the box set..

I think it was in the late 1970's when the concept of the "box set" came into my consciousness. neil young..decade--for those of you who may recall--it was a wonderful compilation of all his early and significant songs. then came the more official "box sets" that actually came in a box-- these were albums--so as you can imagine quite cumbersome. then came the CD and the box set was much more manageable-- and usually arrived around the holidays with archival recordings, hard to find singles, B sides (what??) and rarities "never before released"..not sure how well the digital box set translates for those of us oriented towards the tactile..
the box set is a beautiful thing--

which brings me to my box set..
I maintain a steady stream of images in my head that are collected visually--some I will capture with my iphone, others may be torn from a magazine, others just conjured from hearing someone speak of something..and still others drawn from a fleeting glimpse.
sometimes many of these images will come together in some way.
and sometimes its fun to keep them together to tell a bigger story.
Objects are prevalent in my work. like many before me, the portrayal of everyday objects invite more examination and elevation. I collect. I collect images and objects that I find.
and one of my favorite places to do that is the beach out near where I live in the sunset district of san francisco.
this spring, I felt compelled to create a series of plates that depict what I see out at the beach..they belong together. so instead of setting them out one at a time, I created a box set for them..

this is the beach box set.
housed in handmade boxes made by my husband peter- using found and recycled wood to create the perfect container of a sensibility.
accompanied by a set of beach trading cards--cool photos that I have taken out at the beach that inspire me..

there is also a more basic box of objects--perhaps referencing jaspar john and the beautifully simple way he evoked and considered basic objects-
he said: "The relationship between the object & the event. Can they 2 be separated? Is one a detail of the other? What is the meeting? Air?"

this box set celebrates the simple object- something we may see everyday but deserves its reverie.

these boxes are available direct from me so do get in touch if you are interested.

beach parallel..

whew! it's been a bit crazy around the coop and outside of it..
but managed to get out of San Francisco and wander around a different kind of beach in Puerto Rico..
one where the water is like a warm silken blanket all over you..as opposed to the slap of a cold wet towel here in chilly northern california.
puerto rico is a beautiful place filled with color, texture and music..
parallel pastel everywhere in old san juan..

treasures and detritus collected from the puerto rican beaches..richly textured..

and back at the ranch..the ongoing art installations out at ocean beach...

and the graceful sculpture inherent in the windmills..

finds its way onto a plate..

delivering to the girl with the pearl earring..

The DeYoung Museum is bustling with action as the public gets to see the "Dutch Mona Lisa" in person-- Vermeer's masterpiece. The lovely exhibit: Girl With The Pearl Earring- Masters of Dutch painting from the Mauritshuis is there through early June. It is always amazing to see a very iconic image in person for the first time- it is usually smaller than you imagine, but still as mesmerizing. 
I got to sneak a peek when I delivered a big order to the store yesterday-
Lots of new work there -large bowls, small bowls, small and large plates, mini ones too..
so well worth a trip to the DeYoung Museum..

photo shooting..

every so often, I like to do a photo shoot of my own- not linked to a magazine or blog, but just to do one that reflects new work, or a mood or a vibe that I am trying to capture at a given time in my work.
A couple of weeks ago, I engaged the terrific photographer Marshall Gordon to come to the house and shoot some new work.
Of course, I had to displace my parakeet Kiki-who lives on the dining room table due to her myriad of disabilities.  I set the big round wooden industrial table in the dining room with lots of new plates on a flax tablecloth- hoping to evoke the organic, but contemporary, more stark look of recent work.
I was commissioned to do some very simple and saturated black and white pieces for a client in Los Angeles who has a very modern home, but wanted to have some handmade plates to add some warmth.
Doing these set me into a direction of modern, stark contemporary but still rustic and textured..complex..
I have also been fixated on spirals--always have since I first saw the spirals the Anasazi used in the southwest thousands of years ago to record time and seasons. And then, in my daily runs out at the beach- I take a side route at ocean beach, known as the "chute" that in addition to remarkable graffiti along the way, has these plazas of swirls in the concrete that always engage me-
I started creating plates with these swirls- with different colors and anchored by an object that I would also always see- a branch formation on the beach, a rock, a person sitting, standing.
here are some of the shots--

there are more too--objects in boxes that I will save for next..

ahhh napa..

the napa valley of northern california is world renowned for a reason- its sheer natural beauty combined with world class vineyards, natural thermal baths and mud treatments make for a most hedonistic stay.
On my first visit to northern california before I moved from the east coast, I was taken there for a weekend and I think that may have been the turning point in my decision to move west- what a concept that you can actually live near all this..

so just back from a couple of days in calistoga and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...this time of year, the mustard flowers are in bloom nestled in line next to dormant vines eagerly awaiting their next sprouting.

the extra vines pruned into movable sculptures along the road side create an outdoor art installation all over the valley-

on our way up, we made a plate delivery (my other favorite thing to do) at the amazing Silver Oak Vineyards.

 I have written of it before and the work that I do for them, the high end curios.  I create a line of custom pieces that capture their aesthetic and spirit in which they make the most delicious wine--famous for their cabernet sauvignon. The vineyard itself is stunning and I love making plates, platters and bowls and more for them. They are exclusive to Silver Oak and are all wine related-

I love the challenge of coming up with one of a kind pieces for them over and over..like the seriality of the vines and the barrels, more and more plates...
this time I delivered plates, platters and lazy susans--all available now in the tasting room-
so do consider a trip up to Napa- a taste of the grape, and be transported..