Around the autumn equinox is typically our hottest, driest time of year, with golden brown fields and chalk dry dust under the orchard trees, now barren after harvest. The tips of the redwood branches have turned an orange-y yellow, and happily soak up the sea fog of a rare night. I can feel the rains […]
Category Archives: studio process
Collaborative Agitprop
Scoping a site for Watershed Field Research in Fruitvale One of the most rewarding aspects of a collaborative working relationship is that both the relationship and the work it produces tend to improve over time. Whenever Ene and I (aka wowhaus) perform field research for one of our public projects, we pay as close attention […]
The Quiet Mechanics of Country Life
Here the soils of daily washing stay on the land, conveyed by gravity through pipes to the leach fields to join the earth of the tree duff, filtering fresh rainfall to replenish the dwelling well. Meanwhile the ferrous field well spews rustily over the garden, adding a mineral edge to the lusty bite of a […]
Running Fence Revisited
vintage Running Fence poster, tacked to the side of a barn in Bloomfield, CA What a rare treat when a work of art actually affects the course of everyday life for everyday people. Dozens gathered yesterday in Bloomfield, West Sonoma County to greet the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of […]
ASR Dispatch: Sustainability the New Cool?
Young skateboarders showing off their tricks on the floor of the ASR trade show The buzz in the ASR seminar rooms hints that skateboarding is suffering from no longer being as cool as it was a few years ago. Its hipness seems to have peaked when skater shoes crossed-over and saturated the mainstream market. Also, […]
Old School Market Research
I’m taking a deep breath before I fly down to San Diego to dive into a couple of days of market research at the ASR (Action Sports Retailer) Conference. I will be scoping out the viability of my Deep Deck TM, an innovative, solid wood interpretation of the classic homemade, old school longboards of yore. […]
The Week in Bloom
After more than three years on the land we’re getting a better feel for the rhythm of the garden and the fruit trees and have successfully stocked the larder with treats for the rainy season to come. Working with friends and neighbors, we’ve harvested and pressed all of our Gravensteins, which yielded about 20 gallons […]