the desert

April 19, 2010
Day trip to the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain

Sightings and Events (if memory serves me correct from this trip taken a couple weeks ago):
wind farms and date trees on the way there, a really tan guy in a speedo (corvette guy) photographing himself, flocks of giant pelican-like birds, ice cream truck (nothing beats a strawberry shortcake ice cream in the warm desert sun), bone/barnacle/specimen collecting, plenty of tilapia carcasses on the shores (and people fishing for them too), Salvation Mountain (that’s all made out of bales of hay, tires, and TONS of paint!) and getting a tour from Leonard Knight, half-buried homes and trailers, and a beautiful salt crystallized mechanical crane…

on the path to work

April 12, 2010

‘still waters run deep’

April 2, 2010


This is the other piece I recently finished for the “Common Threads” show. Similar in nature to my ‘Silent Sorrows’ piece, which has a hundred flesh-like rocks raining down from the ceiling, this work also uses the tear-like stones and chain. But instead of a massive downpour, this is simply a single line which emanates from a little plant. They are connected. There is the struggle of sorrow. But there is also endurance. And hope.

‘make haste slowly’

One thing I noticed at the gallery at Coastline Community College were these 3 inch diameter support beams that were sort of in the middle of the space. You can’t just move them since they’re part of the structure and I wanted to make a piece that would interact with them. Since I’ve always been drawn to details outside like plants growing out of cracks in the sidewalk, I decided to embrace the cement crack that was already there and create this vine/plant (made of bronze) that is entwining itself up the pipe. It was such a small detail in the gallery that I am unsure as to how many people actually noticed it, but that is partially what I find interesting about it.

Slinkachu

April 1, 2010



Okay, so it comes to no surprise (to anyone in the arts and education) to see miniature people from model shops being used in art work. In fact, sometimes it gets to be really redundant. Sure, they’re small and cute, but then what? Why? Then this weekend my mom (who is not an artist but is curious by nature and has an amazingly open and creative mind!) showed me this book “Little People in the City” by Slinkachu (UK based artist). The images/installations are hilarious and contemplative with the perfect blend of cleverness and commentary on urban life and its dwellers.These tiny lives parallel our own (indeed, they are set-up in and around the city), and give us a chance to not only notice something small but make us take a closer look at our surroundings and actions.

peach blossoms

March 31, 2010

It’s spring and that means plants are in bloom (and my allergies)! The Helen Borcher peach trees are vibrant with their pink blossoms. When I was in undergrad, I used to think these peach trees were a genetic defect because the ‘peaches’ that later materialized were small, inedible, and sometimes oddly-shaped like siamese twins. I would dream up stories in my head about what toxins must have altered these poor peaches. Further research led me to discover that the Helen Borcher trees are just another of nature’s species (reminds me of story of apples in The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan) and they’re specifically known for their beautiful flowers.

peachy keen…again

It seemed like people really liked the design of the original ‘peachy keen’ earrings but they were designed for stretched earlobes. So I recently redesigned another pair that are made especially for standard sized ear piercings!
See them in my etsy shop..

Russian wood house

March 30, 2010
by Nikolai Sutyagin

Custom ring

February 14, 2010

Recently finished this custom made ring and sent it to it’s happy new home! Sizing for ring designs that deviate from the standard circle shape proves to be challenging but they’re also good problem solving projects!

swirly keen

February 5, 2010

New earring design that are made out of two dangling components so their movement, size, and design make them a lot of fun! I think they’re a good alternative to the ‘peachy keen’ design, which are made for stretched earlobes.

www.aprilkawaoka.etsy.com

ps…the variable necklace below sold and it going to a good home!