http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/ en Copyright 2012 Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:27:17 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss www.sonyaphilip.com/blog.]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2012/01/moved_1.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2012/01/moved_1.html Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:27:17 -0800 Earlier this year, I came across photos of Mari Andrews' studio online. I had the pleasure of visiting it and talking with her about her work. It is a magical place. I was amazed by her collection of seeds, sand, pine cones, drift wood, the list is really endless. There were jars on shelves, lending each the look of specimens. It was a veritable cabinet of curiosity. It was clear that they were both models and raw material. With this interest, I had a sense of her art as an exploration, which was very resonant. I was immediately attracted to her wire forms, the loose circular shapes some had of course appealed to me. Andrews considers them drawings, which took me by surprise, since they appear so very sculptural. But looking at them, I was able to see the wire's delicate intricacy as marks of a pen and the wall as paper. Andrews uses materials such as stone, leaves and lichen in many of her pieces, but also works with the man-made in a seamless and unassuming manner. Her use of steel wool, plastic strapping and garden wire was a delight. These utilitarian elements were recast and made beautiful. They were removed from context and reinserted into an organic one. It was both surprising and unsettling. It made me wonder if the environment was taking them back or if through mimesis the manufactured was replacing nature. A visit to her website is a must. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/09/on_andrews.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/09/on_andrews.html Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:09:10 -0800 The FourSquared opening reception was amazing - lots of people, lots of friends and so much positive feedback!]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/opening.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/opening.html Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:06:09 -0800 Here's a peek at the work for a show called FourSquared, with 16 artists, making a series of 16 pieces. Mine are a part of my ongoing Ordinary Objects project, but since I was constrained to a certain size, 12 new objects were made specifically for the show. The opening reception is tomorrow night, August 27th, from 7:00-10:00pm at Arc Gallery, 1246 Folsom Street at 9th in San Francisco. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/peek.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/peek.html Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:47:07 -0800 Last week I sent off three of my Ordinary Objects to be a part of the show in-organic, curated by Jennifer Hunhold. There's quite a lot of talented people and I'm very grateful to be among them. Cannot wait to see photos.]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/inorganic.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/inorganic.html Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:19:53 -0800 There's work going on behind the scenes to revamp my website - specifically adding a database to make updating the portfolio section easier. I'll get back to regular posting soon! http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/reconstruction.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/reconstruction.html Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:23:39 -0800 Prepping for a show, the acrylic boxes abound. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/boxes.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/boxes.html Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:33:42 -0800 I am knitting a large square. Later this month it will make its way to New York and from there, Cheongju Korea, to be a part of Robyn Love's installation Avenue of Trees. For more information on the project, because many squares (knit or crocheted) are needed, check out the Ravelry group or Robyn's blog.
]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/square.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/square.html Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:34:22 -0800 I'm spending my days making Ordinary Objects for a show at the end of August. Here's a sneak peek. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/production.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/08/production.html Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:20:03 -0800 Deadlines and half-baked childcare (one in camp and the other at home). Summer winding down. Still, stealing moments of studio time to play with some paper yarn, even if it won't lead to anything. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/play.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/play.html Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:06:10 -0800 Late last week I received a surprise in the mail, yarn from a friend's stash. There was a mix of vintage yarn, including this skinny rayon and the lovely Japanese cotton-linen blend. Thank you for thinking of me Mary, I will put it to good use!]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/gift.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/gift.html Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:39:51 -0800 These are my first attempts at embedding sea weed in felt. It looks pretty promising. I'm looking forward to more experimenting, as well as developing the concept for a possible class.]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/sea_felt.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/sea_felt.html Fri, 22 Jul 2011 10:32:43 -0800 Last week I had the unexpected opportunity to hear Andy Goldsworthy speak, an artist whose work I've long admired. I bought a book when I was in college, attracted to the spiral of stones on the cover. Looking back, its fifty five dollar price tag was quite an indulgence. That introduction was followed years later, watching the documentary Rivers and Tides, with the most memorable scene being his reaction when a delicate sculpture of stalks and thorns collapses. It's both muted and devastating. This sort of conflation was something I find true in the work and in the artist. He was both humble and eloquent. During the talk, he would search his computer for a photo to project on the screen, but when the wrong photo would pop up accidentally, he would launch into an explanation or story about that photo, wether it was about an upcoming installation in St. Louis or a run in with a Fox News security guard while trying to make a rain shadow in New York. It was a refreshing change from the very slickly produced way I am used to viewing artists and writers (think TED talks) and also made the sheer breadth of his work very clear. There is the tandem of the ephemeral and permanent works and within that division the variety of the materials used is rich and varied. Over the weekend I visited his three installations in San Francisco, Spire and the still in progress Wood Line in the Presidio; and Drawn Stone at the entrance to the de Young. It was an experience made richer coming on the heels of the talk. Goldsworthy made a point of noting how the site of the Spire was out in the open in an uncharacteristic look-at-me placement, but how, in time the newly planted cypress saplings would grow, hiding it from view. His interest in the temporal effects of nature was evident, but also a great humility. He shared an anecdote of how thrilled he was to hear of a graduate student at Stanford giving a visiting museum director a tour, not knowing there was an Andy Goldsworthy piece on the campus. I came away from the talk with the impression that he is the type of person that finds everything interesting and felt a kinship with that inquiring mind. It also got me thinking about the question of purpose in my own work, about writing and more clearly defining the nature of my own practice. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/post.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/post.html Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:10:33 -0800 Some photos from the install. The curator, Jeremy Sanders did a great job pairing my work with Heather Robinson's paintings. Together, they create a nice visual counterpoint. The show is up until August 7th.]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/show_1.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/show_1.html Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:33:52 -0800 I spent a week at the beach at the end of June and was drawn to kelp in all its variety of shapes. My kids had great fun collecting the huge tangles washing up with the waves. ]]> http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/kelp.html http://www.sonyaphilip.com/blog/2011/07/kelp.html Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:08:34 -0800