The opening was a SMASHING success!!!!! Lots of pics by Amy Ruppelhere. We counted 737 people through the front door and I estimate 200-300 came through the side and back doors for around 1000 total people. The energy level in the Ford Building was off the charts.
photo by John Paananen
People were digging the installation design by Lisa and Emily, the photography, and of course, the chaboos themselves. Without exaggerating, the reaction was beyond anything I have ever seen at an art show. People were simply blown away!
photo by Amy Ruppel
People were actually READING the bios. Despite the party atmosphere many people were intensely immersed in the bios.
photo by Amy Ruppel
My number one goal was to create a positive boost for the participants and also the community in general. Mission accomplished!
Chaboo artist Ryan Thomson works at giant architecture firm ZGF and also rides for high end cycling gear maker RAPHA. There is an interesting article in the Oregonian about their unusual marketing strategy.
A band of cyclists — fast but not pro, thoughtful but not geeky, a touch wacky — embarked on America’s most epic rides. They pushed hard, but not so hard they missed wildflowers and cafes. They fixed their own flats. And their journeys were documented online, creating a real-life sports drama.
From the look of Ryan’s beard (in back), I don’t think they are allowed to rest even to shave… A bird might mistakenly nest in that thing. So anyways, his chaboo idea was to do a double tiered construction. He brought over some drawings and I built him the parts. He then took those parts and went to work.
He cut the chaboo parts at an angle with a taper jig on the tablesaw. His original plan was to pepper it with fasteners but he decided to go with a more simple look on the fly.
My ol friend Nell Warren is an accomplished artist who has figured out a way to create a chaboo and also use one for her work. Her idea is for a chaboo in constant process! She brought in some old letterpress drawers and I modified them to fit into the chaboo. She collects little shavings from her paint pallet and organizes them in obsessive fashion into these tiny little compartments. Yes, she is a nerd…
The surface of the chaboo is used as a pallete as she works. She carves into the top to create her little collectible shavings resulting in this beautiful, every changing composition. She loves her chaboo so much she has decided to not put it up for sale.
Ok, no one actually READS any of what I write. Just looking at pictures, watching videos… So here ya go- video~
Designer/artists extroardinare Amy Ruppel is doing a deer chaboo in a collaboration between myself, her, and Joe Mansfield. She approached me with some drawings of using a cutout deer silhouette as the center spline of the chaboo and some hand cut felt placed on the chaboo.
Joe had told me about an idea last year of inlaying lasercut felt perfectly into a laser cut recess so that the felt lays flush with the surface but we had never actually done it. Realizing this technique would be perfect for Amy we headed to Joes laser shop to discuss. Hes the best at doing weird and fun things with the laser! Here are Amys drawings for her chaboo.
Project Chaboo is such a great excuse to do cool experimental things that we never get around too cause we’re too busy trying to make money. radiusing the deer from Ken Tomita on Vimeo.
I had Amy make a template for me out of 1/4″ MDF. I then used a straight bit with a bearing to copy that form onto 3/4″ baltic birch plywood. Here I am radiusing Amy Ruppel’s deer with a 1/16″ roundover bit on the router table.
Amy taking off with her deer. Bring it back please!
The things I do for my chaboo artists….. In this case, Meg Scheminske is doing a chaboo with plant life all over it and I reached for the good ol power tools to make these mushrooms fit better against the chaboo.
beltsanding a mushroom from Ken Tomita on Vimeo.
Has anyone beltsanded a mushroom before? It works quite well actually. Just make sure the mushroom is thoroughly dried out and get a death grip on it. Kinda dangerous cause its totally freehand…
This particular chaboo collaboration has been fun because we have worked together on it conceptually and in a practical sense by visiting the nursery. I took over on the woodworking, routing out holes for the terrariums where I pleased. They are spherical actually so 1/3 of it hangs underneath- pretty cool. I then attached the mushrooms as I felt right. Next, Meg took over and she reacted to what I had done through painting.
Pretty killer if you ask me…. but now, im nervous about keeping the plants alive. I have the magic touch with dogs and building stuff but not with plants. They always die on me. Someone help~
