Micro-Expedition, Session 4

curve batten

Willey, Jack, Luke and Sean work together to loft full scale contours

During session 4 of Micro-Expedition, my Atelier class at CCA, most of the students began to loft to full scale, lifting lines from their 1/4 scale models, which they had cut into sections at structural stations. They made battens from thin strips of redwood for tracing curves, and worked collaboratively to hold the battens in position to draw their carefully measured contours. ????? ??????? ???? ?????? 2024 The boat-building is at a critical stage, before the molds are connected, and accuracy is essential. ???? ????? ?????? Any changes to the shape of the sectional molds will alter the shape of the hull. At this stage in the project, I’m eager to emphasize the importance of craft, of skilled handwork in assuring safety, durability and functionality, trusting that aesthetics will follow suit.

molds1bandsawsurfboat model2loftingsurfboat model

Before cutting his 1/4 scale model into sections, Peter made minor alterations to the hull of his surfboat SUP after sealing the bottom and making a float test. ?????? ?????? ????

To follow the progress of Micro-Expedition, please click here and scroll down.

October Swell

october swell

the SW swell has arrived earlier than usual at Doran, bringing steady chest high waves

I’ve tried to spend a little time each day shaping my 10-6, solid wood longboard, and it’s finally beginning to look ride-able. With the early arrival of the southwest swell at Doran Beach, I’m encouraged to speed things up, fair the hull, clear coat it with resin and get out there. online casino saudi arabia There’s been a steady handful of surfers when the tide is right, with reports of overhead waves early last week. ????? ??? Shaping my longboard has been a great way to get an upper body workout in preparation, while both relaxing and focusing my mind. ??????? ?????? 2024

Life and work seem to require that we switch constantly between being active participants and passive receptors, yet we tend to seek experiences that blend the two into a kind of generative combo- a great conversation, cooking or making something, playing music or sports, etc. Part of what appeals to me about surfing is how it fosters a state of active receptivity at its most elemental level, where the goal is simply to occupy that state.

longboard

my 10-6 longboard is almost ready for final shaping and sanding

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Design for Quiddity

cedar cabinet

I reserved the best of the clear and quarter-sawn stock for cabinets and doors

Today when my interior design project in Marin passed final inspections and the stress of pushing for completion began to recede, I was reminded of my initial inspiration- to make a place that has a distinct smell, identifiable with local flora. Whenever I travel back to the East Coast and spend time in old farmhouses and barns, I find a visceral comfort in the sweet, woody perfume of white pine and oak, still resonant in buildings over 100 years old. While the equivalent can be found throughout the Sierra, I wanted the same effect in the densely populated Bay Area, especially for the rustic interior I’ve prepared over the past year for a Guest House nestled among live oak, buckeye and coast redwood trees. I wanted the guests of the cottage to experience an instant calm the moment they walk inside, to associate the perfume of deodar cedar with the enveloping glow of its grain. I will be curious to experience how the smell of the cottage develops over the years.

Craft is most rewarding when it continues to engage all of the senses over time.

To read more about the development of the Guest House interior, click here and scroll down.


Micro-Expedition, Session 3

float test

Jack and Willey did a float test of their matching, 1/4 scale hull models

I feel lucky to have such a congenial and productive crew for my Atelier class this semester. The students presented their 1/4 scale models the morning of our third session and have clearly divided into four teams, each collaboratively pursuing a different hull type appropriate to the scope of the Expedition.

folding dinghy modelstitching pattern

Dean made a beautiful study model of his team’s folding dinghy concept

Continue reading “Micro-Expedition, Session 3”

Shadowshop

shadowshop

Stephanie Syjuco’s Shadowshop project opens at SFMOMA this November

My friend, the artist Stephanie Syjuco, has invited me to participate in her Shadowshop project at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, opening this November through May, 2011:

“A temporary and alternative store/distribution point embedded within the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s fifth floor galleries, Shadowshop will stock hundreds of artists’ multiples, small works, tchotchkes, catalogs, books, zines, media works, and other distributive creative output.

While operating as an actual mom-and-pop style store, Shadowshop is also a platform for exploring the ways in which artists are navigating the production, consumption, and dissemination of their work. ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?????? Four themes (1. artwork-as-commodity, 2. cultural souvenirs, 3. bootlegs and counterfeits, and 4. alternative distribution systems) will contextualize selected projects that are both complicit with and also critical of capitalist circulation. Special projects will be commissioned by Packard Jennings, Juan Luna-Avin, and Imin Yeh. ??? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ????????

For six months (November 2010—May 2011) Shadowshop will feature only local Bay Area works, give museum visitors access to a wide variety of affordable wares, and provide a snapshot of a vibrant and energetic art scene.”

I plan to take the opportunity to launch the Deep Craft brand by introducing my Deep Deck Longboard and a series of experiments in skate deck design and related, ancillary products.

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House of Tree

house of tree

My client will soon plant a hedge of bay laurel to camouflage the front of the tower

Though not technically a ‘tree house’ because it makes no connection to any tree, the elevated cabin I designed for a local client has all of the hallmarks of one: 360 degree views through the trees, rustic accommodations, no utilities, and a feeling of being apart from everything but closer to nature. The structure is fully permitted, utilizing an innovative system of helical anchors and tension/compression diagonal bracing. ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???????? ????? 2022 I called it a ‘Free-Standing Observation Tower’ on the plans, but my client has taken to calling it the more poetic  ‘House of Tree’.

It’s been very exciting watching the structure take shape as it nears completion under the capable hands of Tom Holland and Richard Ernst. ???? ?????? ??? ??? ????????? By the end of October, we should have windows and doors installed, a roof in place, siding from redwood milled on the property, and all stairs, landings and rails in place. My client is eager to furnish the interior before the rains begin. ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? 2023

treehouse view

view to the southeast (shot with my phone)

To read more about the development of ‘House of Tree’, please click here and scroll down.

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Micro-Expedition, Session 2

buckboard model

I made a 1/4 scale model of the ‘surfboat’ I’ve been studying to use as inspiration for the class. The design represents a type of hull that performs well and is easy to build, requiring no ‘building jig’. The frame for the boat is built off of the main ‘deck batten’, laid upside down on the floor. I encouraged the class to use this concept as a design/build control mechanism as they develop their own ideas, making minor alterations to the overall proportions to suit the requirements of the desired performance of their ideal craft. Most students began by carving study models in foam or wood, which they will cut into sections and translate into construction frame models like the one pictured above. Here’s a little gallery of some of the work progress from our last session: Continue reading “Micro-Expedition, Session 2”