Summer News

I hope your summers are going well friends! I'm having a busy one and want to share a few pieces of news.

Jackrabbits in Huntington Beach

I've just installed this commission "From The Earth" in the garden of the new Huntington Beach Senior Center. It's been in the pipeline for few years and has taken up the last several months with much intensive fabrication. The piece comprises sixteen columns with hand made and hand glazed tile. More pictures and information about the project here.

Stremmel Gallery

I currently have a few pieces in the summer group show at Stremmel Gallery in Reno. The show runs through August and is well worth visiting if you find yourself in the Sierras.

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Thomas Henry Gallery

I have some recent paintings at Thomas Henry Gallery in Nantucket and will soon have some in their gallery in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. The mid-century St Ives and Cornish painters have always been a big influence on me both philosophically and visually, so I'm excited to be working with a gallery based in Cornwall and in a US gallery with Cornish roots. 

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New Studio

I've just relocated from my long-time home studio to Jackknife Studios (formerly The Hive Studios) near Jack London Square, Oakland. I'm looking forward to working in this great little creative setting, plus it's going to be a lot more convenient for hosting studio visits. Let me know if you ever want to drop by and see what's going on.

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Crocker news

The Crocker Art Museum commissioned an evaluator to observe children and families interacting with their Art Spots installations which included three temporary installations and my permanent Dreamboat installation I made last year. The findings are fascinating!

"In Dreamboat, children had highly imaginative experiences. They walked into this installation and almost immediately appeared to immerse themselves into this “other world.” In this space, children were often observed creating narratives, deepening them as they engaged more with new play participants or found objects in the installation."

There were behaviors I hadn't anticipated:

"Dreamboat also fostered opportunities for social and emotional development. In this space, children expressed more moments of tenderness and awareness towards other’s needs. Older children also appeared more confident in taking on leadership roles, rallying their peers into play with them."

My single favorite observation was this one:

"A child and their caregiver are alone in Dreamboat. Almost immediately upon entry the child runs to the boat and begins narrating a story – the child is Wonder Woman and they are going out to sea. The child spends close to 45 minutes narrating their play and further developing their world, almost entirely alone. At various points throughout their play they voice a question about what to do next. In these moments the child holds a conversation with themselves taking on a secondary role of Wonder Woman, contemplating her actions as a factor for what they should do next. It is through this persona and acting it out that this child further explores Dreamboat, deepens engagement, and moves from collecting objects for their sailing trip to identifying creatures they must protect to building tools at the craft table to use in their adventure."

A short video about the installation was shot last Fall and you can see it here.