DRawing 2.23.12

This might not be done, but I could say that about everything. This was a fun one. Ink, graphite and colored pencil on paper 15x22". L

Yeung Chan

Frequently CR alumni drop by for a visit and walk through the shop to see what's new and exciting.  A few weeks ago Yeung Chan(furniture maker/tool maker/author) did a lecture on his case study of a 15th century Ming Dynasty Chair.  I've never been a huge fan of Chinese design but his presentation was enlightening and really gave me an appreciation for the craftsmanship involved in this VERY complex piece of furniture.  For the full experience, he didn't use ANY power tools on any of the joints and made it as if it was 1400-1500AD.  In all, there were 39 components all of which where joined with mechanical joints, meaning, without glue. Chan delivered an entertaining, informative and at times comical presentation. D

Collecting

 Objects I have collected from the shore in front of our place. So much character. These pieces have been tumbled in a completely different way than in the Southern parts of CA's Pacific. Beautiful.

Meet Celeste

In the interest of art. In the interest of sharing. In the interest of encouraging creative dialogue, Rasmussen By Hand is beginning a series of Artist Features; an exchange between us and another maker. Currently we are in the midst of an exchange with the NYC based painter/performer/installation artist, the beautiful Celeste Carballo. A girl from the East with a heart for the West. Full interview coming soon!

For now, see what Celeste has been making the past few years....

Doodles

 Important stuff, doodles. Today I finally prepared my paper for a proper drawing, but recently I've been messing around with things like this pattern above and these line drawings below. 

A quote on doodling from my absolute favorite artist, the New Zealander Len Lye [1901-1980]:

In the mid-50's I was scratching white ziggle-zag-splutter scratches on black 16mm film in doodling fashion. I always do doodle type images when I'm fishing for something to kind of feel at most one with my self. I doodle with pen and pencil; or bits of steel I waggle; film I scratch. When I was, say, twenty to over forty a bit, my doodles looked like the start of a myth; and this, the doodle, was how the myth was;then with metal and film work their imagery got an ultimate look of energy, such as a principle of harmonics, particles, orbital whippy rhythm-whips; endless ways that energy can be depicted unconsciously as if by doodling.

from Figures of Motion Len Lye Selected Writings 

Project II. An ode to history

 The public reception of the College of the Redwoods Winter Exhibition was densely and consistently packed all evening on Friday. Alumni, family and what felt like the entire Mendocino Coast community  flooded the room till closing time. As a partner of a student through this grueling intensive experience, I was overcome with pride to see Darrick rewarded for his accomplishment. He has remained humble since the beginning, but certainly received an incredible amount of compliments from informed strangers- the genuine-firm handshake-eye contact kind of compliments from people who really know what the heck they are talking about. 

As the show is behind him, Darrick's second semester possibilities are continuing to evolve. We [I say WE given that we  discuss his project ideas together extensively and continuously]had originally talked about a chair design of his own, which he even began to mock up and study. I received an afternoon phone call last week. In a 'I've just had a eureka moment and NEED to share it with you' tone, he tells me that he has decided to change the idea completely and do something wise and brave. He will build a chair that has already been designed by the son of the late great Swede Carl Malmsten, Vidar Malmsten. Now many students at CR choose to do this, as the plans are made available by the school and encouraged by the faculty. One can focus on the fundamentals of an already brain-squishing feat that is chairmaking and pay homage to this incredible tradition established by the school's founder and Carl Malmsten's student, James Krenov.    

 The phone call I received yesterday was to come in and help him decide if and how he might change the curves of the back, as he had one in the shop made by another former faculty member Todd Sorenson. I had originally critiqued the blunted S curve of the back in the photo I had seen, but now he was contending with the potentially blasphemous action of changing a master's design. So we both gave her a good sit and let the spine decide. That curve is no mistake...

Gallery Image of Sorenson's version.

EARTH via Mudchicken

 I recently reached out to Mudchicken [Vincent Pacheco], the Seattle based artist I came across perusing the international art collective WAFA's website [more about WAFA below]. I read an interview he did that made me clap inside; clap for young artists making their own way under today's circumstances, clap for people recognizing dreams and in turn taking risks, clap for people naming themselves Mudchicken and clap for the fact that I wasn't the only one sensing a massive shift in the creative culture of people like us- youngish dreamers making things. Mudchicken responded to my rather art-cheerleaderish sentiments promptly and thankfully AND offered to send me a copy of a new project, the publication Earth. He described it to me like this:


The aim of it is to document this shift that seems to be happening with our generation. Its centered around a series of interviews & first-hand accounts from people doing the good work out there -- artists, free-thinkers, hippies, back-to-the-landers, and so on…  

I just received it a couple days ago and I needed to share and encourage others to either download the pdf or order your own free copy. Beautifully laid out. Includes characters of interest, art of value, teepee building instructions, a book list I've already ordered from and overall a damn nice collection of thoughts and images. Dear Mudchicken, thank you. 

Image from Mudchicken

 I like this work. Acrylic on Map. See more Mudchicken

Image from wearefuckingawesome.org

WAFA stands for We Are F*ing Awesome - "a global artist collective dedicated to the support and development of emerging artists.... Our hope is to bring together a community of artists, united by collaboration, to inspire one another. To have the sense of family and community restored, where we can belong and continue to give value to what we believe in. To have an open dialogue about everything we experience, and the free exchange of ideas, knowledge and tools."