berkeley love

trying to be still in the space between my thoughts...

i'd mentioned a few posts before about the traffic in san francisco, and what do you know? i was coming from the presidio and didn't get to leave until around 4 pm. i was being patient, i swear. i tweeted, instagrammed, texted with friends to keep myself busy sitting still in traffic that did not move for over an hour. even when i decided to find other routes to gtfo, two hours had already passed. i've deduced that rush hour traffic in san francisco is worse than rush hour traffic in los angeles. it's probably the worst traffic i've experienced within the u.s...

enough of that! let's talk about why i love berkeley / the east bay. i live near the berkeley marina and i love being this close to the water and nature. i love every minute i've spent out there, and i've gone out there a lot, usually at the end of the day to unwind. it's also kind of like my silverlake reservoir–where i'd go running in l.a.–but bigger and better! the cold, though, is something to get used to, especially when that wind is blowing and your ears start to ache. i just double up on the layers, put my hood up like an ewok and seal the jacket snug. when it's sunny, oh my. i take it aaaaaaall in. the feeling is superb.

dope

ally mobbs

turntablism for the hard of hearing
"harmonic motion (a harmonograph turntable drawing machine) Turntablism is the art of manipulating recorded sound using direct drive turntables. Inspired by the concept of a harmonograph (a drawing machine using pendulums to create geometric Lissajous curves) this installation utilizes two turntables working in unison to produce an evolving image. Although an analog process, the resulting drawings have a digital and mathematical quality to them and are also reminiscent of sound waves, in this case sine waves, viewed on an oscilloscope. The drawings can be further manipulated by manually adjusting the pitch controls of each turntable as they rotate."

 

jetske visser

"Jetske uses her work to reveal the things that lie beneath the surface. She turns subjects that are rarely discussed into something tangible, from an awareness in which mankind and nature are paramount."

settle + explore

finally settled in berkeley. berkeley feels more like home than san francisco, which is where i'd initially wanted to move to, but the population boom and the traffic/parking situation out there can probably drive me nuts. plus, berkeley reminds me of my neighborhood in los angeles, atwater village, which i am still so very much in love with.

one thing i keep forgetting about the bay area, is how small it is. when i'm trying to get somewhere, i'm dumbfounded at how close everything is. i seriously can just walk within a 5-mile radius and get to most of the places i need to get to.

i went for a light hike the other day through tilden. this is lake anza. that last one is overlooking a part of the san pablo reservoir. i read that in the 1800s, there were nothing but wildflowers covering those fields. how awesome would it be if those wildflowers were still there?

i can't wait to do more hikes and explorations. friends have already made plans on going to yosemite and i've already agreed to run a 6-hour race. not entirely sure about the latter yet, but it's a no-pressure run so it could be fun.

macarena

macarena ruiz-tagle

atmosphere series (acrylic on watercolor paper): what kind of mood do these pieces put you in?

last light:
the photograph inside the frame is the image of the actual wall behind the frame. It represents the hidden dim space between the frame and the wall's surface.

seeing is forgetting:
Site specific installation of equilateral plexiglas triangles (3x300x300mm)... Triangle shapes slightly noticeable when reflecting light as if they were not meant to be seen by the viewer...

clay play, done! ...for now.

this concludes my play with clay in los angeles. i reached my goal of making a few 5-pound salad bowls, most of which will be gifted and hopefully appreciated because do you know how hard it is to throw five pounds of clay? i was trembling every time i tried to center and cone those things, but when i was able to do one, i couldn't help but keep throwing more and more of it. i also couldn't help pulling it to make it bigger. "just one more pull and it's done," i'd tell myself. then i'd pull again maybe twice more after that. it's a risk because at some point, there's a possibility it might collapse. sometimes it did, but when it works out more times than it doesn't, it just makes you want to keep going.

all this stuff is by no means perfect, but that's what i like about them. even the ones that didn't work out, i tried to salvage. those rough edges give character.

there have been a few people that i've connected with at the studio where i've been throwing. one in particular is rami kim. this woman is crazy productive. so inspiring. she does stop-motion animation, too, along with painting and various other things. she usually doesn't throw but handbuilds her clay, and she does it well! i traded a couple of bowls for a few of her thangs and i can say i'm proud to own them. her pieces are the sculpture in the bowl there with the two spoons.

(pardon, les photos sont mal.)