24.2.10

... another Sam I support


Sam, who is 11, came by the studio on Sunday to tell me about Seattle Empty Bowls and I wanted to share.

Seattle Empty Bowls’ Goals:

To increase awareness of hunger and related issues. Through education, awareness, and action, concerned individuals can change human attitudes that allow hunger to exist.

Advocate for arts education. Nurturing the creative process through the arts enhances the possibility of finding new solutions to old problems.

There is a fundraiser THIS Saturday:

February 27, 2010
3:00pm - 8:00pm

Ballard Community Center 6020 28th Ave NW

New Bowls Released Every Hour Until 6:00!

LIVE MUSIC ALL NIGHT!

Bring the whole family!

BENEFITING THESE ORGANIZATIONS:

BALLARD FOOD BANK

THE SEATTLE ANIMAL SHELTER

as a new SAM volunteer... i feel i must promote!

23.2.10

white sage website


hang in there folks... the website is under construction and should be up next week! here is a sneak peak - each month, the background of the website will change to coordinate with the exhibit.

technical process



a lot of people have been asking about the technical specifications of the artwork from "ballard ship scapes" - so here it is:

- the prints were made by bay printing
- they are archival prints without glass
- the surface is ultra-hard and scratch-resistant
- they are waterproof/weatherproof

- they can be cleaned easily with any commercial glass cleaner
- printing is a
sublimation process where special inks are heated, turn to a gas, and sublimate onto aluminum sheets that have been coated with a white or clear surface

photos of white sage by patrick richardson wright







16.2.10

white sage back yard...

... this is soon to be filled with hammocks and will have movies projected onto the wall.

ballard ship scapes




The exhibit "BALLARD SHIP SCAPES" featuring work by Wyn Bielaska and Jason Haase, opened at the White Sage Studio on Saturday. As the new studio manager, I have the pleasure of being surrounded by with these photographic projects for hours on end.

As you might imagine, my observations of the work is very different:
With Bielaska's work, I have have the constant urge to continue his experimental journey and participate in the visual manipulation by pairing the actual pieces together in new ways. I think buyers will be intrigued with the dynamic nature of it for years on end. I have discussed this with the artist and he has granted me permission to move things around at will! I will be photographing the process and putting the images up here, so stay tuned.


The visual weight and brilliant colors of Hasse's work is simply stunning. Arranged on a strict horizon line, it feels like there is an actual ship in the studio space. I really want to see the entire series purchased so a ship can remain in tact somewhere.

Here is a little deeper explanation of each:

Wyn Bielaska

This assemblage of photographic collages are a part of an ongoing exploration by Bielaska utilizing large steel ship hulls as the central subject matter - studying manmade materials and the impact of natural forces upon them. As an architect, this cataloging process [which began in 1995] has been very important to him in attaining a deeper understanding of the nature of materials, and enhancing his daily pursuit of spatial and form composition.

Breaking away from his traditional composition style, these composite photographs are the result of many digital manipulations of original three-dimensional objects to a level of abstraction. The composite is in fact a more minimal, two-dimensional representation that detaches the meaning of the original object from space and time and opens the reading of the composition to a multiplicity of interpretations and possibilities - the intent is to mystify rather than clarify what was observed.

The original images are low-resolution photographs of ship hulls shot in Ballard. Several images were then imported into an iPhone app called POP ART, where color filters from a spectrum of color choices were applied to a quadrangle configuration of the original image. These abstracted images were then stitched together into woven compositions. Some of these compositions have the original images embedded into the final pieces. These final composite pieces were then printed onto aluminum.

This series is a LIMITED EDITION of 10 pieces for each image.

Jason Haase

The subject of this photographic series is "The Sea Bird", a Naval vessel that was converted into a commercial fishing ship in 1996. This ship is one of the many members of the Ballard fishing fleet the seemingly appear to be permanently docked. The intention of the series is to produce an image that both reflects the strength and stamina of the ship, while at the same time echoing its stillness.

The position of the water line in each individual image reflects different periods of time for the Sea Bird. When the catch was plentiful, the ship sat low in the water, resulting in markings high on the hull where the dock rubbed against it. When the load was light, the ship sat high on the water, resulting in lower scarification. Corrosive salt water then gives all the markings an added layer of decay.


Outside the context of the marina, the water lines are shown in a new perspective. Something usually seen from above is brought down to eye level, introducing an artificial horizon to the viewer. This perspective creates a datum which compels the viewer to reinterpret the space in which the images inhabit.

Each series is a LIMITED EDITION of 10 pieces for each image.

what ARM ARCH inc and Free Time Industries are doing at White Sage Studio:


White Sage Studio
is an experimental design-gallery and professional service provider. Under one roof, it represents interior design, architecture, industrial design, fine arts, and fashion - offering services to the public and featuring design ideas and trends in a creative studio environment.

Every month, the studio remakes the space focusing on a different theme, idea, or artist - utilizing the skills and connections of each of the studio collaborators. White Sage which is located in Old Ballard, and focuses on sustainable methods.

People and Companies of White Sage [more to come!]:

Erin Langan
interior designer + NCIDQ + LEED AP + principal of White Sage Studio
cell: 206.786.7221

Amber R Murray, MS
architect + historian + theorist + principal of ARM ARCH inc. and Free Time Industries
cell: 206.834.5969

ARM ARCH inc.
is a collaboration and consulting entity for design and technology. Projects range from architecture, industrial design, and art, to technology research, project management, and science - all in an effort to achieve a balance and dialog between practice and scholarship.

ARM ARCH inc offers the following at White Sage:
1. creating a strong online presence
2. bringing in and selecting art, music, and collaboration designers
3. consistent studio presence for public - tuesday - sunday 10-6 or by appointment
4. press releases and other marketing needs
5. planning and staging events and studio space
6. drafting agreements and contracts
7. project manager of collaborative projects and White Sage company needs
8. architectural services

Free Time Industries [FTI]
is a product design and concept company with a constructive-criticism approach. Kate Bailey [an industrial designer], Naomi Parker [a graphic designer], Ariana Budner [a print maker and master of art marketing], and Amber R Murray [an architect and architecture historian], joined forces to give their passion for aesthetics a focused outlet.

Product lines generally follow a theme - sometimes it is a material investigation, exploring the possibilities of them - and sometimes it is based on an inspiration, like the Seattle Library’s special collection. In every case however, there is emphasis on a line, rather than a singular product. This allows FTI to create a far reaching and dynamic dialog throughout concept development by tapping into the wide array of skill sets each member offers - they can literally design and produce anything.

FTI offers the following at White Sage:
1. selective product design and implementation services
2. products for sale within White Sage
3. Budner's art marketing skills

MeyerWells
builds elemental modern furniture from reclaimed urban trees. Through these majestic materials, their work embodies the power of nature and captures the living story ingrained in every design.

Because their hands are literally in every step of the process - from tree salvage, to saw-milling and kiln-drying, careful selection of materials, all the way through meticulously applied finishes - they maintain an intimate relationship with the materials that yields distinctive and compelling results.


9.2.10

White Sage Studio


I am staring work on Friday at the White Sage Studio - and there is an event on Saturday!

Erin [owner of WSS] and I have a wide array of plans to collaborate, explore, bring creative professionals together, and celebrate the beauty of space - good things are to come from this new venture into the design-gallery business!

2.2.10

pedro friedeberg - architectural artist

when i see or read things from fiedeberg, i feel like we would be friends, or at least have a great time at a party. his imagery is about architecture, story telling, and culture, all at the same time. here is his personal bio:

"I was born in Italy during the era of Mussolini, who made all trains run on time. Immediately thereafter, I moved to México where the trains are never on time, but where once they start moving they pass pyramids.

My education was first entrusted to a Zapotec governess and later to brilliant mentors such as Mathias Goeritz, who taught me morals, José González, who taught me carpentry, and Gerry Morris, who taught me to play bridge.

I have invented several styles of architecture, as well as one new religion and two salads. I am particularly fond of social problems and cloud formations. My work is profoundly profound.

I admire everything that is useless, frivolous and whimsical. I hate functionalism, post modernism and almost everything else. I do not agree with the dictum that houses are supposed to be 'machines to live in'. For me, the house and it's objects is supposed to be some crazy place that make you laugh.

Americans do not understand Mexicans and viceversa. Americans find Mexicans unpunctual, they eat funny things and act like old-fashioned Chinese. When André Breton came to Mexico he said it was the chosen Country of surrealism. Breton saw all kinds of surrealist things happen here every day. The surrealists are more into dreaming, into the absurd and into the ridiculous uselesness of things. My work is always criticizing the absurdity of things. I am an idealist. I am certain that very soon now humanity will arrive at a marvelous epoch totally devoid of Knoll chairs, jogging pants, tennis shoes and baseball caps sideway use, and the obscenity of Japanese rock gardens five thousand miles from Kyoto.

I get up at the crack of noon and, after watering my pirañas, I breakfast off things Corinthian. Later in the day I partake in an Ionic lunch followed by a Doric nap. On Tuesdays I sketch a volute or two, and perhaps a pediment, if the mood overtakes me. Wednesday I have set aside for anti-meditation. On Thursdays I usually relax whereas on Friday I write autobiographies."