11/14/2017 0 Comments The more you know the less you knowAlthough the exterior of the canoe serves as a sketchbook entry- a temporal, preliminary drawing that will continue to evolve.
11/7/2017 0 Comments Cottonwood papermakingIn March and April the entire Bosque was covered with a fuzzy white blanket of cottonwood seedlings, similar to a fresh snowpack. The frizzy parachute of fiber that transports the seed to its germination destination makes for a great paper fiber. We began collecting the cottonwood seeds in the spring from places layered with too much fiber to germinate in the moist, flooded Bosque soil. Together Rachel and I cleaned, cooked, beat, pulled, and coughed (all the best papermaking verbs) over the course of a handful of days. Two gallon bags of fibers weighed just less than one once and produced about 20 sheets of delicate, thin sheets. Its dreamy to imagine how light a paper cottonwood canoe would be...
10/30/2017 0 Comments Image-makingI am in full-production mode screenprinting images to adhere to the surface of the paper canoe. The images represent various components that compose the Colorado River Delta. Each component is a handmade paper cut-out that is exposed to a screen and printed in repetitive patterns. When collaged onto the canoe they will create a larger imager that resembles satellite maps of the Delta. Screen printing is my method of attack because production is fast, colorful, and oil-free. The images will need to be fiberglassed and then covered in epoxy and varnish.
I had the wonderful opportunity to exhibit the paper canoe as a visiting artist in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. "Neo Rio is an annual outdoor, contemporary art event. It is a call to the public to come and explore the results of artists, scholars, local experts and youth investigating and creating new works on natural world themes". The event was hosted by the Bureau of Land Management’s Taos Field Office, LEAP (Land, Experience and Art of Place), in collaboration with other organizations and volunteers. The theme of this years Neo Rio was Seeds-Semillas and the purpose of my installation was to educate the community on the need for spring floods in rivers like the Rio Grande and Colorado River to regenerate cottonwood and willow seedlings to keep Riparian corridors healthy habitats. This was the boat's first time out of my garage and although we installed miles about the Rio Grande along the rim of the gorge, we could begin to see the project take float (literally). Thank you to the gluey, helpful hands that helped me paper mache and to the cautious reminders to waterproof the boat. 9/26/2017 0 Comments September 26th, 2017Deadlines are the best way to move along on a project. I was invited to bring the canoe up to Taos, NM to present it in an installation and workshop. We installed the ribs the week before so it would be safe enough to car-top the canoe for the four hour drive north.
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