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!

Signal Fire Residency: Cairn Village

I just returned from a week backpacking in the Arizona wilderness. I was on a residency with Signal Fire, a fantastic organization that takes artists into the wild to think about the relationships between art and nature and landscape. Each day, one participant led a “deep play” exercise for the group. When it was my turn, I invited everyone to collaborate to create a cairn village in the riverbed. The whole process was meditative and mindful. We worked in silence, and then surveyed our work. In the spirit of “leave no trace”, I tore it down once I got the photos. I was conflicted, because despite the ideal of leaving no trace I’m drawn to the comfort that cairns bring. A cairn represents other human interaction, coming upon one indicates that I’m not lost. Even though I might be the only person for miles, there is a kind of conversation that happens through cairns between strangers and over time. There’s something really special about that relationship. Stay tuned for more images to come. Mazatzal Wilderness, Tonto National Forest, Arizona, USA

Inspiring Artist: Bronwyn Oliver

Bronwyn Oliver was an Australian #sculptor. Her lovely, intricate globes and organic shapes make me want to get back in the shop! #metal sculpture inspiring artist art

Inspiring Artist: Ruth Asawa

Ruth Asawa's delicate-looking metal #sculptures are tugging at my heart-strings today. I love this dichotomy between a material as seemingly immutable as metal and her intricate, lacy forms that exude a sense of fragility. #Ruth Asawa #art #metal #sculpture #inspiring artist

What I’m Working On: Steel Sculpture Ideas

I love #welding and #metals! 3-d #sketching for a new #sculpture. It's gonna be BIG. Stay tuned for progress reports. #art #design #welding #art #metal #sculpture #sketching #process #design 3 notes

Inspiring Artist: Jang Yong Sun

Sometimes you’re just working away on your own stuff, and all of a sudden you come upon another artist who is doing exactly what you’ve got in your head. I spent a bunch of hours earlier this week slicing pipe so that I could create a honeycomb-like pattern and weld together a hollow, steel sphere. And then this morning, I came across Jang Yong Sun's work. Un-flipping-believable! It's so fantastic, I think my eyes might just tear up a bit. You’ll find me in working at my welding table this weekend! #art #welding #steel #sculpture #metal #contemporary art #inspiring artist

Sketches for My Next Drawing Device

As always, I have a ton of ideas spinning around in my head… I met with glass artist Amanda McDonald yesterday about the vessels we’re going to make for my next drawing device. If all goes according to plan, it’s going to be ahhhhmazing! We’re doing a test run in a few weeks, then (fingers crossed) we’ll go into production. My show in June isn’t going to make itself! #madewithpaper #glass art #installation 5 notes

Loving the Metal Shop!

I’ve been spending a ton of time at @makerhaus working in the metal shop. I’m a perfectionist, so this wine rack that I thought would take only a day or two has ended up taking more like three or four weeks! I’ve learned to use almost every tool in the shop: lathe, milling machine, bandsaw, stomp shear, drill press, belt sander, tap & die, and MIG welder. This project is more of a design problem than an art piece, which is nice — I like going back and forth along the edges. These photos illustrate my process of making a wine rack from scratch. I wish I had thought to take a photo of the raw materials before I started working on them. I had a 2 foot long aluminum round bar, a flat steel bar, a smaller rod for making my own screws, and a couple scraps of pipe. When I was making my own screws and threading the steel bar, I got impatient and broke the tap off inside the bar. I ended up going down to Tacoma Screw and troubleshooting with the awesome guys who work there. They didn’t mind teaching me a little bit. (I’ll definitely go back there if I ever need more advice or tools and whatnot.) I really love the metal shop. The work there feels so substantial and utterly physical. I’m especially enjoying the contrast against my graphic design job which is sitting at a desk staring into a screen most of the time. I hope to be finished with this by next week so that I can start working on my next project — which is going to involve a ton of welding! #welding #metal shop #wine rack #pnca

Ellen Sollod: Studio Visit

Ellen Sollod is an amazing, thoughtful, and generous Seattle #artist. I had a fantastic studio visit and lunch with her today! Learned all about the trials and tribulations of working in the world of public art. #publicart #studiovisit