Boats

The idea for the boats came in a single flash. Being open and recognizing a good thing helps too. I was working on a snakey piece of art that required a wooden end-cap for a square box. I wanted a rounded feel. I took a salad bowl I had laying around and truncated the sides of it so I could fit it into the square honey section box. Using my chop saw I sliced off the sides of the bowl so I could fit my round peg into the square hole. When I was cleaning up I picked up the "scrap" and put the 2 halves together. It was in that moment that I realized I had something. I remember showing it to my staff. Could it be a piece of jewelry? A drawer pull? Or simply just a cool object? It was in that moment that the boats were born. Their first presentation was in a gallery setting in Chicago. They became the backdrop to the larger snakey piece. Now, 75+ sets of boats later I am still seeking out vintage salad bowls from all over. My brothers are constantly on the lookout for me. Brother Michael is the best at it. When I travel to different towns for shows I hit every resale shop around. On vacation I hit the local resale shops. I even have a friend in Philly, Neil Benson, who sends me boxes of them in exchange for the 1970 VW bus I gave him years ago.

The way the boats are arranged is always different. Sometimes the feeling is one of dissipation, like a flock of birds that is clumped up and then trailing off over a distance. Other times there is an almost lyrical quality to the arrangement. Some clients prefer a more symmetrical diamond shape and others want a rigid square format . From the first installation I realized the need to activate a space with the boats. Using an old design principal from my days as a graphic designer I knew that aligning them vertically of horizontally would stagnate the look. Diagonally orienting each to the next would visually activate the space and thus carry the eye across. While subtle this convention is quite effective in moving the eye around the composition. The boats reside in Hotels, restaurants, Hospitals and private residences across the country."

Recent installations include the Hotel Soffitel near the Beverly Center in LA, The Austin Childrens Hospital in Texas, the Bally's Hotel in St. Louis, Terranea Resort and Spa in Ranchos Palos Verde and lots of private homes.

163 photos, 2 videos | 1,366 views

items are from between 01 Jan 2005 & 30 Oct 2008.