Saturday, August 30, 2014

Rock Mosaics from Ancient Art of Stone

Sometimes art is not only a love story between a creator and a medium, but between two creators and a medium. 

Frankly, I'm more than a little envious that Naomi Zettl & Andreas Kunert have a relationship based on love of each other and their art. We should all be so lucky to have someone share our passions so completely and be able to translate that into something beautiful that can be shared by everyone. 

I've been making my first forays into working with Pebble Mosaics and they are so much harder than they look. My tendency is to not want to waste material, but that's just not possible within the confines of a pattern. You have to choose the right pieces, the ones that result in the best design realization, and not all your pebbles meet the grade. 

What's not shown in the photographs - the piles of rock that didn't make the cut. The challenge for those of us who hate to waste is to find ways to use them somewhere else. 

Rock Wall Mosaic from Ancient Art of Stone 
Fireplace Mosaic from Ancient Art of Stone 

Rock Wall Mosaic from Ancient Art of Stone 

Rock Wall Mosaic from Ancient Art of Stone 

Pebble Mosaic from Ancient Art of Stone 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Cave Digging with Ra Paulette

I've long been a fan of James Hubbell's statement "A house is a piece of sculpture that you live in" and I'm adding a second quote to that from Ra Paulette "I want to create a space that's transformative".

This is exactly what draws me to organic architecture - transformative spaces. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find boxes transformative. They're just boxes that hold your stuff. The curves and softness of organic shapes is what I find transformative. 

I find beauty transformative. 

I find artistry and craftsmanship transformative. 

I hope you find Ra Paulette's work as transformative as I did.

The caves are carved by hand into the sandstone cliffs of Northern New Mexico by Ra himself. 


Art Caves Carved by Ra Paulette

Art Caves Carved by Ra Paulette

Art Caves Carved by Ra Paulette

Art Caves Carved by Ra Paulette