Seattle for Two Weeks, Part 1

Jaume Plensa’s 46-foot-tall Echo at Olympic Sculpture Park,

first time seeing this, love the powerful visual illusion at work here

I spent two wonderful weeks in my old haunt, Seattle, spending time with friends, visiting favorite places, and eating really good food. The weather was killer: bright sun, blue sky, light breeze. It was cloudy only a few days and rained once, and even those days were lovely. The city looked more beautiful than ever in full bloom of spring. Here are some of my daily observations from favorite places and artists:

Frank Gehry's EMP

Heron in Flight by Eras MFK and Doc Rot

Something Like This Design, another unexpected new favorite

from The New Frontier: Young Designer-Makers in the Pacific Northwest, Bellevue Arts Museum

Richard Serra's Wake, Olympic Sculpture Park,

an "old" favorite I never tire of spending time with

Thanks for reading.

Hmm, Very Interesting…My Favorites 2013

David Choi

Here it is: my list of 2013 favorites! This year it's exclusive to the internet and it's a long list. I must say, 2013 was the year I completely fell in love with the internet. I liked it a whole, whole lot before, but this year, wow, I saw and read so many interesting things every single day. This post covers only a fraction...

Jewelry

David Choi's work (top image) is my absolute favorite jewelry of the year. Those fabricated forms are pretty wonderful. I also love the work of Begoña Prats and Helena Lehtinen.

Art

The Topography of Tears by Rose-Lynn Fisher, a collection of photographs that examine different kinds of tears, took my breath away.

Berndnaut Smilde creates cloud installations in beautiful spaces…while Share Your Sun, a project by Ólafur Elíasson, gives everyone a chance to participate by posting images of the sun where they live. Light Echoes (video below) by Aaron Koblin and Ben Tricklebank is a fantastic video of digital imagery projected by a moving train on the ground below. After watching the video I became very interested in the work of Aaron Koblin, too.



I also love this video of the first encounter after years of separation of once partners/artistic collaborators, Marina Abramovic and Ulay. It happens at her MOMA retrospective and it moves me every time I see it.

Street Art and Graffiti

Ian Strange (above image) has roots in street art and graffiti and also creates incredible installations, photography and video.  I am especially drawn to his "Suburban" project. I also discovered the graphic, large-scale installations and paintings of L'Atlas (below image) and the graphic yet fluid illustration and wall work of Cannon Dill.

Abandoned Spaces

I became interested in ghost buildings when I was living in Antwerp, Belgium and since then have been collecting images of them. I was really happy to see this post on Hyperallergic that features the phenomena that "remain as an unintentional texture of memory..."

I saw two posts on abandoned buildings that I revisited throughout the year...haunting images from "Creedmoor State Hospital," (above image) and others that focus on "Family Life Frozen in Time" by Niki Feijen. 

Music

Zola Jesus, whose music is intelligent and emotional, has an incredible voice and really knows how to use it. (I was also lucky to see her live this past fall and it was a thrilling show.) And, I'm always happy to read about my absolute favorite musician ever, Björk. This post in particular describes a concise "History and Style of a Music Maverick." 

Maps and Information

"Where You Are" is a collection of maps by a variety of artists, writers and thinkers, each inspired by personal experience. I've not seen the book in person but I've spent lots of time on the website where you can examine each map. 

I became a little obsessed with the US Wind Map (above image) which shows live wind patterns. I was also a little obsessed with all the wonderful diagrams and charts on Information is Beautiful, a website that features information in all sorts of beautiful ways. Finally, I was impressed with "The Beauty of Mathematics" which shows lovely depictions of math as found in our every day lives. 

Writing

How to Write: A Year in Advice from Franzen, King, Hosseini, and More is an inspiring article about process and creation from different writers' points of view, but the information can be applied to any discipline, in my opinion. I've been taking notice of poetry recently and really enjoyed "What is Poem?", an article that explains poetry and how to appreciate it better in simple terms. My favorite part comes right at the end and centers on a one-word poem. 

I can't remember if I've shared this on the blog before because I've talked about it with so many friends...it feels like maybe I wrote about it here, too. I read Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (above image) when I was in Iceland. I spent a lovely morning in the library in Skagaströnd reading these letters and as soon as I was done, I read them again. Then I read them a few more times over the course of my residency and since returning to the US. They don't take long to read and are simply beautiful and inspiring.

Interesting Articles

"When the Conscious Listens to the Unconscious" and "Haruki Murakami: Talent is Nothing Without Focus and Endurance" are two articles that got me excited about what I do while also giving me a tremendous sense of calm, an "I'm-on-the-right-path feeling." The first one is all about intuition and theory, while the second one talks about the importance of working hard and being tenacious. 

Podcasts and Videos

The above video is a mesmerizing time-lapse of a container ship delivering cargo in Rotterdam. I saw it on NOTCOT at the beginning of the year and was transfixed. The accompanying music is also really good.

I don't remember how I found Brene Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability" TED talk, but I am so happy I did. I've listened to it several times and find it inspiring every time. Vulnerability is always the right choice… "You Are Here", "The Soul Patch" and "Letting Go" are all Radiolab podcasts I listened to while I was embroidering my "Island." They are fascinating and brought tears to my eyes. 

Nature

Last, but certainly not least, I really hope to see total cloud inversion one day as shown in "A Sea of Clouds Fills the Grand Cayon." (above image)

That's a long list and I see I've used the word "inspiring" a lot. These links were truly inspiring for me and continue to be. I hope you visit each one and enjoy them as much as I do. Tomorrow I will post my Icelandic favorites!

...and here are the lists for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2012 Belgium.

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star #129…Filippo Minelli

Silence/Shapes

Today's Guest Star is Filippo Minelli and I'm pretty much in love with everything he creates, from ephemeral clouds of colorful smoke to macro-style, site-specific pieces to gallery installations. I like the simplicity of his work and how each piece is bold and subtle at the same time. I like his use of text in either singular words or short sentences. I like the unusual spaces and places he chooses to create these works in, some urban, some rural. I like that he uses a variety of methods and materials: spray paint, fire, smoke, stickers, light, neon, video...The impermanence and vulnerability to the elements and their environments is fascinating as well. I have always been interested in the moment-marking aspect of street art and graffiti, how the presence of the artist is captured right there and how that moment can last for a long time or be covered up or removed almost immediately. Filippo's pieces resonate in this way with me, and in many other ways...

Sound

Art is the new television go back to your life

Silence/Lines

NonPlace Branding-NoWhere Forever

See more of my favorite pieces by Filippo Minelli on Pinterest.

Thanks for reading.

Seattle Debrief

I never tire of seeing this sculpture by Richard Serra at the 

Olympic Sculpture Park

I just left Seattle after an absolutely wonderful week of reconnecting with dear friends and colleagues, teaching at The Ranch, a trunk show at Velouria, and my usual wandering and art viewing/sight-seeing...Here are some highlights in pictures:

some of my students at The Ranch where I taught a two-day version of "Innovating the Chain"

The first Agnes Martin painting I have ever seen in person at the Seattle Art Museum. This was a big moment for me -  she is one of my favorite artists. 

The only picture I got to take at the Seattle Art Museum while visiting Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion.

one of my favorite pieces of street art, found in Pioneer Square

I got to spend part of a day with my mentor and dear friend Lori Talcott in her studio. 

Lots more on Flickr...

Thanks for reading.

Graffiti RVK

Afi (Grandfather) by Guido van Helten on Vesturgata

I spend my down time in a new place just wandering street after street. Since arriving in Reykjavik that is exactly what I've been doing and as I walk I collect more images of graffiti and street art. There is a lot of great work here and it's been so fun discovering it. These are a few favorites I've seen just in the last few days, including my friend and fellow Nes artist, Guido van Helten's lastest wall:

More on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

London! Graffiti

Swoon

I spent a day walking around Shoreditch and Spitalfields where there is a lot of graffiti, especially along Brick Lane. It was so fun to weave my way through the streets and alleys discovering all kinds of incredible work, including pieces by Banksy, Roa, Stik, Swoon, Space Invader, and Broken Fingaz Crew. 

The Horror Crew

 Roa

 Banksy

So many more pictures on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.