california wildfire

A new series of ginkgo paintings has been inspired by some of the amazing sunsets I've been seeing this summer. Unfortunately the reason behind these intense sunsets is that most of the state of California is on fire. The wildfires cause hazy skies, but pretty intense orange/yellow sunsets that can be actually quite beautiful.

Summer in New York

Ah, summertime in New York. There really isn't anything better.


Although Jeff Koon's balloon dog wasn't my favorite artistic statement, drinks in the sun on the Met rooftop made it worth the trip.

Waterfalls vs. The Gates

This past week in New York I explored The New York City Waterfalls installation by Olafur Eliasson. His series of freestanding waterfalls in the East River is the city's biggest public art project since Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates". I have to say this project wasn't nearly impressive as The Gates, which I was also lucky enough to witness the opening day of while visiting New York several years back. I guess I do not see enough of a real connection between the art and it's environment in this case.

This particular waterfall is the one under the Brooklyn Bridge (above) - there was one more to the right of it, and another closer to where I was standing (below)


There are 4 different waterfalls which are visible from multiple points around the city, and I took the entire day finding each waterfall for optimal viewing. I'd say the more interesting part of this was the adventure of finding them and interacting with the city, rather than the waterfalls themselves. Although I would have liked to see them when it was dark out... that may have been a bit more impressive.


The Gates had a much bigger impression on me, probably due to the scale of the installation and being able to experience them all at once. Equally impressive was the amount of material that went into the project: 5,390 tons of steel and 9,155 square meters of fabric, which was assembled in a 25,000 square foot Long Island facility, then shipped to Central Park. However, my favorite part of the project was actually the sketches they created, really beautiful.

Deep

I finally managed to make it to Bend, Oregon to see one of my art projects complete. These large scale photos were installed in the restaurant, Deep, downtown. This series reflects upon the logging industry that used to be prevalent in the area.


view from mezzanine up above, looking down on water feature -

Crater Lake

Over Fourth of July weekend I traveled to Crater Lake in Southern Oregon on the crest of the Cascade Mountain range. Ever since seeing vibrant images of this place, I've been wanting to see it up close. The lake lies inside a caldera, created when Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption.

I was surprised to learn that Crater Lake is the deepest in the United States, and the seventh deepest lake in the world, with no inlets or outlets to the lake. I've never seen water so blue! There is still heavy snowfall here, even in July.

The colors of the lake were absolutely amazing, with perfect reflections of the mountains in the water. Great inspiration for some new paintings...

Art Scene in ATL

How cute is this work. While browsing for some artists in Atlanta, I came upon Jeremiah Ketner's work at a gallery called The Alcove. I love the playful and carefree nature of the subject.

HANG Anniversary Party

This artist Liz Maxwell at the Hang Anniversary Party caught my eye. Very beautiful drawings.