nicoyektai.com» Longhouse Reserve

Open Bowls 2010

NY — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:28:29 +0000

I wanted to post a report from the first installment of the Open Bowls component of the Planters On and Off the Ground Show at the Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY. It was a big success and should only be more of a spectacle moving forward. I say that because I got the feeling from John Danzer, the juror, that bigger was better. I have never shied away from increasing the scale of my work and I already have ideas for next year.

Here are my planters and some of the highlights of construction. (that is code for disasters that threatened to derail my efforts)

I presented three planters.

The first two are meant to be displayed together. They are about 85% clones of each other and create a nice dialogue when placed in a garden as a pair

The bulk of the variation comes in the woodwork. The sweeping curves and facets of the Sapele core are very different and encourage the viewer to circle each planter and then comare one to the other.

The concrete also has variation from one to the other but they are not as dramatically different as the woodworking. I designed the concrete to feel different from every angle so the owner could rotate them to achieve the movement they need for that moment in their home or garden.

The concrete is cast in two sections. The plywood box below has been filled with concrete, cured and flipped over ready to be taken apart. The center core is like a section of a pyramid and should have just popped out with a bit of encouragement. Do you get the sense that it did not quite go according to plan?

It required more than just a bit of encouragement with a BIG hammer and a pair of pry bars. Somehow the rest of the form survived so I rebuilt the core in sections that would allow for it to come out in a series of pieces.

The other planter I made has the presence that I now think is deserving of the Open Bowls portion of the exhibition.

The planter measured almost four feet across.

The Sapele petals were connected to a massive concrete core. I respect that the show was about empty planters but I really want to see this one with plants. I imagine that a composition of low plants would be just as successful as an arrangement of very tall plants. I think this could be my most original and versatile planter to date.

I just wanted to point out the detail in the concrete as it will soon be making an appearance in my series of outdoor benches. The detail creates an asymmetrical step in the concrete that creates a deep shadow detail. Not only that but the specifics of creation allow me to vary this detail from one casting to the next. This detail adds a level of variation to my concrete work that should help take my next few benches to new places.

OK I had to see what this planter looked like with these two little seedlings. I am already looking forward to next year!

Open Bowls/Planters On and Off The Ground 2010

NY — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:42:12 +0000

I will be participating in the new “Open Bowls” section of the third installment of the Planters On and Off the Ground show at the Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY.

The new category is for people like myself whose specialty is creating the original vessel. I look forward to seeing the work of the other artists.

Planters On and Off The Ground / Open Bowls

Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton NY

Opening reception on Saturday June 26 5:30PM

More information

LongHouse Reserve 2010 Season

NY — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:50:42 +0000

Outdoor Bench #2 at The LongHouse Reserve

May 1 – October 9, 2010

Rites of Spring season opening reception: 2-5pm May 1 2010 (open to the public and a great introduction to the LongHouse)

The longhouse is open to the public on Wednesday and Saturday through the end of June. July and August see the days extended to Wednesday through Saturday. In both cases the hours are 2pm-5pm

The LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton NY is about to open for the 2010 season. I am delighted to have Outdoor Bench #2 in the magnificent gardens for another year. Below is the last picture I took of the installation last year. I got the impression that the bench will be in a new location this year. I cant wait to see where they want it!

Longhouse Reserve – Planters On And Off The Ground

NY — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:47:29 +0000

I was very pleased to be invited to participate in the second annual show of “Planters on And Off The Ground” at the Longhouse Reserve. The show ties together outdoor art and horticulture. For me it was an opportunity to present a combination of concrete and wood. I was less certain how to handle the plants. I decided that I wanted the raw power of the planters to be front and center. I chose decorative grasses and a miniature lavender to satisfy the living part of the presentation.

There were a number of awards handed out at the opening night reception. I was honored to have a ribbon but I immediately envied my fellow exhibitors with two ribbons. During the awards presentation P. Allen Smith, the juror and MC, announced that the single ribbon indicated a second place. It was a shared honor but i no longer had ribbon envy. My attention turned to P. Allen Smiths critique of the ribbon winners. To paraphrase, he was struck by the combination of concrete and wood. He was aware that this would be a challenge for the long term in the garden but he did not much care since the results were “sublime”. I came back down to earth when he chastised my selection for the plants. He thought the grass was a good choice but the lavender was a mistake. I have work to do before next year!

I had to check on my bench while I was at he Longhouse Reserve . We had a string of brutal weather since I had installed the bench. The finish was holding up very well.

It was made very clear to me that i could expect a bird to poop on the bench at the rate of about once a day.

They were true to their word on this day!

Longhouse Reserve – Outdoor Bench #2

NY — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:57:27 +0000

This spring marks the beginning of a two year loan of Outdoor Bench #2 to the LongHouse Reserve. The LongHouse is the home of and represents the vision of Jack Lenor Larsen. It is one of the places that makes the East End of Long Island such a special place to live. For those of you who are not aware of the splendor of the grounds you can get a sense of it from their website. Those of you who visit the East End should go and have a look at the Longhouse Reserve.

I get so distracted by the sculpture that I often forget to look at the house, it’s a work of art in itself. My bench is positioned on the left side of the house.

Outdoor Bench #2 is one of the largest benches I have ever built. It measures ten feet long and the cast concrete legs add to its massive presence. It looked absolutely enormous in my studio and I thought I would not build a bigger bench than this one. Things have changed! The scale of the longHouse is so grand that this bench actually looks a bit on the small side. I have not designed it yet but I now feel encouraged to build bigger. (my back is not happy about this development)