Liquid sculptures by Floto + Warner.

Ooh, ahh! Liquid sculptures by architectural photography team Floto + Warner.

I Made an Apple Tree

I created this “apple tree” this week. Got some great feedback from my peeps and the amazing Vivian Beer. Looking at ideas of people’s imposition on nature, gravity, whimsey, place, and qualities of form and color. By the way, I just learned from Michael Pollan's book The Botany of Desire, that Johnny Appleseed was basically the pied piper of hard cider on the American Frontier. That little factoid just makes my day!

My Topolier in Vancouver, Washington

New images from my installation at North Bank Artists Gallery in Vancouver, Washington. The show is up until June 28, 2014. Go check it out! Topolier. 2014. 8x14x8 feet. Glass, twine, steel, dye, cheesecloth, burlap, paper, cardboard, and wood. Artwork and photography ©2014. Danielle Foushée

The Base for My Upcoming Installation: A New Drawing Device

This is the third iteration of a base for my installation. I think this one is going to be the winner!

Handmade Glass Vessels for My Installation

Amanda and Ethan are in the glass shop working on the vessels for my installation. They look fan-flipping-tastic, if I do say so myself! I had never seen glass-blowing in action, in person, before today. Also, Amanda is my welding teacher, so she is downright badass!

Newton’s Apple / Gravity Installation

I worked on an apple installation this morning. I started small to get to know my materials better. I realized that the narrow rods are very bendy under the weight of the apples. I want them to be narrow so that they’re both nearly invisible and they don’t destroy the fruit. I want to do a much bigger one. I need to figure out how to create an armature that can withstand the weight without being too visible. I also want a little more blue sky, is that too much to ask?! The apples do look great in the environment, and I appreciate that they’re the state fruit of Washington where I live. Of course, there is tons of conceptual baggage to deal with, with apples. Right now I don’t really care about that!

Apple Collection for a New Installation

Temporary outdoor intervention going in on Friday. Stay tuned for more photos.

Sunday with the D800 in the Country

#NikonD800 practice on a sunny Sunday afternoon roaming around in the country. I like that my favorite images from the day all kinda have a similar color palette.

Yesterday’s Camera Practice: Sideboard

Yesterday’s camera practice with stuff around the house.

Waiting Around in Tacoma

I had to drive down to Tacoma yesterday to pick up some giant cardboard sheets for my next gallery installation. I took these images while I was waiting for the forklift guy to bring my order around. A couple weeks ago I was talking to the photo tech at UW about my camera setup and the struggles I’ve been having learning the Nikon D800 — especially the fact that a lot of my photos come out slightly blurry. I know the standard rule of thumb is 1/60 shutter for handheld shots, but he told me the D800 is much more sensitive than that. I tried these images at 1/80. They look fine low res on screen, but I think even 1/80 is too slow for the D800. Next I’ll move up to 1/100 and see if I can get crisper images on that setting.

Today’s Artist Statement

My current work maps weight and time in relation to place and space. I use a variety of materials like string, flagging tape, paper, cardboard, liquid, glass, steel, and rock to make my mark. Each location where I create my installations is chosen carefully. I consciously sense a place through the act of meditation and living with it. The work I make is in response to the one-of-a-kind relationship I'm experiencing with each place at that moment. Once an intervention is complete, it is quickly removed. It becomes a memory of a relationship shared with the place itself.

The idea of "place" is important — what are the qualities of a location that make a person feel grounded? What is home? How big is it? How transient is this feeling—the feeling of belonging and of being a part of something bigger than oneself? I believe that having a sense of place is impermanent. The old cliché holds a lot of truth: "You can never go back home." But I also believe that it's possible to nurture, appreciate, and underscore these fleeting experiences. I do this with my art-making practice. 

A Rainy Day in the Seattle Suburbs

It’s a rainy day in the Seattle suburbs, but at least the birds are singing.

Signal Fire Residency: Campfires

These are some of my favorite fire images from my residency in Arizona with Signal Fire. A couple years ago, I started taking photos of our campfires. Now, I’m reenergized to continue this series. Deer Creek Canyon, Mazatzal Wilderness, Tonto National Forest, Arizona

Signal Fire Residency: Water

Here are some more images from my residency with Signal Fire. It occurs to me that the work from this residency revolves quite naturally around themes of nature: earth, water, fire. Look in earlier posts for earth, and stay tuned for fire images to come soon! Mazatzal Wilderness, Tonto National Forest, Arizona