Sculpture and a Desk-top Memorial

This little memento mori sits on the window sill in front of my desk.

Photograph by David Bales ©2012

This vignette began after visiting graveyards in Provincetown that date back to the early 1700's. I found a small piece of shale, split it and carved  Life & Death on the two interior faces. When closed the two words are like a powerful secret contained. Open, it  reminds me of friends who've died and not to waste precious time on the computer.

The tiny Balinese carved mammoth ivory skull is remarkably detailed. The lense is a rifle scope that magnifies the message: What are you doing with your life?

Sculpture and Paper Cuts

"The future is here. It's just not evenly distributed.  William Gibson

I love this photo as it shows exactly how life and art actually work, a mixup of daily and future plans.
Like any show, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

In order to get the paper cut made into a metal screen, it first must be photographed and then transformed into a dxf file for the laser cutting machine to read. I asked for help from David Bales.

Here we are in the high tech photo studio of David Bales. his kitchen. The artwork is taped to a sheet of acrylic that is back lit by bounced light from the skylight. Large sheets of acrylic and paper are always useful studio tools. You use what works.

Sculpture and Paper Cuts

I'm creating two panels for a display garden by Linda Meyer for this year's Yard Garden Patio Show. The garden theme is Parisian cafes, with, of course, a little Van Gogh. The panels will be laser cut steel, but I begin designing with an easier material. Paper.

Each square is made by 4 tiny precise cuts. Wildly tedious, but fun to watch grow.

Sunflowers papercut by Patrick Gracewood ©2012

St Francis papercut © Patrick Gracewood

  I wanted to explore the idea of circles within circles that began with the St Francis paper cut.

At the end of a day's work? Little bits of black paper everywhere.

Sculpture and the Garden

Snow changes how you see the sculpture in the garden. Spring will come, the birds will nest again....

Nesting Birds relief sculpture by Patrick Gracewood ©2012 cast stone

Evergreen "plants" add structure to the winter garden.

The weather and life are constantly changing..........

our work is to stay calm and kind throughout.

Terra Cotta relief tiles by Patrick Gracewood ©2012

Sculpture and Dance

I'm off to the snow next week. I am teaching with Carolyn Stuart our 
5th Annual WOW of Contact Improvisation with Touchmonkey

The WOW will be January 22 to 27 at beautiful Breitenbush Hot Springs in the mountains of Oregon

Patrick Gracewood and Carolyn Stuart

The dance of Contact Improvisation offers the experience of belonging and freedom. When in contact we belong, when improvising we are free. Wow!

This week long immersion focuses on developing awareness in order to study and expand our capacity for mutual well-being. We’ll use intention, research and relationship to refine our ease and accuracy in the dance.

Relationship supports expression. The unfolding of expression is infinite. We explore options to enhance our interbeing. Being where we are, becoming happens.

Resting in the ride of mutual well-being is the ahhh of C.I. Wow!

Come celebrate your self-awareness and ability to improvise, on and off the dance floor.
Give yourself the gift of Contact!

Carolyn Stuart and Patrick Gracewood are the Touchmonkey limb of C.I., a dance duo exploring, teaching, performing the ‘wow’ of contact improvising for 25 years. They’ve found the play of inquiry, experimentation and discovery to be intimate, infinite and life saving. Currently they offer C.I. events at Gracewood Studio in Portland, OR.
REG: Breitenbush 503.854.3320
INFO: Carolyn 503.282.2938 or touchmonk@yahoo.com

ENDS: Wed or Fri lunch
COST: Sun - Wed $90, Sun - Fri $120, plus lodging
DEPOSIT: cost of lodging

Sculpture and the Allison

Some days, a field trip out of the studio is just what's needed. Especially in our unusually mild winter.

Pam Kill of GreenGold Studio asked me to accompany her to see the landscaping at the Allison, an inn and spa in Newberg, Oregon. The Allison is located in the Willamette Valley's wine country, with a vineyard of its own as part of the 35 acre property.

The entrance is an attractive combination of wood, stone, metal and water.

As you enter and move towards the door, you realize that the pool is more like a river!

The sound of falling water welcomes you to the building.

Outside the ground floor rooms are small patios, each has a pair of
 Life Chairs from the Brickell Collection

Even small details like this foliage motif on a drain tie in with the theme of natural materials.

We walked the grounds, and ate a light lunch. No spa for us, so back to work.

Sculpture and Social Media.

She saw it on Facebook before she saw it in the garden.
That's NOT a good thing, as she lives here.....

It's another disturbing example of virtual living instead of a real life walk in the garden.

Granted, she wasn't feeling well, but being outside might help instead of being glued to the monitor.
It is odd, being a sculptor, knowing that the digital life of my work will be seen by more people than ever get to physically experience it in real life.

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I've wanted this Chinese stone sculpture for several years. 

The site is a direct sight line from the garden entrance. Three Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, were planted several years ago. They'll form a solid green wall behind the pedestal, which has been empty and waiting. Once I finally got this lovely carving from Cargo, all I had to do was carry it into the garden and place it.

... and post the result on Facebook to prove that it happened.