Pangur Ban

Well, the sweet thing has taken the name of Pangur Ban, even though "Ban" means "white" in old irish, it still suits her. She also sometimes goes by Butter Bean.

A distraction, a nusince, and endless inspiration, much like the original Pangur who was written about by a 9th century Irish monk.

I and Pangur Ban, my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will;
He, too, plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry thing to see
At our task how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
Into the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den.
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine, and he has his.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade ;
I get wisdom day and night,
Turning Darkness into light.'

Feeling Monkish

With a day off, and the morning light coming through the window, a large cup of hot tea and monastic celtic music playing on the Thistle and Shamrock, it was hard not to imagine being a medieval scribe as I took to creating the pages of my own personal calender and notebook.

Here are the steps I took to making a personalized planner which I hope will help me to better manage my time in the coming years:

Making the pages,

Binding them,

And then collaging pretty papers to make the front and back covers.

Oh yeah, and now we have a cat.

Experiments and Inspiration

I think it always valuable to take time to visit museums and galleries. There is always something to learn or something that might spark an idea for my next creation. That's why when I visited my family in LA I made it a point to see the Getty Villa and also hit up the Huntington Library. I love those intimate little museums of private collections put in an idealistic setting! And yes, I did get inspired for some good ideas I'll put toward a show I have in mind.

When I got back I immediately got to work on a different project: art for a garden to display at this year's Flower and Garden show. What you see here are experiments for cattails and roses.

Thinker at the Beach

The funny thing about the whole process of this artwork is that it was intended to reflect how Nature will always have her final say, and yet she hardly ever did. Each piece that I replicated throughout history was put on the tideline to be disolved slowly, and yet almost every time I retuned to photograph it's progress I came upon a trampled and destroyed mess. I think this outcome is more faithful to the true reason of the impermenance of things: our own destructiveness.
Here's the video I made of the final piece in the series, with an appropriate ending.

Well, there he is. The last temporary sculpture at the beach this summer. I got to say it's been a lot of fun and thank you all who made it out on such a fine day to participate.

I chose to sculpt Rodin's Thinker to represent the 20th century in my parade of art history. I also thought it a fitting subject to honor the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

I have lots of pictures of the creation and destruction of this piece which I will sew together into a time lapse video file and post soon so stay tuned!

Three Hours Until High Tide

Hi Everybody! This is Greg with some last minute updates. Eden's beachfront project is from 3pm to 6pm this afternoon at Shilshole Beach. Here's the map.

I think it's legal to park in the Shilshole Beach Club Parking Lot. Then you head towards the beach by passing the Beach Club building on the left side (as you face it). Look for the sandy end of the parking lot. It is a private beach, so no alcohol and no pets.

Eden will have plenty of clay for you to play with. Bring a lunch. We will have some snacks available.

I'll be leaving in about 30 minutes, if anyone in the area wants to be picked up on the way.

See you there!

greg

Save the Date! Sun. Sept. 11th 2011

As the end of this project draws to a close I plan to have a picnic at the beach to celebrate! Everyone is welcome! Bring a picnic for you and your friends or snacks to share. Bring beach blankets and toys, cameras, or whatever you like to take to the beach (sunscreen and clothes that can get dirty are a good idea.)

I will be sculpting my last piece at Shilshole Bay Beach, Sunday, September 11, between 3 and 6 pm and photographing it as the tide comes in (high tide will be at 5:30.) I'll also provide lots of extra clay for anyone who wants to make their own sculptures.

This will be so much fun! so I hope to meet you there.

WARNING: this is a private beach with public access so please mind their rules which are: no dogs, no alcohol, and no fires. You can park in the Shilshole Bay Beach Club parking lot, there is a beach access trail to the left of that building.

If you have any questions just ask in the 'comments' section. I check it regularly and now you don't have to sign up for anything to do it! Yay!

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M's David.

Possibly the single best piece of artwork in the world, maybe ever created. I felt humbled trying to copy him. I don't think I need to explain what sculpture I'm imitating here since it's image has been reproduced endlessly in our culture. But I will say that unlike some other famous artworks that have been copied over and over (for instance, Mona Lisa) David is still impressive when you see him in person. If there is nothing else you do in life, go to Florence and see him.