Mountastic

Mountains have become my new obsession in my work, similar to how I use to think of rhinos or white buffalo. 

During my time out at in Port Townsend and driving down to California, I was graced with clear skies and some amazing, or mountastic, mountain views.

 Mt. Baker

The Cascades from Port Townsend

 Mt. Rainier as seen from Fort Warden

 The Olympics from Hurricane Ridge

Mountain views from I-5

Enjoying the cup of free coffee from the first rest stop that most likely inspired the adjective mountastic (photo courtesy of co-pilot Kristen Klenow).

The Hoh Rain Forest

I was very lucky to have some visitors out to Fort Warden which was extra reason for more adventure and exploration.  One afternoon, Michelle and I set out for the Hoh Rain Forest and were delighted by its magic.  I was very happy to see many of my new favorite tree - the sitka spruce.

 We were still hiking well into dusk, and with nightfall fast approaching we certainly felt the primeval spirits!

Centrum Geometry

There are so many interesting shapes and intersections to be found between the industrial bunkers of Fort Warden and the natural landscape where they are nestled.  The top image is the of the shadow of building 14 overlapping mossy pavement and a patch of grass.  Below a reduction linocut print I made at Corvidae Press using some of those same shapes.

'Round About the Peninsula

There were many pleasant moments I grew accustomed to while living in Port Townsend, like spotting black tailed deer, bald eagles and hawks...  I also had time to do a lot of cooking and made my first shepherd's pie. 

Some of the locals grow bored of the deer but since I didn't have a garden or an investment in any of the landscaping I found them to be a comforting presence in the early morning or when I'd find a few them sleeping in my front yard.

Double doors leading into the wood shop, ironically one of the few concrete, non-wooden buildings on the campus aside from all the batteries.

I also took a trip out to the coast and up to Cape Flattery, the most northwestern point in the contiguous United States.

I wondered what it would be like to be a mermaid down there... The constant waves carve caves deep back into the cliff side which will one day break off and fall into the ocean.

Wild trees along the cape trail.

Campsite out at Lake Ozette.  I don't care if car camping is not hardcore, it makes a lot of sense to me during the winter months.

Centrum Residency Studio

During my month out at Centrum, I was very fortunate to be able to make use of a very large studio right about the Corvidere Print Shop.

Here are some images of the studio and a few works in progress.

Mural preparation/contemplation

Studio!

Brothers Wilder - work in progress

Nice color coordination and compliments in a corner

Chalkboard

 

 Beginning of the mold and the final sculpture on the right

 Mural near completion


Completed artworks form the residency can be seen on my website -  www.LaurenKlenow.com

Day trip to Sequim

Looking out onto the spit

Le petite lighthouse

Please do mind the rockery

Walking up the Bluff  

 Magical pathways leading to magical beaches...

...so very Bierstadt.

New Year, New Residencies

In the middle of January I began a one-month residency with Centrum at Fort Worden in Port Townsend.  In addition to making some new work I will be exploring the surrounding shapes and geography of the Olympic Peninsula.  I was awarded this residency though the help of the Artist Trust GAP grant, the Russel Jaqua Award and of course, Centrum.

I spent my first couple days exploring the trails around Fort Worden as well as its many re-purposed and reclaimed buildings and structures.

The building to the left was used to store a searchlight that would be wheeled down the path (pictured at right) to illuminate enemy ships as far as 4.5 miles away.


But today there's mostly just tugboats, container ships and ferries out there.

And some tugs moving very small mountains, my personal favorite.

Early America

 

I was researching for my upcoming lecture series Westward Expansion: An Overview of American Art History starting this week at Gage Academy of Art when I came across this image from the American Folk Art Museum.  I was immediately fascinated with the materials and shape.  Only after did I realize it is just a simple Shaker clothespin but its function certainly doesn't diminish its humble, striking form.

David Hockney at SVMA

Digging up Glass (Mountain), Old Rinkrank


On a recent trip home to visit family an friends, I stopped in at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and was pleasantly surprised by a little show they had of etchings by David Hockney illustrating 6 fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm (not to mention the barrel tasting going on in the lobby, gotta love the wine country).





Straw on the Left, Gold on the Right, Rumpelstilzchen



Wooded Landscape, Fundevogel


There were 6 etchings for each of the 6 fairy tales Hockney chose to illustrate. Some of the tales were instantly recognizable while the others I was unfamiliar with, but the illustrations were descriptive enough to understand the plot and exhibit the playful eccentricities that are always present in the Grimm stories.




Glass Mountain Shattered, Old Rinkrank


Overall it was the etching's geometry and patterns that won me over and I was impressed that some of the visual language he was using back in the late 1960's is so similar to what I've been seeing in some contemporary artists work.




Sexton Disguised as a Ghost Stood Still as Stone, The Boy Who Left Home To Learn Fear



The Tower had one Window, Rapunzel




The Lake


The Haunted Castle, The Boy Who Left Home To Learn Fear