I Like Lichens

Pinnacles National Park Collagescape, 6”x6”, mixed media on board

The 2011 Project continues to inspire new work.  Three years ago I was with friends down at Pinnacles National Monument for a rainy Sunday afternoon hike.  It was a gray, drizzly fall day, but there was plenty of color, particularly from the variety of lichens.  Early on in the 2011 Project, I did a lichen piece based on that hike (see below).

The National Monument is now a National Park and I am still painting lichens.  This time incorporating them into a piece for my new Collagescape Series – this one is a fall palette.  Hopefully a wet winter will bring out a good spring bloom of wildflowers and an excuse to take another trip south. Next time will be to capture a different color palette at Pinnacles National Park.

Happy 80th Birthday Coit Tower!

Coit Tower turns 80 today.  It made the 2011 Project twice.  Though ironically I had to live in San Francisco for 20 years before I finally visited it for the first time.  

Fall

Today is the first day of fall and it’s bright and sunny in San Francisco.   It usually doesn’t feel fall-like until about November.  But this year we started with a front moving through and a big blast of rain yesterday.  Unusually early for us, but reminding us that even Northern California can sometimes conform to the calendar.  Above are two pieces from the 2011 Project — Nor’Easter (we don’t have those in California, but the sky looked a lot like that yesterday) and Listopad one of my favorite pieces from the 2011 Project.

One Last Time on the Eastern Span

Feeling sentimental today, I got a zipcar just to drive to Oakland this afternoon and make one last drive back to the City across the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge.  The soon to be old bridge closers forever on Wednesday at 8 pm so they can finish up and open the new bridge over the weekend.

When I was a kid, my first view of San Francisco was from the Bay Bridge.  The Eastern Span is not pretty, but it’s special.  Back in 2011 I did two pieces about the Bay Bridge for the 2011 Project, including this one shown above.

The Naked Ladies are Back!

It's that time of the year, everywhere you go along the coast you're likely to see naked ladies (the flowers that is).  And if you were searching on the word “naked ladies” and came upon this page, you might not have found the image you were expecting.

Happy Birthday Sutro Tower!

Sutro Tower turns 40 today.  This is my view of the tower done for the 2011 Project.  The tower inspires many of us local artists, last year I created my own Sutro Tower rubber stamp, but I still need to make more Sutro Tower art.

Happy Canada Day!

More than half the pieces form the 2011 Project have been sent out to collectors around the world.  This one is still available for you to curate.  Find out how at 2011project.com.

Super Moon is Back!

It'll be bright out there tonight.

Summer Art

More than half of the pieces for the 2011 Project have been sent off to their curators.  There are still some pieces available including these rather summery ones.  They are perfect if you prefer camping, a road trip in an old woodie, maybe to Yellowstone or all the way to Cape Cod.  Or maybe you’re flying off to Peru.  If you want to see the pieces that are still available, check out 2011project.com.  

The 2011 Project Back East

Today I got this photo of some of the pieces from the 2011 Project.  These project supporters on the East Coast have had a frame maker create a custom board.  It allows them to rearrange the pieces and have a changeable, small installation in their home.  If you would like to curate a piece(s) from the 2011 Project yourself, go to the project website for more details.  

365 Nails

This is what 365 nails look like after they have been removed from the wall.  The wall has been spackled, touched-up and some new art has been hung.  More than half of the 365 pieces have been shipped to project supporters.  If you’re interested in getting one of the remaining pieces and becoming a curator, see 2011project.com for details.

You can still become a curator for the 2011 Project

Now there are more empty nails on the wall than art.  About two-thirds of the individual pieces for the 2011 Project have been distributed and about 150 still remain.  If you would like to be a curator and receive a piece from the 2011 Project, visit the 2011project.com for more details.  

At Home Near the Beach

These 2011 Project pieces have found a new home near the beach.  Lined up on the mantel with Maneki-neko or Japanese Good Luck Cat it looks like they have the power to invoke all sorts of good energy.

25 Months Later

During 2011 as I was creating a piece for the 2011 Project every day, I kept adding them to the wall.  Some have been shown during this time, but basically I’ve been looking at them all for the past two years.  But, I haven’t given much thought to many of the individual pieces and the stories I was writing about them every day on the project blog.  This past weekend I was preparing the pieces for distribution by adding an individual label to the back of each one.  As I was going through the pieces from the first months of 2011, it became an unexpected trip back in time to just two years ago.

Just looking at the pieces was like reading a journal – a journal I do not keep.  It took me back to events as the project was getting started.  The time when I had just nine completed and could begin to see what it might look like.  And then when themes started to emerge.  The revolutions brewing in Egypt, North Africa and the Middle East which are still playing out.  There was the horror of massive earthquake in Japan.  The memories of the first time I took my nephew to the desert.  And, there was the beginning of going through my archives of collage fodder and creating the piece shown above that mentions a 25-month subscription.  Here we are 25 months on, imagine what it will be like to look back 25 years later….

The last day together for a long time....

This photo was taken this morning.  Today is the last day the 365 pieces from the 2011 Project will all be together for a long time.  They are ready to be distributed and tomorrow they start going to the post office.

The Last Step

The last (and tedious) step before the pieces for the 2011 Project can be distributed.  Each one needs an individual label.  I can’t trust self-stick labels to stay on, so each one is glued by hand.

Waiting for Selection...

Over the past two weeks 2011 Project supporters have been selecting the pieces they want to receive.  The project has also gained some new supports that will also be receiving individual pieces.  Over half of the 365 pieces have been selected, but there is still time to support the project and select an original 4”x4” piece(s).  The pieces shown above are still available.  The supporters page indicates which ones have already been chosen (marked with red borders), the remaining pieces are still available for $40 each (or 4 for $100).  Contact me if you’d like to have some art and support the 2011 Project and future art projects.

Getting ready for distribution

The 2011 Project has reached the distribution phase.  Soon the 365 pieces will be distributed to project supporters who will curate them for a number of years.  At some point in the future they will be regrouped for a show.  One should think of each individual piece like an art time capsule.  This week project supporters are making their selections.  If you’re interested in becoming a supporter and curating a piece(s), let me know.