SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE VIDEOS
〰️
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE VIDEOS 〰️
Artist process Video
“Wood Cut Wall Art”
WATCH THE VIDEO
Artist Process for making a woodcut piece.
Making woodcut art sculptures is a meticulous process that involves many steps to turn a sketch into the final wall piece.
First, a sketch is made, it can be a deliberate design or a random drawing that can be modified later. Like in the case of the Wildflower, this was just a little drawing that I thought would look good on a larger scale.
The design is transferred onto the MDF and the dimensions are based on the golden ratio.
When I started making the wood artwork originally it was for economic reasons. Framing paintings can be very costly - so this was a way I could “cut out the frame” and hang them cleanly and directly on the wall.
I still call these “wood” but I make them out of MDF (a wood product) now. MDF is more sustainable and makes cleaner cuts.
I spent a lot of time figuring out how to hang all the woodcut art with an easy universal system.
It only takes one or two screws! #mountmate #taxidermyhangers
Additionally, they float off the wall, so it creates a
nice shadow effect.
I use a jigsaw to cut out the pieces and then there is quite a bit of sanding. I approached the sides and insides by painting or by a variety of very meticulous collage techniques.
The wood-cut artwork can be hung alone, or in groupings with other art to create scenarios.
Shown at the end of the video is the Wildflower featured in a little video. I like making this additional animation version as part of my process these days.
WATCH THE VIDEO
Mold, Cast and Samples
Glass, Glass, Blockheadz Glass Studio!
An interesting collaboration has recently emerged -
Glass Artist Steve Elicker and Visual Artist Margie Darrow bring together their unique blend of
talents and expertise.
The alliance aims to push the boundaries of their individual artistic expression, weaving together their various disciplines with new designs and techniques.
A picture is worth a 1000 words.
Creating the “Goat Tree” was a creative problem solving process to find the best techniques for an outdoor wood sculpture
A Little Bit About the Goat Tree and Process Video
The Argan tree - a plant in regions of southwestern Morocco is the inspiration for the sculpture. The farmers use the goats (to climb the trees) to eat the nuts in the production of Argan oil.
Goats climbing trees is an unusual site.
The Goat Tree artwork - is about 10 feet high (above ground). When I finally took on this project my main concern was to make it weather-proof as it is made of wood.
Sun and rain were my big concerns in committing to create it.
The solution for that was to treat it like you would a boat.
After the initial design was worked up, I began a collaboration with Jeff Porter for his wood and creative skills.
After a month into this project, the pandemic began - so it slowed our process down quite a bit.
Fortunately, we had purchased our Marine Grade plywood for Tree and the Goats and some of our initial materials.
We treated all the wood pieces (front & back) with 4-6 coats of Total Boat Epoxy and all paint and stains are UV resistant.
It is funny now, but there were so many setbacks and problem-solving aspects in completing this project - such as the wildfires blowing ash all over on epoxy days, and moving this monster through a small walkway for installation, to name a few.
But with the obstacles came some great elements that were not in the original design - like the pattern on the tree, and the perches for the goat's feet are a really beautiful detail for a necessary structure piece.
The video gives a brief glimpse of “The Goat Tree”
creation and installation.
A big thank you to everyone involved in this project.
The goat tree lives in a private residence in Long Beach Ca.
What is the XplOrdiary Garden Series?
XplOrdinary Gardens
In the beginning, there was just a love of mushrooms, but then came an inspiration to add multi-layering to wood pieces and the desire to learn to use a router.
The XplOrdinary Gardens - is the first time I have worked in the method of developing multiple versions of the artwork while I am creating it.
These multiple versions include wood dioramas, woodcut work, watercolor, pen and ink, video, glass, and apparel.
I have feelings and stories that are attached to every piece I make but a narrative story comes as the series builds- and the website is helping me create that aspect.
All of the ongoing characters and subjects are meant to be viewed all together in an environment. I am working on this series to be presented as a multilayered exhibition.
Just for today, I am working on this layer of the garden, the internet adaptation.
The video is a small summary of the vast garden I am creating to eXplore.
It is XplOrdinary.
( XplOrdinary is an adjective)
WATCH THE VIDEO