Thank you.

Trevi, Katie and Devon, my first helpers

Irene and Enya, day two

 Curtis, Winston, Alice and Enya on day three

selfie with Elle 

Thanks for reading.

Evidence

evidence of process: the lemon I peeled for "Smell,"printed thoughts and research, amethyst beads I didn't use

Process is very important to me and I do love documenting it. However, time during my residency was limited and I did not really use any of it to stop for photos. There are a few, though, and I'm grateful that I have them. I spent three weeks at CCA, arriving each morning between 9:30 and 10. During the first week, I developed my ideas through reading, thinking, writing and sketching. I also visited the gallery to spend time in the elevator to understand the space directly, both physically and mentally. By the end of the week, I had formed a more concrete idea and plan. During the second week, I started to collect the various found objects and I made nine chains. I also started to make the all-metal pieces, like the ear trumpet for "Hearing." Then, in the final week, the bows were made, the metalwork was completed and the necklaces were put together. The whole process was a mixture of constant planning and just allowing the piece to unfold. I was keenly aware of time but tried to hold it loosely. Thinking back, it's interesting to me that the creation of the work itself was mirroring the finished piece: that balance of cognition and intuition that I presented with a collection of tools and 1000 paper bows. 

morning light on my first day

some books I used for research and reference

I tried things that didn't work out…

I spent hours making hundreds of jump rings

The day before I finished the work, I cleaned up my space and arranged the pieces both finished and still in-progress on my table so I could walk into an orderly studio and look with fresh eyes the next day.

my bench at the end of my residency

paper remnants from 1000 bows

See more pictures of process on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

...And What a Month It Was. Plus, My Little TV Spot

San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz

Hello hello! I'm back from the Bay and have so much to tell you! It was pretty much impossible for me to blog as often as I'm accustomed to while at CCA. Time was so precious and every second counted. It's also challenging to write about new work publicly during the moments of making it. I'm in the midst of collecting my thoughts now and tomorrow I will start to catch you up and share pictures. I realize I haven't yet described "In Between" and I'm eager to tell you all about it.

In the meantime, remember when I did that interview for my local Public Broadcasting station WSKG? Well, the spot airs tonight at 8:56pm EST and will replay tomorrow at 6:56pm and then Wednesday at 10:56pm. WSKG TV broadcasts on Channels 8, 46.1 and 30.1 and in HD on Channel 1221 on most Time Warner Cable systems. It's just a few minutes long and you can also watch it online here. Here are a few stills, too.

Thanks for reading.

Decompression

my original thoughts and ideas for "In Between," folded up…

the last thing I did when I cleaned my studio and packed up yesterday

I'm beginning to decompress after an intense, and wonderful, three weeks at California College of the Arts. I cannot believe the amount of stuff that happened in that time and I have that feeling of being excited and inspired and sad that it's over all at the same time. This might just be the best way to end something…

See more pictures on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #15

Finally posting after a long (but really good!) day… I began installing "In Between" today with the help of several assistants and my gallerist, Mike Holmes.  We started around 10:30 and worked until 6. Tomorrow I will return and finish.

The opening is tomorrow from 6-8pm at Velvet da Vinci located at 2015 Polk Street in San Francisco.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #14

I literally just finished my work. I always call the "time of death" when I'm done. It's not really the best way of putting it, but it's been a tradition for me ever since I completed the work for my first solo show in 2011. 

Very soon I will post photos and tell you all about it.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #13

One of nine necklaces in-progress... this one is for hearing.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #11

A detail of my soldering pad after making all those jump rings last week.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #9

The beautiful wooden floor at Velvet da Vinci where I set "I Live Here Now" earlier today.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #8

I made and soldered 350 brass jump rings today... and these will become nine chains. 

My vision is blurry.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #7

I took a walk through Golden Gate Park the other day and loved watching the interplay of light through the trees in relation to my own movements and distance.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #6

 

I went for a drive along the coast this weekend and spent some time near the ocean. 

It was much needed time away.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #2

my view as I waited for BART this morning 

These hills are just out of reach and hazy, and that's how I feel about my ideas right now.

Thanks for reading.

Now I am Here, #1

I began my residency at California College of the Arts today. I set up my space, got a feel for the studio and gave presentations to students in two different classes. I began critiquing student work with the senior BFA candidates and I took a short walk around campus. Everyone has been so welcoming and they seem really happy to have me here. When I stepped into my studio space, I was greeted by a welcome sign, snacks, bottles of coconut water and an orchid.

Because I imagine the next few weeks to be intense, I'm going to try something new on the blog: I will post a picture every day, a process photo, an image of something that is inspiring the work, a picture of the school… I won't be writing much, but will share a moment with you each day as I work. Then in November when I'm back in New York, I'll go into greater detail.

For now, just to refresh your memory, I will be in residence at CCA for the next three weeks. I will be creating an installation while I'm here and it will go inside an elevator at Velvet da Vinci. I will also be critiquing student work and sitting in on classes at school. My installation at Velvet will open Saturday, October 25. In addition, I will give a presentation at Velvet on Saturday, October 18th about "I Live Here Now." Both the installation and selections from "I Live Here Now" will be on view at the gallery until October 31.

Thanks for reading.

Onward Ideas, California Reality, Part 1

a favorite photo from my last time in California

Last year I taught a spray painting workshop at California College of the Arts and had a wonderful experience with all the great students there. At that time Marilyn de Silva, chair of the metals department, invited me to be a resident artist at the school and we began planning. Now I'm very pleased to say I'm going to CCA in October for three weeks!

talking with a student at CCA

As a resident, I will get a dedicated studio space with the grad students and have access to all the tools and equipment in the metals studio. I will give weekly critiques and/or demonstrations and give a public lecture. I'm looking forward to talking with students one on one and in groups about their work and I imagine all those sessions will make me better at communicating during critiques.

As for the work I will make, I'm working on ideas for an installation, of course. I'm questioning how I can translate my jewelry techniques and experience into a different form and I'm planning to use techniques I can't do in my own studio. I'm moving around ideas of repetition, accumulation and layering. I'm contemplating creating volume through multiples. I'm wondering about combining metal with other materials on a larger scale. I'm thinking about establishing a feeling through the creation of a space. Three weeks is not a lot of time so I will try to develop a (flexible) plan before I arrive and aim to use the limited time to my advantage.

demonstrating how to use spray paint on metal

I'm also looking for a place to show what I make. Perhaps there is a space at CCA that will work? It could be indoors or outside. Or, I wonder if there is a space in Oakland or San Francisco? I know it's probably too short notice to find a gallery because they schedule shows months in advance, but I'm asking around just in case. If you live in the Bay Area maybe you know of a gallery or space that might work for me? Please leave a comment here or send me an email (atavern@gmail.com) if you have any suggestions.

Thanks for reading.