Pasadena Adjacent

What started out as a clever framing devise for a multi panel interior mural, has become the bane of our existence. Faux tooled leather; the perfect signifier slated for a town whose (single stoplight) business community, is covered in a faux western store front. And providence seemed to be in our corner too. Such as discovering Big Fred’s childhood tools and leather patterns had escaped Ramona’s frequent purges. The initial concept was to create the leather pattern out of clay, cast it in water absorbing plaster, then caste lightweight cotton lintels (ground up paper) – pull and paint.

Dead end – FAILURE - Return to go.

The video describes our current process; special thanks to the ever clever Mid-Town G. The women are part of Team Pasadena Adjacent. Erin and Clare from County Arts, leaving with a finished sample to run by the commission. Outcome? SUCCESS. For the moment.

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May 4, 2012

Passages

Death, mourning and ritual are at the heart of Passage 2001. The single screen work by Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat, with music by Philip Glass, was viewed at the Nevada Museum of Art in 2011. The video features 3.17 seconds of an 11 minute film.

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April 27, 2012

Altadena Public Library: Jewel of the Foothills

Several years ago I visited the Altadena Public Library for the first time. Although mesmerized by this fine mecca of mid century modernism, there is one detail that escapes it’s most adamant admirers. The woodwork. I’m not talking stacks and chairs but those gems of bio-morphic abstraction; the tiles that grace it’s other circulation desk. Based on two patterns, they’re not stamped nor cast, but hand carved mahogany. And each tile shows slight variations in the carving. Head over heels smitten, and coming off a series of tiles based on bio-morphic pod forms, I decided to do a riff off the library tile patterns. Note the jazz term “riff” its a nod to African woodcarving. Something I also sense in these patterns. My tiles are ceramic; 8.5 x 8.5 Black Mountain stoneware, copper oxide and a limited color pallate. Enlarge and admire Last weekend, with the assistance of Altadena’s finest (librarians), we were able to track down the original paperwork to the artisans who made this library what it is. Enlarge – some of them are still in business, and if not, they hold court in the pantheon of classic modernist design. But another surprise awaited me. The discovery of more carved tiles in the children’s section.

Again – “smitten”

In conclusion, a nod to the other artist whose work occupies the grounds of the Altadena Public library. The 7′x14′ water sculpture at the main doorway “Tree of Life” (no longer in operation) and the “Owl Tree” on the south entrance, is by Altadena artist David Green. The “Owl” in the children’s section and “Lady” in the fern garden is by Armenian sculptor Nishan Toor.

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Pasadena Adjacent

May 11, 2012