tangle in progress

intended to lead up with this, but instead will lead back
a system of stations- graphite powder, layout
waiting layers carefully kept separate before joining the stack
just four or so layers here
during installation
rebinding the top and bottom
as the angle and light sifts more can be seen

disintegration

What would we see if everything but these bare lines fell away? What would we read?

plaid

05-21-09

To find a project begun well over a year ago continues to have relevance within the context of my new work is a satisfying feeling. My collection of powerline polaroids still grows one by one. Clear blue or grey skies ignite the excitement of capturing more images. As the summer takes hold, the daily rhythm of sunny mornings and afternoon thunderstorms develops and the opportunity to collect is here.

As with any collection, this one evolves as time progresses. Tree branches appear less frequently as my interest in the subtle variation found in powerlines themselves develops. Such industrial uniformity on the surface belays the organic quality found in the details; irregular wrapping of two lines together, the sudden shift direction as the road they follow swerves, or ever more compelling, the disintegration of the lines themselves.

With my recent interest in weaving, cloth patterns appear in the clean intersections and varying thicknesses of line. The top image illustrates the concept perfectly.

rain rain

5-05-09

While in the midst of recovering the studio for upcoming work and enjoying the recent grey skies above my head (six days of rain and counting), my thoughts are dwelling on old threads that should be revisited and new ones stretching out before me. You wouldn't know it from the scarce activity here, but I have been waking with the feeling of being crushed by my own potential to make; it is both exhilarating and debilitating. It is the precise feeling I have when walking into a library, the feeling of walking into infinity, so much to read and learn and do and only a finite amount of time to do it in. Each idea and potential item clamor for attention: my spinning wheel obtained in March waits patiently beside a generously gifted floor loom, spindle drawings vibrate invisibly on blank paper, tangles await capture and cataloging, thirty-two fleeces -that's right I said 32- sit dirty and potent with possibility. Each need careful development and dedicated time, and all the while a million other ideas of rain down: clothes and pillows and books and kites and furniture and gardens and shoes and dyeing and and and . . .
The choosing of what to hold fast, begin, or let go being the most pertinent questions.

Recently, Twitter and I engaged in an experiment of sorts over the last few weeks months. Sometimes creating satisfying blog posts take a bit too long, but I'd like a brief record of at least some of my studio doings. Could it be used as a studio log? Nearing a hundred tweets later and I think I like the song, if you'd like to follow along you can find me here.

Tomorrow Tangle returns home, a few alterations await her and then some local travel.

Tangle no.427

acrylic sheet, handspun wool, graphite and wood
60" x 12" x 6"

Threads clothe us.
Threads hang above our heads as powerlines.
Threads are followed as thoughts,
spun into stories,
spoken as conversations,
and left as remnants of online discussions.
Threads of our lives, made by the three Fates, are drawn out, spun, and eventually cut away.
All tangled and woven together.

This is one specimen; handspun wool and graphite powder drawn and stacked, a wisp of the story.



My sculpture has joined seven others in an outdoor sculpture show as part of the Florida First Coast Arts Festival in St. Augustine Florida. The festival features outdoor sculptures, music and theater performances beginning tonight through the 24th. If you are in the area, come catch a performance and see the work in person.

photos taken by Tim Elverston

dissolve

Visited family this week to attend a wedding and managed to take a few polas along the way. The line quality in the lower one pleases me especially because lines turn blue and begin to dissolve away. If you click on the image to enlarge it you may be able to see two faint lines that cross behind the other four. There's a third farther up, noticeable only by the slight darkening of the lines they cross. Such subtleties make for a difficult capture between the scanner and the screen, but I think they still come across.

Tomorrow I'm back to work on my Tangle sculpture.