Mar 30, 2018 | Constructing Water, Creative Process, Studio Notebook
I am not drawn to the more contemporary understanding of a muse as a particular person who inspires an artist to create work, almost like a love letter about the one objectified as the muse. I am more interested in the ancient Greek understanding of the muses. They are more like nymphs who could be found in forests and streams. They are capricious beings who have ideas of their own and they are looking for someone to help them manifest those ideas into tangible creations in the world. They are transient collaborators at best.
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Mar 17, 2018 | Constructing Water, Studio Notebook
I find this to be a hilariously accurate depiction of my time in the studio lately. I spend hours hand cutting Dura-Lar only to find that when I am done for the day, it looks as if nothing has happened. Studio News & EventsSo much occurs behind a closed studio door. Taking inspiration from Anne Truitt's Daybook, Studio News will provide you with a glimpse into the art making process. Sign up for an insider look. Sign Me...
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Feb 23, 2018 | Studio Notebook
Emergence I gave myself permission to retreat from the public for a while, to hole myself away in my studio to work with new material and ideas. I needed to be able to make mistakes and to fail without scrutiny. It’s been like my own extended artist residency. But now, I feel it is time to reemerge and to share what I have been up to. Solstices/Equinoxes, Rogers Gallery, Willamette University, Salem, OR Sometimes living and working in Eugene, Oregon can feel isolating. It is far removed from any major art center. In the summer of 2016 Kathleen Caprario, another local artist, was also feeling...
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Mar 19, 2017 | Gray Space
Life Size Kate Ali built a full-scale model of Gray Space. We moved it out of the shop to get a feel of how the scale of the space will work outside. Older Post: ← Isolation Newer Post: Emergence...
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Mar 12, 2017 | Gray Space, Studio Notebook
Isolation I remember a conversation, not so long ago, I had with Kathleen Caprario. We both expressed the isolation we were feeling as artists living in Eugene, with its lack of contemporary art venues and support, and how tired we were of feeling so isolated. Since moving here in 2008, I have frequently questioned whether I should stay here or relocate to a city with a vibrant and thriving contemporary art scene. After our conversation, I did what I usually do: I went back to my studio to make things in isolation. But Kathleen did something different. Last summer she invited some artists...
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Mar 6, 2017 | Gray Space, Work in Progress
Gray Space I’m involved with a new collaborative project entitled Gray Space. Gray Space is a collaborative endeavor that explores the idea of site/context. Eight artists will separately install and document the placement of a micro/mobile-gallery called Gray Space in site-specific and potentially unsuspecting or unknown locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Each of the participating artists will select a location for Gray Space and will install a contextually specific work of art inside. Gray Space will activate public space and point to context as being inherent to the idea of...
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Jan 15, 2017 | Studio Notebook, Work in Progress
A forest can feel like a place of great stillness and quiet. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s a hidden world beneath your feet as busy and complicated as a city at rush hour.
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Jan 1, 2017 | Events, Solstices/Equinoxes
January 17 – May 14, 2017
Roger W. Rogers Gallery
Willamette University
Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center
900 State Street
Salem, OR 97301
Hours: Monday – Friday 8am to 6pm
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May 6, 2016 | Creative Process, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook
Solstices/EquinoxesWork-In-Progress Spring Equinox Solstices/Equinoxes: Spring Equinox, 40 in. x 77 in., Oil on 3 wood panels, 2016 Solstices/Equinoxes Project Overview These are the main questions that I posed for this project: How do the colors of the creek change throughout a day? How does the colors of the creek change over the year? Procedure at the creek On the solstices and equinoxes of one year, I spent the entire day from before sunrise to after sunset at the gauging station of Watershed 2 at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest. Beginning precisely at sunrise, I took a photo of the creek...
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May 2, 2016 | HJ Andrews Project, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook, Work in Progress
Empathy Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Empathy Part 5: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Sitting at Watershed 2 Sit in the forest for a day with no agenda. Swim naked in the creek. Sleep under the stars. The only thing that is required is that you pay attention. Take yourself out of your head: It might take a few days. Stay. Speak little, or not at all. Stay until you feel at ease with the silence. Stay until you hear the rustle of something small...
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Apr 25, 2016 | Creative Process, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook
Faith Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Faith Part 4: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Lookout Creek on the Winter Solstice I don’t have faith in many things at the moment. This year, so far, has been one of those years to shake most of it out of me. However, I do have faith in one thing. It has never failed me, not even once. I trust that the world is beautiful (although I still haven’t been able to figure out why it is so). My artwork depends on it....
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Apr 11, 2016 | Creative Process, HJ Andrews Project, Musings on Art, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook
Wonder Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson An Open Letter to Robin Wall Kimmerer Why is the World So Beautiful? Wonder An Open Letter to Robin Wall Kimmerer: Why is the world so beautiful? Part 3: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Penguin Crossing Dear Robin Wall Kimmerer, At the end of his presentation at the Arts/Sciences Convergences at OSU introduction, poet and writer Charles Goodrich asked this question on your behalf: Why is the world so...
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Apr 5, 2016 | Studio Notebook
Eye Surgery Haiku Eye Surgery Haiku primary art tool an angry Frankenstein sewn: eye surgery eyelid swollen shut paintbrush can’t find the surface colors become gray eye is open now and the world appears vivid two eyes in concert Older Post: ← Story Newer Post: Wonder - Why is the world so beautiful?...
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Apr 4, 2016 | HJ Andrews Project, Musings on Art, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook
Story Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson And Notes for the Art Science Convergences at OSU Panel Discussion Story Part 2: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Ambient: October 11, 2014, Between 10:55 AM and 3:42 PM; Watershed 1, Lookout Creek & Watershed 3 Oil on 6 Wood Panels, 25 1/2 in. x 112 in. Telling you what I do is fairly easy: I make abstract paintings that show chromatic changes in the environment that we can’t easily see or track with...
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Mar 25, 2016 | Creative Process, Musings on Art, Solstices/Equinoxes, Studio Notebook
Patience Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson Patience Part 1: Responses to the essay Poetry-Science Gratitude Duet by Alison Hawthorne Deming and Frederick J. Swanson 200 Year Log Decomposition Study Patience is at the essence of the log decomposition study at HJ Andrews. Mark Harmon began the study of forest ‘morticulture’ at the Andrews about 30 years ago. It is designed to continue for 200 years. How patient must one be to wait to know that the answer that you are seeking will not be found during your own lifetime?...
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Mar 21, 2016 | Creative Process, Musings on Art, Solstices/Equinoxes, Work in Progress
Silence “He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” Elbert Hubbard Silence has been on my mind lately, especially when I am in my studio painting. Without silence there is no music, no prose, no composition. It is only through silence and emptiness that form can emerge. Recently I went to the symphony and I paid careful attention to the silences. They are between the notes, they separate the movements, and they mark the end of a piece. The silence that occurs between the last note, and the first cough and shuffle from the...
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Mar 2, 2016 | HJ Andrews Project, Musings on Art
Discovery Trail Published in the Rot: The Afterlife of Trees Exhibition Catalog, The Arts Center, Corvallis, OR, January 2016 " Discovery Trail A lacquered tree round adorned with an image of a salamander marks the beginning of the Discovery Trail located at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest headquarters. The trail wanders through old growth forest and leads to Lookout Creek. Along the trail you will find no signs or kiosks designating an area or object as particularly “discover worthy.” There is an invitation at the trailhead to discover, but it does not dictate what that discovery...
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Feb 18, 2016 | Studio Notebook
The End to Adventures in Unemployment – The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment The End to Adventures in Unemployment The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment Recently I’ve learned a few things about the way that I think about money and jobs. I learned that if I have a day job that gives me no pleasure, doesn’t value my skills, and gives me a small wage for showing up every day, and I lose that job, then I am labeled ‘Unemployed’. When you are labeled unemployed, there are certain things that need to be done to fulfill the obligations of one who has joined those ranks....
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Feb 9, 2016 | Events
Art/Science Convergences at OSU The Spring Creek Project, Oregon State University Presents Art/Science Convergences at OSU Dates: Thursday, April 7, 2016, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Address: Oregon State University, Memorial Union Journey Room Older Post: ← Rot: The Afterlife of Trees @ The World Forestry Center, Portland, OR Newer Post: The End to Adventures in Unemployment - The Beginning to Adventures in Self Employment...
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Feb 8, 2016 | Events, Rot
Rot: The Afterlife of Trees @ The World Forestry Center, Portland, OR The World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon Dates: March 10, 2016 – May 1, 2016 Opening Reception: Thursday, March 10, 2016, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Address: 4033 SW Canyon Rd, Portland, OR 97222 Phone: (503) 228-1367 Hours: Current Winter Hours: 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Open Thursday through Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Older Post: ← EXHIBITION - Rot: The Afterlife of Trees @ The Arts Center, Corvallis, OR Newer Post: Art/Science Convergences at OSU...
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Jan 10, 2016 | Events, Rot
The Dead Wood Exhibition is a collaboration with OSU School of Forestry, HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and Spring Creek Project.
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Jan 10, 2016 | HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
In a logjam on the edge of the creek is a bone-white naked log with a small patch of fungus following the log’s longitudinal cracks
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Jan 5, 2016 | HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Work In Progress: ROT Final LayerJanuary 5, 2016 Work In Progress: ROT Final Layer January 5, 2016 The final layer is completed. It’s an odd feeling. I’ve have spent so much time with this project over the past 6 months. As much as I was happily anticipating finishing, I was unprepared to finish gluing the last piece and not moving directly into cutting another layer. I am going to miss the process of working through this piece. At times it has been tedious, frustrating, maddening, meditative and deeply satisfying. However it is not yet complete. This Sunday I will hang it in...
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Nov 14, 2015 | HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Sometimes the things that are not under my control contribute greatly to making a piece work.
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Oct 25, 2015 | Creative Process, HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Work In Progress: ROT Midpoint Layer 6October 25, 2015 Work In Progress: ROT Layer 6 (midpoint) October 25, 2015 Layer 6 is still in progress. The paper has not been painted and in some places is not fixed to the piece. Layer 6 in its unfinished form contrasts with the earlier layers to more easily show the building of the layers of the piece. Typically, I’m not too keen on documenting my work in progress. Exposing the awkwardness of developing piece is something I avoid, usually to protect the uneven growth of the work. I need to provide space for it to safely fail, to have the freedom to...
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Oct 13, 2015 | Events, HJ Andrews Project, Rot
Rot at the Corvallis Science Pub November 9, 2015 6:00PM – 7:30PM We’ll be infusing art into the science pub! Come have a beer with me, ecologist Mark Harmon and artists Andries Fourier Bob Keefer and David Paul Bayles. We may value forests most for timber, wildlife and scenic beauty, but the real treasure may lie largely hidden in the soil. It’s there among the insects, fungi and other ground-dwelling organisms that tree growth is fostered and maintained through the rot and recycling of dead trees. Speakers at the November 9 Corvallis Science Pub will combine the science of tree...
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Oct 12, 2015 | Creative Process, HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Work In Progress: ROT Layer 5October 11, 2015 Work In Progress: ROT Layer 5 October 11, 2015 Typically, I’m not too keen on documenting my work in progress. Exposing the awkwardness of developing piece is something I avoid, usually to protect the uneven growth of the work. I need to provide space for it to safely fail, to have the freedom to hit a dead end and make a U-turn. Already this piece has hit many dead ends. Many iterations died before anything was ever manifested. But, I make an exception for the ROT exhibition at the Art Center in Corvallis. I agreed to blog about it. Waiting...
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Sep 26, 2015 | HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Work In Progress: ROT Layer 4September 26, 2015 Work In Progress: ROT Layer 4 September 26, 2015 The project has developed its own rhythm. I learn as I go. Each layer becomes more delicate and I hope that my skills with the blade increase with each layer’s intricacies. Image below: Layer 4 Gouache on Paper 17 1/2 in. x 70 in. Progression of the Work in Progress Untitled Rot: The Afterlife of Trees Rot-Work-In-Progress-Base-Layer-1Work In Progress: Base Layer Rot-Work-In-Progress-Base-Layer-2Work In Progress: Base Layer with Gouache Rot-Work-In-Progress-Layer-2Work In Progress:...
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Sep 22, 2015 | Field Notebook, HJ Andrews Project
Concluding a year’s worth of solstices and equinoxes at Watershed 2. In all, I recorded the chromatic changes in the creek 74 times from sunrise to sunset.
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Sep 7, 2015 | HJ Andrews Project, Recompose - Work-In-Progress, Rot, Studio Notebook
Work In Progress: ROT Layer 3September 7, 2015 Work In Progress: ROT Layer 3 September 7, 2015 The project has developed its own rhythm. I learn as I go. Each layer becomes more delicate and I hope that my skills with the blade increase with each layer’s intricacies. Image below: Layer 3 Gouache on Paper 17 1/2 in. x 70 in. Progression of the Work in Progress Untitled Rot: The Afterlife of Trees Rot-Work-In-Progress-Base-Layer-1Work In Progress: Base Layer Rot-Work-In-Progress-Base-Layer-2Work In Progress: Base Layer with Gouache Rot-Work-In-Progress-Layer-2Work In Progress:...
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