11/4/2013 5 Comments Be.Here.Now.As much as we try to control our lives, sometimes it just happens to us. All of the things that we intend to do that never happen and all of the other things that come along unexpectedly, hold us up to our very selves. Snow falls on the birder tent where I write this blog and it sounds like rain. Posting a blog or accessing the internet onboard the Gould proved to be an impossible feat, or rather one that I could not bear to face, with internet speeds barely perceptible. All the same, I am astonished at the fact that one could even tease the idea of internet on board a boat in the middle of the Drake Passage... From my perspective, we are wholly and truly in the digital age. I remember signing up for my first e-mail account in 1998 - little did I know. But back to the point. A week passed and I was not able to post a blog. At times, a week can dissipate and disappear like a deep breath in cold air, but not this week. This week passed in an extraordinary way and I now find myself wondering where to start. As you may have guessed, I made it through the Straits of Magellan and the Drake Passage. The weather did end up turning on a dime and our passage was uneventful. As much as a small part of me wished for a rough crossing - after 5 days of a good crossing, I can tell you that I am grateful we did not find ourselves in the midst of rough seas. A smooth sailing still got the boat rocking and swaying with every never ending swell after swell of the ocean. When we finally spotted land on fourth day out, it was time to help the Cape Shirreff crew off of the boat and onto Livingston island. A small island off of the north west tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, where five NOAA researches will spend five months at a field camp, studying seals and sea birds. The research team will have only one resupply in the middle of January. Volunteers were recruited to help unload all of supplies that the team will need for the next several months. Their personal gear, various equipment for their research and food. Lots and lots of food. I imagine that after five months at the field camp, any sort of fresh fruit or vegetable will be quite noteworthy. The respective supplies and volunteers were loaded onto Zodiacs and multiple trips were made to and from the Gould and shore. We boarded the zodiacs via a rope ladder on the starboard side of the Gould, in big ocean swell and approx 20 knots of wind, bundled in plenty of gear. Long underwear, fleece pants, snow pants and Helly Hansen rain pants for the bottom. On top: long underwear, fleece jacket, and float coat. Of course our outfits wouldn't be complete without our Extra Tuff knee high (on me) rubber boots. A two person team acted as surfers, dressed in full-body 'dry' suits to help secure the incoming zodiacs while they were unloaded. Others piled the supplies on sleds and pulled them up to the camp buildings. I helped shovel snow. We worked hard and unloaded in just a few hours. Back on board by 12:30 and underway before 14:00. For the final leg of the journey to Palmer station we headed south through Gerlache strait. The most spectacular part of the voyage was through Neumeyer Channel. A narrow waterway with towering snow covered mountains on either side. After we made it through the Neumeyer Channel we made our way through a field of pack ice and eventually to Palmer station! All on board made their way to the deck to watch as we neared shore and our new home. Video shows part of our passage through Neumeyer Channel. And now, even though I feel like I have just begun the story of my adventures thus far - I have to step away for the day. One (or I) can only spend so much time in front of my computer, most especially - Here.Now. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1158885.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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11/2/2013 4 Comments Wicked RideThis blog post was delayed due to the lack of internet connection on board the LMG. Am now playing catch up... The whole blog thing was supposed to have happened before I left Seattle. Then the government shut down and the wind fell from my sails – for a moment there. After two years of planning and a lifetime of dreaming, nearly two weeks into the October, 1st government shut down I was notified by an Antarctic Support Contractor (ASC) that there was no need for me to continue packing for my October, 23rd deployment to Palmer station on the Antarctic peninsula, with the National Science Foundation's (NSF), United States Antarctic Program (USAP). Got all those acronyms? My deployment would be delayed until further notice. The NSF would run out of money on the 14th and on the 8th, they announced that they would be bringing all three USAP stations into, ‘Caretaker Status’. No small task indeed. The story is long and convoluted and frankly not worth any more of my (or your) time, but when the government avoided default on the 17th, I was hurriedly (and might I say unexpectedly) booked to fly out on the 23rd - my original deployment date. I got my ticket info 4 days before departure. And so I packed. Not without more than a little help from Zak who helped me gather my things (but mostly my mind) and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Punta Arenas, via Dallas and Santiago. And so I was deployed. As ASC promised, an agent greeted me at the Santiago International airport, there to help through customs and transfer luggage. A small office in the airport made the 12-hour layover tolerable and a few hour adventure into town, made it even enjoyable. After 36 hours of traveling I finally made it into Punta Arenas at about 1:30AM, Friday the 25th. Saturday morning I made my way to a bright yellow warehouse with an equally bright blue roof at a secured port, where I was outfitted with my NSF issued Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear. After swapping some things out, adding a few others, I am confident that I will not freeze in Antarctica. Pretty stoked about my insulated Carhartt bibs! Thank you NSF. Spent some time wondering the surrounding neighborhoods of Punta Arenas (the southernmost city on earth), taking photographs and preparing myself for the next leg of my adventure. The presence of the two USAP research vessels (L.M. Gould and Nathanial B. Palmer) felt ever omnipresent as I meandered the hillsides above the city center. Moored at the end of a long gated pier, dressed in bright orange and yellow, they are visible from nearly everywhere above sea level. I was wishing that my Spanish were better (or perhaps existent is a better adjective) to talk with the locals about the vessels. From what I could gather, they seemed quite familiar with their presence. Saturday afternoon was move in day on board research vessel Laurence M. Gould, the beauty I would be sailing on through the Straits of Magellan and the Drake Passage (I hear she rides like a cork screw). The Drake Passage is the only place on earth where the wind can travel all the way around the world without ever touching land. Will be on board for 4 to 5 days depending on weather/sea ice conditions etc. and will arrive to Palmer the 31st or 1st , with one stop on the way at Cape Shirreff, on Livingston island. Eight to ten days to get to Palmer Station on Anvers Island, on the Antarctic Peninsula from Seattle, WA, USA. All day Saturday the winds ceaselessly howled making it difficult to use the crane on board to load all of the gear needed for the various research projects it supports, along with the resupply for Palmer station. In fact the port closed due to the high wind speeds. Heard mixed reports on the actual wind speed but some said 35 knots with gusts up to 50 knots. Regardless, a walk down the pier may lift one off of their feet if not careful. On Sunday, our departure time moved from 12:00 to 18:00, due to more delays attributed to high wind speeds. Hoping that by late afternoon the winds will die down for a smooth departure. The weather here can change on the turn of a dime, so we cross our fingers that the wind will subside. However, if the winds continue and a front comes in, we could have a wicked ride, through some of the most wicked waters on earth. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1158885.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 6/1/2013 2 Comments Daffodils BloomingThis year marks the start of many new beginnings and a great deal to be excited for. Last week, I shipped off 4 new pieces headed to Millville, NJ for GlassWeekend at Wheaton Arts. It is the first time that I will be showing at GlassWeekend and marks the introduction of my newly formed relationship with Heller Gallery. I am excited for the opportunity to show my work on the east coast and to grow as a practicing artist. In January, I got a new camera and as a result spent a lot of time taking photographs of the city. As I wondered around the streets taking pictures, the alienating nature of the city and the apparent anonymity of being in an urban environment crept upon me. The work I made for GlassWeekend throughout Winter and Spring focuses on the anonymity of individuals in an urban environment and looks at the moment we fuse into our surroundings and become apart of the background. Harcuba, myself and Marshall at The Studio at Corning, Summer 2012. That was fun. Unfortunately, I will not be able to personally attend GlassWeekend. I will be teaching a workshop at The Studio at the Corning museum of glass. It will be my first year teaching there without Mr. Harcuba and my first teaching with printmaker, Marshall Hyde, who worked with Harcuba many a time at the Corning Studio over the years. Marshall and I aim to continue the tradition of engraving for Harcuba, who taught his last class there last year. We'll need to do a Skype session with him... 5/28/2013 0 Comments GR.ATTITUDEA stirring Winter came to an end and Spring has brought many new beginnings, a few endings and many new lessons. My sweetheart recently shared a prose with me. We find recognition in the words. …but when I said that nothing had been done, I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money -- booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Because until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from this single decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: “…whatever you can do, or dream you can… begin it - boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” -W.H. Murray “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition” 5/25/2013 2 Comments Aussie InvasionI've recently shaken the hands of many old friends and am reminded of the bonds of friendships I have made over the last decade. I am grateful for the people that I have had the opportunity to grow with and learn from and I am humbled to exhibit alongside my friends. The Museum of Glass is exhibiting a show entitled, LINKS: Australian Glass and the Pacific Northwest - May 2013 - January 2014. In conjunction with this, Pilchuck Glass school is hosting many but not nearly all of the greatest Australian glass artists throughout the Summer. And to top it off, Traver gallery is hanging a show featuring Australian artists for the month of June. Late in 2011, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, opened a glass studio with the intent of offering daily glass blowing demonstrations and educational programing for the public. In celebration of the new studio, the museum's curator of glass, Kelly Conway, invited artists to participate in a series of week long residencies with accompanying exhibitions throughout the year. I am excited to announce that this coming week (Nov 13-18) I will be artist in residence at the glass studio! In conjunction with the residency, an exhibition of my work will be on display in the museum, until December 30th. This exhibition debuts sculptural works along with photographs and wall pieces. If you are interested in finding out any more information on these pieces or this residency, please contact me directly through the contact page on this website. (Pictures of work in this post!) 'Industrial Society At Work' When making work for this show I found myself contemplating a question that I have been asking myself repeatedly over the last few years. That question being: What is the larger purpose of making art, specifically glass engravings, that look at the connections between people and their environments? Or more simply: What is the purpose of making art? These questions could be answered a million different ways for a million different reasons from even more differing perspectives. While I have thoughts to these questions in broad terms, specifically relating to my art, I have come to two working conclusions (abbreviated here). 'We Challenge Our Age' The first conclusion, perhaps more straightforward than the second, is simply to help keep a dying tradition alive. Engraving is traditional craft that takes both time and skill accumulated by a lifetime of practice to master. Something that perhaps is lost on Western contemporary culture. This point in my work becomes increasingly important as I notice a shifting trend in attitude that leans towards quick gratification versus a vested interest in the long term. The second conclusion that I came to is that my work is marking a time of extreme global and social change. When everything else is becoming digitally documented and stored in a cloud somewhere above our heads, I use the voice of art as my way of expressing the beginning of the 21st century. In the form of glass engravings that depict varied scenes from life that could serve as archival records of our age, for future generations. 10/4/2012 0 Comments In the Spirit of PoliticsFull in thought about our capitalist system of governance, I happened upon this poem by Alice Walker on radio program, Democracy Now. "Democratic Womanism" You ask me why I smile when you tell me you intend in the coming national elections to hold your nose and vote for the lesser of two evils. There are more than two evils out there, is one reason I smile. Another is that our old buddy Nostradamus comes to mind, with his fearful 400 year old prophecy: that our world and theirs too (our "enemies" – lots of kids included there) will end (by nuclear nakba or holocaust) in our lifetime. Which makes the idea of elections and the billions of dollars wasted on them somewhat fatuous. A Southerner of Color, my people held the vote very dear while others, for centuries, merely appeared to play with it. One thing I can assure you of is this: I will never betray such pure hearts by voting for evil even if it were microscopic which, as you can see in any newscast no matter the slant, it is not. I want something else; a different system entirely. One not seen on this earth for thousands of years. If ever. Democratic Womanism. Notice how this word has "man" right in the middle of it? That’s one reason I like it. He is right there, front and center. But he is surrounded. I want to vote and work for a way of life that honors the feminine; a way that acknowledges the theft of the wisdom female and dark Mother leadership might have provided our spaceship all along. I am not thinking of a talking head kind of gal: happy to be mixing it up with the baddest bad boys on the planet her eyes a slit her mouth a zipper. No, I am speaking of true regime change. Where women rise to take their place en masse at the helm of earth’s frail and failing ship; where each thousand years of our silence is examined with regret, and the cruel manner in which our values of compassion and kindness have been ridiculed and suppressed brought to bear on the disaster of the present time. The past must be examined closely, I believe, before we can leave it there. I am thinking of Democratic, and, perhaps Socialist, Womanism. For who else knows so deeply how to share but Mothers and Grandmothers? Big sisters and Aunts? To love and adore both female and male? Not to mention those in between. To work at keeping the entire community fed, educated and safe? Democratic womanism, Democratic Socialist Womanism, would have as its icons such fierce warriors for good as Vandana Shiva Aung San Suu Kyi, Wangari Maathai Harriet Tubman Yoko Ono Frida Kahlo Angela Davis & Barbara Lee: With new ones always rising, wherever you look. You are also on this list, but it is so long (Isis would appear midway) that I must stop or be unable to finish the poem! So just know I’ve stood you in a circle that includes Marian Wright Edelman, Amy Goodman, Sojourner Truth, Gloria Steinem and Mary McLeod Bethune. John Brown, Frederick Douglass, John Lennon and Howard Zinn are there. Happy to be surrounded! There is no system There is no system now in place that can change the disastrous course the Earth is on. Who can doubt this? The male leaders of Earth appear to have abandoned their very senses though most appear to live now entirely in their heads. They murder humans and other animals forests and rivers and mountains every day they are in office and never seem to notice it. They eat and drink devastation. Women of the world, Women of the world, Is this devastation Us? Would we kill whole continents for oil (or anything else) rather than limit the number of consumer offspring we produce and learn how to make our own fire? Democratic Womanism. Democratic Socialist Womanism. A system of governance we can dream and imagine and build together. One that recognizes at least six thousand years of brutally enforced complicity in the assassination of Mother Earth, but foresees six thousand years ahead of us when we will not submit. What will we need? A hundred years at least to plan: (five hundred will be handed us gladly when the planet is scared enough) in which circles of women meet, organize ourselves, and, allied with men brave enough to stand with women, men brave enough to stand with women, nurture our planet to a degree of health. And without apology —- (impossible to make a bigger mess than has been made already) -— devote ourselves, heedless of opposition, to tirelessly serving and resuscitating Our Mother ship and with gratitude for Her care of us worshipfully commit to rehabilitating it. -Alice Walker Above poem borrowed from Democracy Now website.
8/22/2012 8 Comments Mind on the Ice.Last September, I submitted a proposal entitled, 21st Century Antarctica: The Science and Landscape of Palmer Station to the National Science Foundation's, Antarctic Artists and Writers program. An NSF program that offers artists and writers the opportunity to travel to Antarctica to gather research to complete proposed projects. After a very long and involved process, I have received final confirmation that my application has indeed been accepted into the program! I will be deploying to Palmer station on the Antarctic peninsula, in the Austral Summer of 2013/14 for about a month and half. I will travel from Seattle to Punta Arenas, Chile, where I will board icebreaker vessel L.M. Gould for an approximate 5 day voyage to Palmer Station. While deployed, I will work side by side with the scientific research and support teams with the goal of gathering information and inspiration to make a body of work upon my return. Traveling to Antarctica has been a dream of mine since I was an early teen when I met a family friend who said that he was a 'toxic-waste' garbage man at McMurdo station, in Antarctica. That one could travel to and live in Antarctica was enough to peek my interest, but that he was a garbage man had my imagination reeling! I had just or was just about to read, Endurance the story of Shakleton's voyage and was (and still am) entirely captivated by the story of great explorers and survivors. But as I vividly imagined Shakleton's adventure, it did not quite fit into the contemporary picture of Antarctica that I was hearing about. It was then I started to think about the incredible differences between Antarctica pre-twentieth century and Antarctica post-twentieth century. And so my curiosity about the elusive place started it's own voyage in my imagination. Aside from the vast differences between Antarctica today and 100 years ago, my interest in Antarctic exploration grew as I considered the symbiotic relationship between the explorers, scientists and artists who went to great lengths in the name of science and discovery. While the role of the artist in scientific discovery has perhaps changed in the 21st century, the artist serves as a useful link between modern day science and the public at large. As science becomes increasingly complex, and in many cases is only comprehendible to an elite few, the artist's role becomes important as serving as a comprehensible link between the work of the scientist and the public at large. An excerpt from my application about the intent of my project. ‘21st Century Antarctica – The Science and Landscape of Palmer Station’, is a research project aimed at expanding the public’s knowledge and understanding of the scientific research, unique biology and rapid climate change occurring on the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Southern Ocean during the 21st century. Nearly one hundred years after the end of the Antarctic Heroic Age[1] of exploration and discovery, the 21st century witnesses Antarctica with year-round stations, laboratories, evidence of global warming and a need for international conservancy. However, most people remain confused and grossly misinformed about the southern most continent and the research occurring there. The goal of my project is to produce a body of work that conveys a new understanding of Antarctica that will serve as a link between the scientific research and the people at large. The final exhibition produced will focus on being engaging, educational and apprehensible. [1] A period of exploration in Antarctica from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. While I could write all day, in the words of a wise woman I will, 'save some room for later' and leave this post: To be continued. And in the meantime, I've got my mind on the ice.
8/8/2012 1 Comment The Pace of TimeIn July, I had the great opportunity and honor of teaching at the Corning studio with Mr. Jiri Harcuba. It was my first time there and Jiri's last, after 15 years. Over the near decade that Jiri has been my teacher, I have learned innumerable lessons on life, art and engraving. After teaching our last class together, I am faced with an undertaking that I have been anticipating since I became a dedicated engraver and student of Mr. Harcuba's. That undertaking being to help keep engraving alive by passing on the lessons that I have learned, to make engraving contemporary and for our time and not to forget to forever be a student of life. When I first learned how to engrave, Harcuba very smartly said to me, ‘Forget the details’. At the time I did not understand this sentiment but have later come to fully appreciate what he meant with that short phrase. Wheel engraving onto glass is an age-old craft that has changed little since its inception. Historically, it is a craft largely used to embellish functional glass objects with decoration. Traditional wheel engraving is taught in apprentice style schools and takes years to learn. Students are taught how to replicate decorative patterns and intricate fables and are encouraged to stay within the boundaries of tradition. When Harcuba told me to, ‘Forget the details’ he was telling me to forget the finest engravings I had been inspired by and rather to find my own way of expression in the sculptural cuts of the wheels. His lesson to me was that by stepping away from tradition (in the subject), a glass engraving could be considered contemporary art and perhaps even modern! So in an age of rapid change when many traditional crafts are being lost, I choose engraving as my voice. I am slowing down and focusing my energy on a craft that has been practiced for millennia but on one that may not be around in 100 years time. And perhaps that is a bold statement, but in a world that is quickly becoming dominated by digital technologies and when time is perceived as a race against itself, I feel it of utmost importance to continue on the traditions of our collective past. Even if the practice of engraving does not keep up with the pace of today and is in a way, against the very grain of our society, it makes me feel like I am doing something meaningful in the larger scheme of things. If I do not help carry on the tradition, who will? Is it not the past that we learn from to avoid mistakes in the present? For me, the very act of engraving feels like a protest against our time. Or at the very least, a question posed to the pace and direction our technological advancements are changing the course of humanity as we know it.
What are the things that you do, to make your life feel meaningful? 6/13/2012 0 Comments GAS a Go-GoWell folks, it's that time of year again. The GAS conference is upon us! Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the American studio glass movement. Wish I could attend myself, but I can't. So it goes... However, if you are able to attend, you should check out (among a million other things) the Bullseye gallery pop-up exhibition, Import at the Toledo School of Art gallery. Aside from some of my engravings, the show features work by 13 artists - Richard Marquis, Klaus Moje, Jessica Louglin, Mel Douglas, Mel George, Jane Bruce, Richard Whiteley - to name just a few!! Bullseye always does an amazing job hanging shows, I'm sure it'll be worth your time! Check out the link for more details!!
Images of the pieces they took to Toledo below! |