La Push It

This past weekend, myself and 15 of my colleagues drove to the Olympic coast for a weekend of camping. Our destination? La Push! West of Olympic National Park, La Push resides at the point where the Quillayute River empties into the Pacific Ocean. The weather could not have been better and a wonderful weekend was had by all!

 
A couple of the rocky outcroppings that dot this landscape.

 
I spent a good chunk of Saturday combing the beach for materials with which to "create." This is one of the finished products.

 
All smiles on Saturday evening as the sun began to set.

 
This is my favorite photograph from the weekend.

 
Life is good!

Wonderful people, wonderful scenery, and wonderful weather.

Riley

Block Printing

This afternoon I was fortunate enough to attend a Block Printing workshop hosted by a local northwestern artist. I had never tried my hand at this craft and I really enjoyed it. Spatially I struggle with material that involves mirrored images and positive versus negative, but it was a really fun challenge. And, I'm very pleased with how my prints turned out!


A finished product! This print involved carving two different blocks and then using two different colors to achieve the desired effect.

 
First, I used a block that would print the blue sky.

 
Once I had my blue sky, I applied my "key block" which contained the finer details and really the structure for the whole print.

I learned a lot and would love to try my hand and imagination again soon!

Riley

Japanese Food Art

At IslandWood this week we've been fortunate enough to host Michiko Olson, one of our Artists In Residence. Her craft involves creating edible artwork, while giving a history of Japan and the influences that shaped the country.

A couple of nights ago a colleague and myself teamed up to created a few avian creatures.


Bird is the word.

I spent a couple of hours with my students and Michiko yesterday and we had an absolute blast.

Here's to the unique experiences!

Riley