Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison

I kinda wanna go swimming with these people.

Link to their website

The Architect's brother series hits home for me the most.  

Project in nature part 4

statement:

In another attempt to  bridge the gap between myself and the landscape, I  have begun to focus on the forgotten attributes within  the landscape.  A  simple weed or flower busting through the man made  façade, shows the inherent tension between man and nature.  I am creating a space and a tool to  literally and metaphorically elevate the growth to a higher standard.  Giving   the work structural references to the body and its utility, I am interested in  setting a more appropriate stage for  the discarded natural elements

This object will be placed in the ground, or rather a crack in the cement where renegade weeds grow.  This objects use is to  take the  renegade weed from the crack and give it a much more suitable home nestled in the top of this object thus presenting the weed with importance. 

In the middle of this object are voids that suggest the wearer, thus connecting the body and handling of the object with the act the object evokes

In sight for the project :

            This project shows my interest in the found object, the use of color and its applications to enhance the fictional qualities of the forms and the use of site specific installation.   The absurdity of the use of the object draws attention to the inherent problem, the  nature/ culture duality.

This piece is one of my first attempts in the use of color which I find has been resolved and works in conjunction with the forms  and not against them.   If there was more time to  work on this I think I would  embellish the  found object( twig) more, perhaps adding  extensions to its  junctures or experiments with  the use of color even more  for that part of the piece.

Annodizing  gives me the option of brilliant naturalistic  color which I could see using in my work in the future. The aluminum gives the option to have a larger mass  but keeping it still very lightweight which is something I have been struggling to find within some of my other work.

Surreal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Surreal in general means bizarre or dreamlike. It may refer to:

• Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art
• "Surreal" (song), a song by Ayumi Hamasaki
• Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor
• Surreal numbers, a superset of the real numbers in mathematics
• Surreal Software, an American video game studio
• Surreal, the name of a Nintendo 64 emulator for the Xbox
• The Surreal Life, a reality television series

All images are cited from 

Bradely, Fiona. Surrealism. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ., 1997. Print. 

Patterns for Nature Projects

leaves

http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/19309/wm/pd1695961.jpg

New Materials

After Renee Zettle Sterling's visit I have been freaking out with making molds and trying to use the liquid plastic. 

The 3 samples below are the polytek plastic mixed with various pigments.

This is the Polytek plastic  Easy Flo 60

This is a smooth on product that I use for making my mold for wax and plastic

It works like a champ!

As an Alternative to ordering the silicone putty from the medical distributor, this product works just as good! 

This is  another kind of liquid plastic by smooth on, but I like the polytek better

Bleaching wood

• wood magazine 
•  Now, Kiss That Color Goodbye

When it comes to altering the color of wood, woodworkers routinely turn to stains to give wood more-or a slightly different-color. But wood bleach lets you remove color from wood.

Look for a two-part bleach to do the job

You'll find three kinds of products marketed as wood bleaches. But only one will remove the natural color from wood: a two-part wood bleach of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and hydrogen peroxide. Other wood bleaches are chlorine bleach and oxalic acid.
Chlorine bleach, which is like ordinary laundry bleach, will remove dye color from wood, but not the wood's natural color. Oxalic acid is commonly employed to bleach out water or rust stains. Teak stain remover sold by boat dealers is often based on oxalic acid.
All the bleaching chemicals pose health and safety hazards to varying degrees. So be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions and warnings before use. And always wear rubber gloves and eye protection around bleaches.

Continued on page 2:  Now, Kiss That Color Goodbye

photoshop sketches

Projects in Nature I

These sketches are to calm my brain.  I am still in the process of altering these forms before I commit to  them so these sketches allow me to  sort of see what they may look like  if I had used the initial carved form.