flora/form

Unravel opens at Skagit Valley College

2011-11-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Performing a deinstallation

2011-11-15T21:02:00.001-08:00

After what amounted to a languid eight month run in the Seattle Storefronts program, Pollinatrix was deinstalled on November 1. A street performance ensued, in which elements of the piece were given away to passersby, who in turn indicated they would photograph the work where it landed after they took it away. These images will be chronicled in the Pollinatrix blog, here. Anyone interested in participating in further dissemination of this project should contact me at thepollinatrix(at)gmail(dot)com.

Special thanks to photographer Tom Schworer for the images in this posting, and to Doug Nufer for riding his bike over in order to be the first in line.

Pollinatrix blooming

2011-06-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Installation view on Friday evening with color!

Seattle Storefront Opening

2011-04-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Pollinatrix will officially open tonight, April 7:

Please join Storefronts Seattle, along with Shunpike, SCIDpda, the Alliance for Pioneer Square, the Seattle Office for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development, and the CIDBIA for

FIRST THURSDAY

Thursday, April 7, 5:30 pm - 9pm

in Pioneer Square and the Chinatown / International District for a

HOSTED RECEPTION for the Spring 2011 Round of Storefronts Artists

from 5:30 pm, at the xom fine woodworking gallery, 610 Second Avenue between James and Cherry

featuring a walking tour of the Spring 2011 art and artists:

The Gala Opening of The Poster Museum

The Premiere of new work by Elizabeth Gahan

The Gala Opening of Cassie Hibbert Design

The Premiere of new work by John Fleming

The Premiere of new work by Ben Hirschkoff

An Open House for the New Mystics' new Residency

The Premiere of new work by Romson Regarde Bustillo

The Premiere of new work by Kristin Tollefson

The continuing great work of Allison Piskorowski, Architecture 101, the Seattle Pinball Museum, and xom fine woodworking

"This innovative program is a great collaboration between our

business and art communities. Storefronts Seattle shines a

spotlight on Seattle’s creative sector, brings new life to empty

storefronts and enlivens our neighborhood business districts.”

- Mayor Mike McGinn

Please see http://storefrontsseattle.com for more information about the artists and the opening reception, or email Program Manager Matthew Richter at matthew@shunpike.org

Pollinatrix: Seattle Storefronts

2011-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce an installation entitled Pollinatrix, featured as part of the 2011 Seattle Storefronts program, designed to activate vacant storefronts with art and creative ventures. From March 15 through June 15, the piece can be viewed at all hours of the day or night in the windows of 409 Maynard Avenue South in the International District.

Over the course of the three-month stretch, I will be maintaining a blog about Pollinatrix to document the work and announce time-based engagements with the space. Look here for upcoming acts as they unfold.

What I Gathered

2010-12-02T15:35:00.001-08:00

New small print and sculptural work at the Bainbridge Island Library December 3 - 30, with an opening reception this Friday, December 3 from 5-7pm.

Raintree

2010-11-16T12:45:00.001-08:00

More images from a busy summer of public art. Raintree is located in the stormwater runoff pond at the newly redesigned Cromwell Park in Shoreline. A collaboration between Public Works and the Parks and Recreation Department, this park was transformed from a flat grass lot to an undulating, functional and more naturalized gathering place.

Many logs were unearthed from the boggy ground during regrading, some of which remain exposed as landscaping features. This work draws influence from them, the purpose of the site, and the flow that occurs between the exchange of water there.

Dew Beads

2010-06-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Dew Beads, dedicated July 2010 in Shoreline's Hamlin Park.

Ivy Art at Blakely Harbor Park

2010-06-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the culmination of months of work done in Blakely Harbor Park by 7th and 8th grade students from Odyssey Middle School. They made numerous trips to the site to pull English Ivy from a site at the water's edge, test water quality and learn about the site's history.

Their teacher, Elizabeth Vroom, applied for funding from the Bainbridge Schools Foundation, the BIAHC Arts Consortium, and the Wendy Jackson Hall Memorial Mentorship Fund to add an art component to their investigations, which allowed me to come and work with her class. Over the course of three visits, students learned about site-specific and ephemeral environmental installation artwork, conceptualized their sculptural work for the site, articulated these visions in words, and created drawings and origami doves for the actual piece.

The day of building and installing was remarkable: in the rain, mud and wind, everyone worked with intention. Teams of 3 and 4 students fabricated their portion of an ivy rope, joined the parts, and suspended the results. The meandering ivy cable circumscribed the site that had been cleared of the non-native invasive, offering a surprise to passersby (including numerous classes from IslandWood) or conscientious visitors to the park. The work will be up until Sunday morning at 10am, June 6.

Wonderful photos by Larry Steagall of the Kitsap Sun can be seen in conjunction with the article by Tristan Baurick. Video footage will be available shortly at BITV.

Earth Day at Earthworks

2010-06-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Earth Day on April 22 at the Herber Bayer Earthworks at Mill Creek Canyon Park. This magical event was coordinated by Cheryl dos Remedios, and featuring Paul Rucker, Mandy Greer, and Aiko Kinoshita's acornDance troupe. I had great help from Sydney Brown, Taylor Norton and Karina Nyquist, students of mine from Cornish College of the Arts. The leaf boat luminaria on the ring pond were a hit.

The City of Kent produced a lovely video commemorating this event -- see it here.

How to Make a Park: Redmond's Northeast Neighborhood

2009-07-21T11:53:00.001-07:00

Northeast Neighborhood Park sits on the farthest northern edge of incorporated Redmond. A wooded haven in the midst of subdivisions, this park was the subject of a Master Plan conducted by Nakano Associates and a team including wetland biologist Cathie Connolly of ESA Adolfson and me, working as consulting artist and educator.

Watching this project evolve from concept to a work party on July 18, 2009 during which community members built the beginning of their park was awe-inspiring. The amount of support given by the City Council and the Redmond Parks and Recreation Department proves that positive, directed energy regenerates itself.

Heaven & Earth

2009-06-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of the work in Piper's Orchard at Carkeek Park, on display until August 10. For more information, see the Heaven & Earth website.

Lace Leaf Bicycle Racks

2009-05-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Lace Leaf Bike Racks are sprouting on the sidewalks of downtown Kent, WA, this spring! Special consideration was given to the function of the racks as well as their style; designed for parking two bicycles, these racks reflect the city's renewed emphasis on health, growth and the natural environment.

Special thanks go to the Kent Downtown Partnership, the Kent Arts Commission, the Kent Planning and Public Works Departments, the panelists on the selection committee, Cheryl dos Remedios, and Dero.

New Bicycle Racks

2008-12-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a preview of the new sculptural bike parking for the Kent Downtown Partnership. Shown is the fabricated frame in its powdercoated state: the proposal drawing depicts the rack with hand painted detail and resin insets, to be completed by the artist. The Lace Leaf Bicycle Racks will be installed in early 2009.

Inside + Outside: Catch + Release installed

2008-10-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

in the Flow

2008-07-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be included in a two-person show with David Eisenhour at Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.

Entitled Two in the Flow, the show features a common thread of organic forms in a variety of materials, and is beautifully hung throughout the gallery. The exhibit is on display July 13 - October 5, 2008.

Work in Progress

2008-07-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

The working model of the sculpture, held in place by David Strauss and ably assisted by Chris Armes, both of SHKS Architects. Constructed of a true madrona branch and red painted paper, the piece serves as an indicator of scale and overall appearance for the indoor sculpture.

Context and Initial Thoughts

2008-07-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom:
Arbutus menziesii illustration, courtesy of Southwest School of Botanical Medicine's fabulous resource.
Bead/Flow, installation by the artist at Port Angeles Fine Art Center, Washington.
Pomegranate detail of bronze frame sculpture at Aereoporto Galileo Galilei, Pisa, Italy.
Ilex pollen grain illustration by the artist.
Stair and railing detail of Magnolia library 34th street entrance.

Beginning

2008-07-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Children waiting for the opening of the original Magnolia Bluff Station of the Seattle Public Library. The window, the anticipation, the treasures inside.

Catch + Release

2008-07-14T06:37:00.001-07:00

The Magnolia Public Library opened this weekend, and featured Catch + Release, a new pair of sculptures that inhabit spaces in and out of the newly constructed meeting room addition by SHKS Architects.

Designed to connect interior and exterior spaces by relating to this lovely south-facing window of the library, the works refer both to the madrona tree around which the original library and landscape architecture was conceived and to the function of the library as disseminator and patrons as collectors of information.

The work is made of steel and hand-cast polyurethane resin.

Branch with Berries

2008-06-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

Magnolia Library Artwork

2008-05-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

Catch + Release is a pair of site-specific sculptures created for the Magnolia Library: a branch suspended from the ceiling of the meeting room above the south window and a basket outside the south window. The pieces connect interior to exterior, recall the landscape history of the Magnolia Library site and allude to the function of the library and the patrons who use it.

The interior branch is woven of blackened annealed steel wire using a basket technique, and studded with large, handmade red and orange polyurethane resin beads. This structure hangs from the ceiling at an angle that is visible from the main part of the library, gesturing toward the south window. This window forms a connection to the exterior basket, which is located just outside. Constructed of stainless steel, additional cast resin beads are suspended on the basket’s vertical ribs. Light and shadow also link the two sculptures: the branch is lit from a high angle toward the south wall, broadcasting shadowy lines from the wire and ghostly color from the resin, while the basket is lit from below, illuminating the “berries” and reflecting off the basket in the dark.

The madrona tree around which the original building and landscape architecture was designed provides the conceptual framework for Catch + Release. The suspended branch and its resin beads mimic the mature fruiting arbutus, and invite nature inside the building; outside, the basket captures additional berries. The title Catch + Release refers to these actions of fruiting and gathering, paired activities of nature and humans that work as a metaphor for the relationship between library as information provider and patrons as collectors and disseminators.

Leafboat Benches at Hiawatha Artists Lofts

2008-04-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

These resin and steel benches can be seen at the Hiawatha Artists' Lofts on Charles Street, just a block to the east of Rainier Avenue South. The seats suggest leaf boats made by children to float down streams, relating to the bioswale/raingarden they flank. The leaves are both archetypical shapes and specific to the site: Scarlet Oak, Vine Maple and Serviceberry. This project was sponsored jointly by Artspace and a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Grant.

Pollen

2008-03-23T15:08:00.001-07:00

Redmond Elementary School, Redmond, WA

Tools for Creativity

2008-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Quarter Century Edition of The Paradise of Childhood A Practical Guide to Kindergartners By Edward Wiebé, Henry Wolcott Blake

Amazing writing, turn of the century, on early childhood learning and creativity, with illustrations. This work is based on Freidrich Froebel's vision for education of young children, in which " The kindergarten was essentially tri-partite:

toys for sedentary creative play (these Froebel called gifts and occupations)
games and dances for healthy activity
observing and nurturing plants in a garden for stimulating awareness of the natural world

It was a search for metaphysical unity, in which the potential growth to wholeness of the individual child within the natural world would fulfill an harmonious ideal... " Peter Weston in The Froebel Educational Institute: the Origins and History of the College, found reprinted at http://www.froebelweb.org/.

See a beautiful collection of the Twenty Gifts promoted by Froebel at The Institute for Figuring and think about how those transcend their use for children into sculptural forms that stand on their own.

The Seed

2007-12-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

Here, gratitude for Jake Seniuk and his beautiful writing about the Seed exhibit currently on display at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center. He sees the work:

"A pairing of then and now by Bainbridge Island artist Kristin Tollefson expresses the seed theme in its very imagery, as well as in its power to bridge the decades. The crayon scribbling of her Mother’s Day Card (1973), age five and a half, is typical of the first inklings of landscape stirring in many a tot.

Tollefson’s yen for the third dimension, however, is already there too, as she builds up the flat surface by gluing strands of colorful yarn to trace plant stems with raised lines. Flash forward thirty-four years and yarn and flower have evolved into mixed media wall sculptures, three-dimensional drawings that combine fabric, beads, wires and metals into enlarged plant forms, whose textural amplification of line and shape appeals as much to the touch as to the eye."

More of the exhibit and Jake's lovely prose here.

40blooms

2007-11-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

I've embarked on a 40 day art celebration of my 40th birthday at www.40blooms.blogspot.com. The daily entries will continue from November 14 through December 23, 2007.

Lawn Branding

2007-10-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine a sculpture that leaves a resist image by suffocating the grass below it.

Flora Bicycle Racks

2007-10-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

These racks are designed to line up in sequence to form a full bloom, or to stand individually as floral gestures. See the racks in person at Florera Greenlake in Seattle, down the street from Gregg's Greenlake Cycle, by the end of November. (Update 3/12/08: The racks are now installed and available for use!)

WaterLogs + Leaf/Hull in the summer

2007-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Twig

2007-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

A new wall sculpture for private commission -- reconnecting with wire on a larger scale. Featured in the Northwest Sculptors slide show.

Refuge

2007-08-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Arts in Nature Festival, sponsored by the Nature Consortium at Camp Long in West Seattle. In addition to the festival performances, artists use the 1930s scout cabins as spaces within which to mount artwork relating to sound and installation.

Refuge explored the idea of the small dwelling as sacred space. Using light, sound, scent and handmade artistic elements, the work underscored the sweetness of the intimate and the transcendent aspects of the cabin’s interior.

Upon entering the cabin, the viewer experiences a surrounding sounds of water, recorded at Swan Lake, Montana, earlier this summer, and mixed into a braided loop of sound, all by the artist. This is accompanied by the smell of baking bread and glasses of water and plates of bread on the table surfaces. Low-hanging lights illuminate the lower bunks of three beds, made up with white sheets and paper quilts constructed out of architectural house plans, vintage encyclopedia pages, and botanical illustrations drawn by the artist.

Notions of minimal existence, solitude, and comfort emerge from this sensory envelope.

Bead/Flow

2007-06-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Now on display at Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Bead/Flow is comprised of hundreds of translucent plastic beads remaindered from the costume jewelry industry in Providence, Rhode Island and repurposed as organic growth on the surface of a decaying log.

Webster's Woods is open to the public during daylight hours year-round, and can be found at 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles, WA, ½ mile east of Race Street behind the Jones Street water dome. Admission is free. http://www.pafac.org/

Bubblering

2007-05-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

I am spending happy time with this piece after it returned from a year and a half at the SeaTac Airport. Made of steel and lampworked glass pips, which are caged in sleeves of knit tinned copper wire.

The Growing Line

2007-03-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

From February 12 to May 5, 2007, an installation entitled The Growing Line is visible at all hours of the day and night in the Tacoma Contemporary (TaCo) windows of the old Woolworth's Building. Located at the corner of 11th and Broadway in the living heart of downtown Tacoma, the piece is best seen on foot.

Using wire as a drawing tool, lighting, cast shadows, and the play of actual drawings on the wall, I created a handmade, industrial growing environment that changes as the light changes throughout the day.

Haven

2007-03-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I was fortunate to participate in a group show in Pullman, WA, curated by Samantha DiRosa. Titled In(n) and Out of Nowhere, it took place in 12 rooms of the Cougar Land Motel for one evening only. Each of the rooms was transformed into an installation that answered the question, "How does the space perform?" Samantha explains, "The artists were asked to transform the room, while considering the motel room’s many potential contexts. There were some challenges, however: artists were not allowed to remove any contents from the room, and they were prohibited from using the room as a traditional gallery space. They would have from check-in time to 7pm to install, and the room would be returned to its original state by check-out time the following day.

This project brought together artists and architects from the Palouse region as well as the Seattle area. Their diverse installations gave form to such themes as travel, transience, isolation, desire, and the boundary between public and private space, among other ideas."

The link to photos of the show on Samantha DiRosa's website is here.

More Montlake

2007-01-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

The opening reception at the Montlake Community Center was amazingly well-attended on a wildly stormy night last Friday, January 5. It was great to see so many people who had been involved in the process of the work from the preliminary interview for the artwork opportunity through the final delivery and installation. Here's a shot of the work in the plaza with the new addition by Carlson Architects in the background. Read more about the project on the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs' website.

Leaf/Hull & WaterLogs

2007-01-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

The Montlake Community Center sculpture has been installed, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building and artwork will take place this Friday, January 5, 2007 from 6:30 to 8:30pm on site at 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle, WA.

The work is comprised of two distinct and related sculptures that flank and embrace the plaza at the Community Center. Leaf/Hull is a stainless steel form that draws influence from the tree-lined perimeter of the center's playfields and from the human maritime tradition adjacent to the site. WaterLogs is comprised of seven fir poles that were reclaimed from the bottom of Lake Union. Handcarved to suggest adze marks, the logs reference curved fingers on a hand, pier pilings encrusted with barnacles, tree trunks, and concrete pylons supporting the nearby bridge.

new work

2006-09-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

This new body of work represents a lightening, an embrace of cycles and life. Shown last month at the Gallery at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts, the work also illustrates a continuation of my interest in found and industrial materials and the correlation between adornment and organic forms.

beginning

2005-12-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

this blog features the art and design work of kristin tollefson, and her business flora/form.

inspired by organic and manufactured worlds, the work touches the personal and public in its range of scale from jewelry to large, permanent sculpture.