Eclectitude

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Pacific Portal - James Hubbell, Artist

With a little over a month away from the annual Open House of Hubbell Studios in Julian, I'm going to feature a lot of James Hubbell here and cap it all off with pictures from the event on June 17, 2012.

Today...a funny story. I was visiting friends in San Diego a few months ago and we happened to take a drive out to Shelter Island, where I'd never been. As we drove down the only road on Shelter Island, I saw a piece of large sculpture and said to my companions "that HAS to be a James Hubbell. It just has to be."

Sure enough, it was the Pacific Portal, one of a number of Pacific Rim Parks that Hubbell has been involved with.

I guess it is a tribute to the power that James Hubbell's work holds over me that I can recognize the work at a glance, anywhere....

Pacific Portal (Shelter Island, San Diego) - James Hubbell, Artist

"Pacific Spirit" (Shelter Island, San Diego) - James Hubbell, Artist

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Rain Bow Gate - Tonkin Liu

Since I featured the Singing Ringing Tree recently, let's see what else has been cooking in the workshop of architects Tonkin Liu, shall we?

The Rain Bow Gate integrates prisms to create rainbows from captured light, the location (Burnley) is noted for rainfall and the sculpture was name for Rain and for the the lovely aftereffect of rainbows.

Public art is very divisive for me, I find myself underwhelmed with things that offer no sensory experience. Art should do more than just sit there. It should fill the senses and transport the viewer to a changed place. I like museums, but art that you can experience has more impact for me than great works behind glass and velvet ropes.

Rain Bow Gate - Tonkin Liu, Architects

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Singing Ringing Tree - Musical Sculpture

More Earth Day specials of lovely things that interact with nature to make art...

This wind-powered sound sculpture was created by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu and installed in Lancashire, England. It creates these lovely sounds in the wind that you can hear in the video below. One thing I found interesting was the scale of the build, in the pictures the Singing Ringing Tree looks HUGE but the video shows it with people next to it and it's much smaller than it appears.

Singing Ringing Tree - Tonkin Liu Architects

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Recycled Bottle Art by Aurora Robson, Artist

Earth Day is coming up and it's time to get in the spirit!

Aurora Robson has interrupted the waste stream in a beautiful way by taking collected plastic bottles and turning them into art.

Lovely and stunning art.

Her use of color is a little too pastel for my taste (I likes my colors big and bold) but it also gives the pieces a sense of delicacy and fragility - not unlike our own ecosystem at times.

Go recycle something.

Plastic Bottle Art by Aurora Robson

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Wisteria Tunnel - Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan

When this popped up in my feed the other day I rushed to show it to a friend in the landscaping business and it sparked a 20 minute discussion of the pros/cons of Wisteria for home landscaping.

I covet Wisteria vines but jeesh you need a lot of space and a nuclear bunker support system for the weight and I already have a massive bougainvillea vine about to swallow my yard & house.

So, bask in the loveliness of what you can do with Wisteria in the landscape when you have lots of room and structural support.

Wisteria Tunnel - Kawachi Fuji Gardens, in Kitakyushu, Japan

Original images found here.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Aeolus - Acoustic Wind Pavilion

How cool is this?

Aeolus Wind Harp - Luke Jerram, Artist

What is it? A giant Aeolian Harp (wind harp.) Artist Luke Jerram describes how the idea came to him from desert wells in Iran and hearing that the air vents for the tunnels "sing."

To hear the sounds that the Aeolus makes, watch the video below from the artist.

Interactive musical art. It doesn't get any better than this!

Aeolus Wind Harp - Luke Jerram, Artist

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Beach Art - Andres Amador

Oh, fleeting moment of art! I honestly can't imagine creating something on this scale and then watching it wash away a few hours later.

Yeah, I know there's an analogy to our temporary spiritual visit on this planet, but still! Only a few hours.... The whole idea pains me as a creator.

At least we have the pictures!

Andres Amador - Beach Art