Joel Wakeman with his chaboo.  The one he is sitting on he made one with a pallet he found at my shop last week.  I should charge him for the material!  On top of that is the chaboo from a previous post which mysteriously went from green to black.  Go figure.

photo by Joe Mansfield

An intimate moment with his chaboo as Joel says goodbye.

Photo by Anna Campbell

Todd Griffith here with his chaboo.  He made sure his wardrobe matched the graffiti on my shop.  Very nice.

Photo by Joe Mansfield

Going surfing bruddah.

Photo by Anna Campbell

Paul Sykes explaining the patterns on his chaboo.  Something to do with a pattern he saw during his travels in Syria.  I only heard rumors….

Photo by Joe Mansfield

He sees something!

Photo by Anna Campbell

Ive finally completed my blog posting on my coat rack project.  The posting goes through the project from concept to design to fabrication to completion.  The project was a lot of fun for me.  Especially the part where I got to pour molten lead!

Juno (see previous post) showed me some samples of cool things he has done with glass.  I can already see some furniture applications.  I like the irregularity- it gives the glass a natural feel, warmer

Small glass cylinders are chopped up and glued together.  Lots of work!  the cuts are inconsistent- creating variations in color where the glue seeped in underneath. The epoxy used for glue up can be died any color and you can even do a gradient.

A sample of bamboo laminated up with glass.  He used this on a stair tread project.

Featured Chaboo artist Kelly Neidig has been working on a series of landscape themed work.  The series can be seen on her website.  In her own words:

My memories can be vague or vanish quickly and sometimes the only thing I have left is color. I see a connection between my memories and these fleeting landscapes I create.I focus more on color and less on shapes presenting little information to the viewer. This allows the viewer to call on their memories of place and connect with the painting based on their experiences.

It will be interesting to see how she uses negative space and the heavy linear quality of the bamboo ply left behind with her heavy colored lines.  I think it will be a great meeting of texture and color. I really wanted Kelly in on Project Chaboo after she talked to me about her creative crisis that led to her current theme of work.  It is always great to hear about the journey.  Thats what its all about isnt it?

Kelly also serves as board president of Portland Open Studios.

Portland Open Studios offers artists in the Portland metro area opportunities to showcase their work, engage a curious public, and network with other artists, all within a supportive environment. It’s a unique educational organization that serves the community and helps artists meet their professional goals through workshops, publicity, exhibitions, and the open studios tour.

Thanks for participating Kelly! Im glad you are on board and Im really excited to see how you work with the lines of the bamboo.  I also like your email last name of neidiggity.  Funny!  I get it!

I had the priviledge of loaning chaboo and sensu to my friend Jiro Yonezawa for his exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden. The beautiful setting was a perfect match for his art.  The venue was stunning to say the least.  I talked to the art director there and she was very receptive to the idea of doing a group show there for furniture in 2010.

Sensu was used to display a few of his smaller pieces and also to serve as a reception table.

Chaboo was used to display one of his basket sculptures.

Jiro is a master sculptor, formally trained in Japan to work with bamboo weaving.  His work is amazing in its craftsmanship, form and attention to detail.  He has developed signature techniques as he has refined his craft over the years.  He is world renowned and his work is included in the Lloyd Cotsen collection of bamboo baskets considered to be the greatest collection in the world today.

The show at the Japanese Garden continues througout the month of November.  You should go have a look.  The gardens are beautiful as well with the last of fall foliage clinging on.