OCTO*STAR

October 18, 2020

This piece is a special commission for a friend, currently living in the Feusier Octagon House in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood. I had the great fortune to visit last summer, when we talked about creating an eight-sided Guide Star to commemorate the years the family lived in the rented space. Up until then, my plywood pieces had all been hexagonal, not by any intentional numerology, but due to the fact that I’d designed them using scrap material. So in addition to adding a couple of sides, the project took me away from my comfort zone—sliding shapes around on the studio floor—into less familiar territory, creating digital files to cut triangles from and then piece together.

Who doesn’t prefer repeating the process they know and love? I know I certainly do. But as this year has shown us in a most dramatic fashion, figuring out how to do things a little differently can also offer a tremendous reward. Will a decagon be next???

BLUE BAYOU INSTALL

May 15, 2020

Shortly after our stay at home order expired I was notified that a large commission I’d finished in March would be ready for install. I’d anticipated feeling strange to be working in proximity to other people after some six weeks of relative isolation, but the thrill of getting to see a substantial project to completion was by far the tone for the entire afternoon.

A couple of days later, I got a troubling call, informing me that there’d been ample feedback since install that the bayou looked too much like a sperm. The irony, of course, is that I'd been thinking the design had a fertility motif since the beginning but figured if they were happy with that messaging then so was I. To abridge an epic tale, I was assisted in getting the offending portion of the bayou back home and was able to transform the ‘head’ into another whiplash curl.

Everyone was pleased with the outcome—and true to form, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can make from the areas I cut out…

I have a few additional pieces in this lobby as well, after all, what’s a moon and a bayou without a few Guide Stars?

Guide Star installation at Gray Contemporary

September 3, 2019

Don’t let my expression in this candid indicate otherwise: the set-up process for this show was a breeze, especially compared with what I can only describe as a residential experience earlier this summer at McColl. That installation had me virtually camped out in the building for days, shuffling around in my socks.

I’ve long felt jealous watching other artists bring their work to galleries without feeling the need to also pack snacks or pillows—and allow me to report that it’s everything I had hoped for and more. Here’s to trying new things, particularly those that exude lightness!

Guide Star opening September 7th from 6-8p at Gray Contemporary