In the Garden

There's a part of me that likes to just plunk down in front of a plant and draw it. I never think this is a very sale-able artform but Mary Philpotts ASID occasionally makes use of dense and subtle drawings of botanical subjects. I guess they link to an art tradition in Hawai'i that goes back to a time when tropical florals were new and exciting subjects for Westerners. Here are some I did recently in Davis Dalbok's garden and one from the garden at Ramashala, a nearby retreat center.

The Art of the Frame

I've had this show up at the gallery for a month so it's about time I blogged about it. Mostly it's about the woodworker Kevin Sulgit who lives nearby, who has undertaken the saint-like task of framing my work in native hardwoods (and some soft ones, i.e. coconut)

Kevin brings an artistic eye to this task, agreeing to respect my "frame liner" which is the black lathe frame I use to make sure the edges of my work are not covered, a personal idiosyncracy. This is often a lot more difficult than it would seem, since my own hand-made liners are often tilted in cross section. Also Kevin combines woods in a very novel way, placing contrasting types in concentric bands or other laminated designs. Wherever possible Kevin references the painting subject in his choice of woods.