The Santa Cruz Chapter of the Awesome Foundation picked its third winner! We love reviewing these amazing, creative ideas – keep them coming Santa Cruz! $1000 micro-grants are given out monthly.
Congrats to Stephanie Suarez for their community project, Bipoc Arts Healing Circles! Click here to learn more about this project.
Got an Awesome idea that needs a little funding? Pitch it here!
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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Sculpture IS: In the Garden 2023, marks our seventeenth sculpture exhibit in partnership with Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens in Watsonville, CA. Curators Susana Arias, Hedwig Heerschop, and Jeff Rosendale selected over ninety sculptures created by forty-nine artists and collaborators. Visit the stunning two-acre demonstration garden, relax under the umbrellas, and spend an afternoon enjoying the exhibit.
June 1, 2023 – October 31, 2023 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm | Sierra Azul Nursery & Gardens | Watsonville CA
Check out my interview with the Friends of the Rail Trail about my public art project A Feast of Flowers!
We were fortunate to have a chance to talk with artist Jenni Ward and learn about the planned installation of her artwork on the Westside Rail Trail. Read more here…
This week, outside the studio…
The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!
The Santa Cruz Chapter of the Awesome Foundation picked its second winner! So blown away by the submissions that have come in, there’s a lot of talent in this county!
Congrats to Andrew Purchin for his film project, What’s Home? Painters Listen Across Differences! Click here to learn more about his project.
Got an Awesome idea that needs a little funding? Pitch it here!
This week, outside the studio…
The Outside Scoop is a weekly blog series that shares a little bit of what’s going on in my life outside of the studio. Please feel free to leave comments, I look forward to chatting with you here!
An image from my installation ‘Plankton Bloom in McMurdo Sound’ was just included in the online exhibition Illuminating the Beauty of Science by Suboart Magazine.
Science and art have always been closely tied, as the purpose of both is to understand the world around us and create within it. With advancements in both research and technologies happening at an increasingly rapid pace, how does this change the approach to making art through a scientific lens? This online exhibition showcases works that highlight the intersections between science, technology and art in many different ways.
From May 6 – 26, 2023, you can virtually tour the exhibit here or flip through the catalog here.
I’ve been making progress on the ceramic components of ‘A Feast of Flowers’ public art project and it’s starting to take over the studio! I’ve got thousands of flower buds in various stages of being processed taking up every surface of the studio and the thrown ceramic forms they will attach to starting to come to life as well. Now I’ve got to come up with a plan for where all of these flowers are going to live while they dry. Excited to see each flowers personality come out with the subtle uniqueness of each form.
About the project: A Feast of Flowers will be six ceramic and steel sculptures inspired by the umbel flower structure of fennel plants. Placed staggered along the sides of the trail and silhouetted against the sky, the installation will create a sense of whimsy and wonder for the thousands of patrons who use the trail as well as bring an awareness to our connection with nature.
My inspiration for this particular installation comes from my exploration of the natural world, and my curiosity about identifying plants, especially the edible ones. As an amateur forager, every hike in the woods has become like a trip to the grocery store for me. Fennels are one of the most recognized edibles that grow in California, available for the taking, yet there is a tendency to not trust the wild plants. This disconnect we humans have with nature, the loss of knowledge about native plants and how that relates to the global issue of food insecurity are all concepts explored with this project.
It is also my hope that whimsical oversized flowers will create a fun and dramatic impact for the area, will draw locals and tourists alike outside to connect with nature, learn about local plants and of course take a moment to stop and smell the flowers.
This project is sponsored by:
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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Join our safe subscribe monthly mailing list: