2011EL@5338SHP

1989 Dream

Go here to see the video piece in the 5x7 show.

5X7 at the Arthouse

This week is the annual 5x7 show at Arthouse/Jones Center.   Tickets for the Friday night sale are available, and get you a chance to grab something great for your collection at a bargain price -- each piece in the show is $100. Plus the evening is always lots of fun, great food and drink, and high energy.  My favorite show and opening every year!  All proceeds go to Arthouse to support their exhibitions and other programs.  Support the arts in Austin!

This year I have a new video piece, the first video to be included in the show. It's a single channel video, about 3 minutes long, with music and spoken word audio that I wrote and recorded. The video imagery was shot in Marfa.  

And a big thanks to Jonathan at Austin Outdoor Studio for generously donating his skills and making the welded steel frame for the LCD monitor. Whoever buys this one is getting a steal! Jonathan does amazing work, everything from outdoor planters to doors, gates, retaining walls, water features, and much, much more. If you can design it, he can make it!  And if you can dream it, he can design it, too!  

Info:  Arthouse 5x7 Splurge and Exhibition

When:  Friday May 15 7:30-10:30

2009 marks the 10th Anniversary of Five x Seven (also known as 5 x 7), Arthouse’s annual fundraiser, art splurge and exhibition, and this year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever. Five x Seven is an art sale and exhibition benefiting Arthouse exhibitions and educational programs. Hundreds of recognized contemporary artists with strong Texas ties create unique works of art on identical 5” x 7” boards. Each board is only $100. With hundreds of works to choose from, this is your chance to have first pick and build or add to your art collection. All pieces are displayed anonymously – only when you purchase a work of art will you discover who created it.

One of Austin’s most unique artistic events . . . you can't afford to miss it!

A few updates, and FLOWERS!

The new colors and entry are beginning to come together, though there is still a LOT on the drawing table to come --  The wildflowers in the back yard really came through, and are still producing new blooms!  I'll spread more seed next year.  Repainted the old red Ikea benches Mindful Grey to match the house trim, and the front door is Tricorn Black, like the trellises. New flat black pots tie it together, along with the flat black water vase out front.  So many other projects and interests taking my attention away from the house, but expect to keep working away at various projects over the summer and into the fall.

entry steps stained grey

water fountain vase

another view

gray benches, black door, new pot

just a sampling of the wildflower mix in the backyard

Save Your Dog - Sugar-free gum warning

I got an email from my friend Vicki about this, and sent it on to a few friends.  In passing, I mentioned it to my Photography 2 class, and one of those students just told me that his dog was saved this weekend by this information.  So, I'm putting it here as I know many of my friends and neighbors have dogs AND eat sugar-free gum!  If your dogs are like my Henry, they will eat anything, so go to this link for all the info on the dangers of xylitol and your dog.

white metal/black metal

What a week!  Spent inauguration day in Chicago, the happiness was evident everywhere!  Though it was a short trip, I managed to make my pilgrimage down Michigan Ave. to see how work was progressing on Piano's Art Institute addition.  It is beautiful.  Go here to see some of my point/shoot pix from the trip, including an icy river, Piano's building, and some scenes shot from the train at sunset.  Not great photography, but a great city.

Today, D&W painters returned to do some touch-up and then to clean the rust off my trellises, prime and paint them a glossy black, SW Tricorn Black, which is just a clean, pure, basic rich black.  Go here for a full set of pix taken late in the day and at sunset.  I love how the white house now reflects the color of the light and sky, turning blue in the shadows and yellow as the sun goes down.  The black metal does a similar thing, picking up the blue reflections of the sky.  

Hoping to push this exterior re-do further along this weekend, and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel on this one.  And looking forward to upcoming trips to Chicago in the coming weeks.  The Piano building opens mid-May, can't wait.

After/Before

Phase One of the repaint is complete.  A couple of revisions in process, to be expected, on the studio colors.  After seeing the studio siding painted gray and the fascia burgundy, realized that the entire house needed to be one color palette -- all the siding is now Moderne White, the soffits Take Five and the fascia Mindful Gray.  All are Sherwin Williams Duration paint. The siding was a challenge due to the large expanse of the profile and satin finish of the paint. That caused a lot of uneven areas in spite of multiple attempts to get it to look as it should. D&W Painting did the work, and made it look right in the end; I'm happy with the result.

Up next are the awnings and then the galvalume roofing panels.  Then the doors and remaining metal.  There's still some of the old red lurking about here and there; white primer will cover it soon.

Here are a couple of before and after shots.  The front window treatment was also installed last week, so things are starting to pull together, inside and out.  It took a few days to adjust to the very different feel of the house in its new colors!  After a lot of second guessing and multiple "final decisions" about what colors to use, I'm glad this project is moving forward and is on-track.  It will make a much better background to the new landscaping coming in fall 09.

After:

Before:

Paint Update

LOUSY weather for painting the past couple of weeks!  Wind.  Cold.  Damp.  Fog.  Repeat.  Finally, today a good break, so some Christmas Eve decking of the halls!  

Here are some process pictures even as the painters continue to work.  

below:  sample boards of the final color tests.  i bought 24x30" canvases on sale at Jerry's Artorama, and painted each one a test color, two coats, a total of nine boards.  Once they served their purposed, the test boards were re-purposed and hung in a grid in the living room.

Here are the final sections, all within one shade of the first palette based on tiny swatches. They all feel a bit lighter and brighter on the house itself, due to the expanse of siding and the sheen.

below:  the photo is somewhat misleading, but here is the Moderne White on the siding, Take Five (blue) on the soffit, Mindful Gray on the fascia and gutter.  The downspout isn't painted yet.  The red above the window will be gray, too.  The cmu will be painted last, a color called Dovetail.  The windows here are taped off.  In the photo, the soffit and fascia look almost the same, but they aren't.  

below:  detail of same area as in photo above.    

below:  detail showing soffit and fascia/gutter colors.  the top bluegreen is actually the sky! i'm glad we kept the soffits blue, in the tests it felt more gray, but it was all relative to the old colors.  compared to the old soffit color, this one is much more neutral, lighter and cleaner.   so far, the colors are coming together perfectly!  and after the final coats and touch up work are done, it will look great.  I'll still need to paint all the doors and metal work, and hope the weather is good over the next couple of weeks so it can all be finished.

Splitting Hairs

Tweaking the house paint colors.

Here are three off-whites for the siding.  The original pick, when tested on a larger area, proved too yellow.  These options are virtually the same, minus the yellow-tinge.  The metal work needs to relate to the siding, so the final choice for that will happen once the siding is painted, hopefully within the next two weeks!  

The bottom, darker color is Repose Gray.  The middle is Repose Gray lightened 50%.  The top is Moderne White.  

On the rails are a few colors, Balmy, Repose Gray, Misty, Alabaster, etc.  All are good, and all are within a fine line of the original palette (see previous post below).  At this point, it's all about how the colors look in a large expanse and how they relate to each other under various lighting conditions.  It helped to ban certain colors, both inside and out -- green, bright red and brown. OK as accents, but just got really tired of them as the dominant scheme.  Have to draw the line somewhere!  

While waiting for a final bids from the painters, work moved inside.  Painting the interior doors white to match the walls.  Changing out some hardware here and there.  Have the concept drawings for the landscaping from Digit, and love the direction that's going!  In another year, with all these projects completed, the house, inside and out, will finally realize its potential. The style is understated, but not dull.  Elegant in a somewhat industrial way.  Vernacular in the landscaping and in the basic bones of the house as well.  

Lots to do this month, more photos to come.

Primer

Priming is slow.  Really slow.

Back railings with old red oxide primer. 

earlier this week, some primer on the lower areas

New Paint

Finally, new paint is going on the metal rails.  It looks lighter in the photos than it is, color is a funny, hard thing.  This color, after many tests, is two steps down from white, but on the metal, it feels white.  But it isn't!  I think that once the siding gets repainted a much lighter shade, the rails won't feel so light in comparison to the house.  ANYWAY -- here are some recent photos.  At this rate, it will take until Christmas to finish as this is a DIY job. Fortunately, the siding, soffit and fascia will be done pro-style, and much faster, too. Landscaping plans are taking shape as well, while it will be a while before the new entry and landscape work is done, it feels really good to have it exist on paper.  More on that project later, which will not happen until mid-2009.

Here are some pix:

below:  the original color, red metal everywhere.  i did like it,  with some mixed feelings, but with the more recent very green backdrop to the west, just had to make a change, red and green paint, when seen together, just didn't work for me.  since my work involves working with color (in photography and video), i'm hyper sensitive to colors.  they have to be right, and the larger context really matters.  there were some colors/shades i thought would be good for the rails, then i realized i only like them when they were viewed against the sky.  these rails are always seen against either the house or the ground, so......

below: transition, here is some really white primer with some of the old red paint.

below: some test areas -- the gray on the left is for the cmu block, the blue is for the soffit. the lower rails have their first coat of the light grey paint, called Repose Gray.  We thought originally that they'd be the same pale blue of the soffit, but once the test was painted, it didn't feel right.  This pale gray will be the perfect foil for the grasses and other things to come in the landscape.  The support posts will probably be painted a much darker brownish-gray color with a green cast that feels very much like tree bark,  maybe a color I used before on some trellises that I wanted to blend into the woods in Bastrop, called Black Alder.  With the support posts painted a darker color, the metal above will really float, and the posts will blend in with the landscaping.  the sample painted today looked good, but no pix of that yet, still testing some other shades.

below: the new rail color after one coat.  really, it's a light grey, not white! really! and glossy, unlike the old red paint which was flat and beginning to feel chalky after just one year.  the three wooden steps will be stained a light gray to blend them in with the trex decking and other colors on the house.  eventually, those steps will be replaced with a more dramatic entry platform.

below:  near sunset, crazy light

below:  looking west.  there is still a LOT to prime and paint.  hope the weather cooperates over the next several weekends.

below:  the south side yard will eventually look something like this, tall grasses flowing out from under the entry ramp, down the slope to the retaining wall.  there will be some hardscape elements mixed in, as well as some nice native trees, like a Texas Ash, Mexican Plum, etc.  on the right is Mexican feather grass, the left is a muhly, and i'm not sure of the name of the ones in back.  these are at the Long Center.  with the wind today, it was really dramatic!  and the best part, no mowing!!!!

A Fresh Start and Clean Palette (revisedx2)

Well, it's just over a year since I moved here,   SO ---  time to make some changes!  A new exterior palette is coming!  Lighter!  Cleaner!

Hint #1:  the new blog palette. 

Hint #2: Corbusier and Renzo Piano   (Check out this great interview with Piano.)

Hint #3:  see video clip above, by UnterEume

After futile efforts to come up with a set of colors that worked with the many colors in surrounding houses (charcoal, brown, green, red, blue, etc.) I finally decided on a lighter house, white and neutral grays, more reflective of the sun and heat (this dark brown siding is a real heat absorber!). Painting will happen in phases, as time and budget allows. Here are the colors: 
cmu block - SW Dovetail Gray 
metalwork - SW Balmy SW Samovar Silver
soffit - SW Balmy SW Take Five
siding - BM November Rain SW Moderne White
fascia - SW Mindful Gray

So that's the new direction, inspired by Mondrian's elegant use of simple basic colors, Corbusier's color palettes, and also on Piano's massive buildings that just seem to float into the atmosphere. Thanks to Emily for her help in sorting through all the options!

so here are some pix

So much happened with the house this summer, planned and unplanned, it's hard to know where to start.

I don't have a good picture of the finished shower, but want to share some info on that project. There were some issues with the tile. Some structural support was missing in a corner, so that meant a section had to be cut out, the problem fixed, then the area had to be repaired. This took longer than it should due to mistakes that had to be corrected before work could proceed. I ended up doing a lot of the work. The original tile job was never really finished, and that meant that there was old grout haze to remove. I tried scrubbing with water - didn't work. Then vinegar - helped, but still hazy. So finally had to resort to real grout haze remover. That did a pretty good job. Then, I scraped out the old grout from the entire shower. It is one inch tile, so that was hard. Some broken and chipped tiles were replaced (I learned it is pretty easy to do that yourself!) Then the whole thing had to be really cleaned up, there was thinset that was between some tiles I had to dig out (that is hard and tedious). Then, finally, I had the entire shower regrouted. Then, that grout haze had to be removed (but that was easier since it was fresh and hadn't set in so much.) Are you still with me? We are not done yet. Now the corner joints all need caulk. They make caulk that matches the grout. Be sure to buy it at the same place you buy your grout to be sure it matches. You can't go by the color name alone. To caulk it, I used painters tape, and I taped off all the joints, then applied the caulk. Before the caulk dries, pull off the tape. You get a perfect joint this way, and no mess to clean up. I read about this method online, tried it, and it really works! Almost done but not quite! Then I sealed the tile and grout with the best sealer made. If you want this, go to Travis Tile on Airport. They sell it. Home Depot or Lowes do not. It is low VOC, but you still need to have ventilation, a mask, and wear proper gloves. I did two coats of this, following the instructions exactly.

Important points:
you MUST seal your tile and grout before you use your shower. If you don't, moisture will get behind the tile and eventually ruin the job.
you MUST caulk the joints before you seal it. otherwise, the sealer will prevent the caulk from adhering to the tile.
you MUST be sure your grout is cured and everything is really dry before sealing.
you MUST be sure your tile is clean and all grout haze is removed before sealing.
you MUST wait the recommended time between all the steps.
you MUST use a really good sealer. I tried some from eco-wise, trying to be green, it was not good sealer. The sealer from Travis Tile had fewer fumes and really works. I think it's called Gold Seal.
your SHOULD apply two coats of sealer.

I closed on my house in Oct. '07. I didn't use my master shower until late July '08 because I didn't want to use it until I'd gotten all these things right. It was totally worth it.

If you have questions about tile, definitely go to Travis Tile and ask them. They are really nice and helpful, have excellent products, and know how things should be done.

Here's the corner that got repaired. The red stuff at the top is a waterproofing membrane called Red Guard. I put it on the entire repaired section. That was followed by thinset (be sure to get the right kind for a wet area, and no you can't use the adhesive stuff, it has to be real thinset! DUH!

In the futile effort to keep up with the Jones's, we put in a pool. It's small, but still meets the definition of "pool" -- i guess this would be a wading pool rather than a swimming pool. I just like to say "We have a pool now." And Henry doesn't mind that it's only 30" round and 8" deep. And made of plastic. And only cost about $8! I think I will get about thirty of these and set them in a line. Then I would have a lap/wading pool! I couldn't do the crawl in it, but I guess, I could just crawl from one to the other.

Back in May, we enjoyed one of our last full unobstructed sunsets. My house is a site-specific house and was designed for this view.

Found these great mini veggie garden growers! My basil did really well, it's about to be replanted with arugula.

We had always planned on rebuilding our tiny, oddly shaped back balcony deck so that it was made of metal to match our other decks, and to raise it slightly higher as well. We planned to add a tiny catwalk to connect it to the side deck, too. The weird shape is due to code restrictions and our odd shaped lot. We planned to just reuse our old metal deck rails that match the ones on the south side. Plans are good to have. Until you have to change them!

I won't go into any details about why what or how, but by the end of May it was clear that the deck railings for this supposedly small project needed a drastic redesign. It became very involved. I spent days driving around Austin looking for good ideas to "borrow." How to screen in some privacy yet allow in light and air? I took lots of pictures, made lots of bad sketches of possible solutions. At times it felt like there was no solution. I became very cranky. I didn't sleep much. More crankiness ensued. This went on for WEEKS. But, out of this process I ended up with something I like very much, that accomplishes contradictory goals, and while it's not finished yet, it already looks good. It meant a lot more metal work, materials and labor, a lot more expense than I had ever planned on, ever. That meant that other plans had to be shelved for the time being. So here is the new back deck balcony. There will be more metal slats on some parts of the upper area, and right now it just has primer on it, so it is brown. Rogelio and his crew did all the work, and was nice and patient as he listened to his stressed out client (me!). He understood what I was trying to do and why, so it was a good experience to work with him again.

Here's the view looking due south. Notice how it narrows down to a section that is less than 2' wide. The second photo shows the same deck from the neighbor's view. I like how the horizontal slats relate to the fencing, and also how the slats can form a solid looking wall from one angle, but allow a lot of view through from other angles. We did this by alternating the slats on the front and back of the support posts. Once the bamboo gets planted between the house and the fence, the leaves will be able to grow through the open spaces. Bamboo, coming soon!

Since the start, I've been rethinking the colors on the house. I had few choices when I bought it, mostly beiges and brown. So, I figured I'd go with brown with bright accents and repaint it later. Or at least, repaint some of it. I found this green pot last spring at the Great Outdoors, and while I don't like the green against the red rails, I do like the green, and decided then to use the pot (and a multicolor rug I bought a few years ago) to create a new palette for the exterior of the house. So expect to see some changes! At the least, the metal work will get repainted since it was originally painted with a flat paint, and is fading already. Plus all the new metal needs paint, so it's a good opportunity to start to change things. Choosing the new color is more complex than you'd think as I need to see it in the context of nearby houses. In some ways I'd like to blend it in, on other ways, I'd like to make it stand out. As usual, the solution will do both, and I found a combination that I really like. Now that the metal is primed, I can start painting test areas.

more pix to come on more exterior metal work, interior projects, and future plans.

Too much for one post!

Pictures will be coming next time, so much has happened this summer, one post can't hold it all!

Here's a quick summary:

The back deck is now rebuilt in steel to match the other decks, with a nice privacy railing, too! It's an odd shape, due to the easement requirements, and the upper rails are yet to be built, but even as it is, it is a great improvement. Herman and Henry love it. So do I, though I miss the sunsets of yore. (My Agave friends and neighbors know what I mean.)

The lower yard now has some excellent trellises that will eventually be covered with vines. They weren't easy or cheap, but are worth every cent. And then some.

I got a GREAT deal on some metal planters from Pat's Sheet Metal. Hadn't planned on getting those, but they were unclaimed work from an earlier job, and he wanted to get rid of them. They fit my needs perfectly. If you need sheet metal work and you are in the Austin area, go to Pat's.

My house-building, furniture-making, all-around-fun-buddy Vicki came for a week from her wonderful home in Santa Fe to give me a belated housewarming gift -- HERSELF! We designed and built some great bookcases for the entry way out of walnut and birch with steel trim. They came out really nice! Like most things, took more time and money than first thought, but also worth every cent. (Good thing I started that savings account last winter!)

We also replaced the master bedroom door with one that is 8' tall, single-light glass, and the glass is obscured, so there's light and privacy. Also got another 8' glass door that I'll install as a slider for the other bedroom. With the high ceilings in this house, the taller doors make so much sense, they are worth the trouble. Thanks to Vicki for the demo work and door hanging, too!

After months of research, the living room and studio got final window treatments, metal blinds in the studio and green certified solar shades in the living room. The bedroom is still waiting for something permanent over the windows. The treatment I had planned for there just didn't work out. The whole window-treatment experience deserves its own post. All I can say is "Buyer Beware." SO many products look nice but are full of pvc and formaldehyde. So be careful. Ask questions, lots of questions. This is a product line that I think we will be hearing more about in the coming years. Really toxic stuff.

The master shower tile FINALLY got finished! What needed to be fixed was fixed. The grout was scraped and regrouted (I did the scraping, hence it took a long time to get it done.) And it all got detailed, cleaned and sealed. Now it looks great! It was a bummer to not be able to use it for so long, but I wanted to wait until it was right, and now it is. Thanks to my former student and friend Carrie for her essential help with that project.

With the shower, bookcases, doors, windows, deck and trellises, I feel the glass is more than half full, and not half empty. And I appreciate the help of the many people who worked with me on this process, and those who were willing to listen and offer advice. Even though it was stressful at times, it did all work out, and I'm looking forward to spending lots more time in my studio this fall, working with new photographs and video from my trip to Chicago last month. That is the real purpose for this house, to finally have a studio where I can do my work! I didn't expect so many other things to need my attention, and I'm glad that phase is finished (well, almost!)

House plans for the fall include more work on the deck, painting all the metal rails, planting the vines, finalizing the design for the back yard area to create a place with directed viewpoints and privacy screening from carefully selected plants like bamboo, and probably that will be all that gets done. Oh yeah, and finishing up my original punch-list from a year ago! Time flies. I had planned to do some landscaping in the front yard this year, but the back deck and trellis project became a priority, so the front will have to wait!

If anyone needs metal work done, I recommend RB Welding. Rogelio is the owner, a great guy who did all the metal on my house (and the others in Agave). Laurie at DigIt Gardens was a big help in finding a new vision for the back yard. Big high five to ALL who helped out!

So pictures next time!

Good Customer Service

Thumbs up to The Shade Store for their fine customer service. I received a metal shade that was damaged. They were quick to respond and issue a refund. They could have easily handled this differently, but this way, we both win. So, I would order from them again in the future, and recommend them to others as well.

The Shade Store. They are even having a sale right now.

And the Nominees Are........

In the category of Independent Project, SOL-ART e.a.s.t!!!

We're nominated for the 2007-2008 Austin Critics' Table Award!

We were only on the ground for two days, thanks for remembering!

And in case you missed it and are curious about who and what we were, here are stills and VRs of the installations, thanks to Robert Harshman who does exceptional work himself.

Steel, never enough

Steel Planters. Go here.

Foreign Produce = Poison Produce

Read the label, duh!
NYTimes - Did Your Shopping List Kill a Songbird?

Instead, try getting your produce from local growers, like Green Gate, where I got WONDERFUL swiss chard and broccoli last week. Picked the day I bought it.

Nice site for bird info.

Swainson's Hawk

Slowly and not always Surely

Some progress, and still some chaos! Here is the good news: The prototype steel window sill is finished and installed and looks great! I got the steel cut at Westbrook metals, it's just plain steel, a bit rough around the edges. And I want it smooth. So -- I tried a metal file, too slow. Then I got out my orbital sander and a regular sanding disk. Voila! It smoothed the steel down nicely, and quickly. To prevent rust, I clear coated it with a gloss finish. Then I went over that with fine steel wool. Result is super shiny and hopefully, rust proof. The steel slipped right into the window ledge space, and I couldn't be happier. One down, eleven windows to go. See pictures below.

Then (drumroll please!) I finally got the stainless backsplash behind the stove! The honed limestone was installed in January, and since then, I've been thinking about how to fill the space behind the stove. Thought about backpainted glass, I really like that look, but found several pictures online of stoves that had stainless steel and decided I liked that better. So back to Westbrook metals to get a 32x36" piece of stainless cut. They did a good job, but it was 1/16" too big to fit. So that stopped me for a bit. I finally decided that the way to go was to grind it down, so THEN I had to research angle grinders. Finally got a nice one and the right grinding wheel for the job. (In the meantime, my old Makita drill died, but I love my new Hitachi replacement, fits my hand nicely.) And to make the holes in the steel so it could be anchored to the wall, I got a drill press! It cut right through the steel and did its job, as did the grinder. It was kind of fun to grind down the stainless and watch the sparks fly and feel the little metal bits hit my face (well protected by mask and goggles and ear plugs, always wear your safety goggles and ear protectors!)

So, my good friend Bob suggested a method for mounting the steel. First, I found the studs in the wall, and noted where the stove duct was run so I didn't drill into it. (All the photos I took during the construction stages of the house have come in very handy many times.) Then I screwed on a piece of 1/4" plywood to the studs. Then I screwed the stainless steel piece to the plywood using stainless screws and decorative washers. It's all tight to the wall and a perfect fit. Once the protective film came off and the stove was pushed back, it all looked the way I hoped it would. And now I can move on to other things!

sanding the steel windowsill as if it was wood.

windowsill installed. nice and shiny!

phase 1: wall behind the stove, marked for studs and blocking

phase 2: 1/4" plywood backing for the stainless, screwed to the studs and blocking

phase 3: steel installed with protective film

finished project.

Where We Live

Agave is part of the Blackland Prairie of Texas, a strip of tall grasses and other plants that stretches from the northern border down through Austin and further south to San Antonio. To some, the prairie just looks like a bunch of grasses and weeds run amok, something to get rid of and cover with sod or gravel. And that's what's happening to Agave as it develops. But there is still some remnant of the prairie here, and it is possible to restore mini prairie habitats in our yards. An excellent history of the prairie is here. And check out Sally Wasowski's book Gardening with Prairie Plants.

One plant I noticed in my yard and around Agave is the Buffalo Gourd. It is growing wild here and is hard to kill. The vine has yellow flowers and the little gourds are cute! Here's a description from the Native American Seed website: This large spreading perennial vine is a close relative of many cultivated gourd crops. The ripe fruit forms a small gourd, which was reportedly boiled and eaten by various Indian tribes. I have a couple of gourd vines that have persisted through the construction and "landscaping" phases, so it's nice to know they have a name, that they belong here more than I do, and that Native Americans ate them! You can buy seeds for them here.

Buffalo Gourd

I've thought a lot about what to do with my little side yards. The soil is clay (with a cosmetic top dressing of loam that is disappearing with each rain we get.) And it turns out that these Blackland Prairie plants like clay! It would be too expensive to cover even a small lot with container grown grasses, but not so bad to do it with seeds. (Native American Seed is located in Junction, TX, and also has a cool cabin for rentals on the Llano River!) Also check out Madrone Nursery in San Marcos (by appt. only) They are pioneers in native Texas plants.

It would be nice to see at least some of the Agave site returned to its native appearance, and the upside is, no mowing and no watering! It will be a gradual process, I'm starting first with the grasses, but would like to eventually have only plants found in the Blacklands, including trees and shrubs, on my site. (Except for my evil Italian cypresses, I'm keeping those!)
Here's a link to some other trees and plants native to our prairie.

Here is the hill behind my house as it looked in April 2007. Nice mix of native grasses and wildflowers.

and how it looks today, scraped bare by construction activity:

Here are some pix I found of the kinds of grasses that were here and to some extent, still remain.

Little Bluestem

Sideoats Grama

Gratuitous Cuteness, Revisited

Herman is still on the job, this time doing a little floor repair. Notice his bum ear. Seems the damage is permanent in spite of heroic efforts to fix it. I think it's rather distinctive.

Herman's sad ear

OK, for those of you (Margaret!) who can't get enough of Herman and Henry, here is the current sad state of Herman and his poor, injured ear. He had a hematoma last week, and that required some surgery to drain it and sew it back together. Twelve stitches! $$$! His ear gets daily massages to help it heal, and I hope that it will look normal again. He's doing fine, but is a little mad at Henry, whose playful paw caused the injury. This was one time when Herman's fearlessness did not serve him well.

(The weird pink thing on his mouth is just his tongue sticking out.)

Then and Now

The master bedroom a year ago:

And now.

Update Pix

Lots of projects partially completed, working on the steel windowsill prototype for the kitchen, and a set of little steel shelves above the sink. The backsplash came out great, love the honed limestone! Two of the 8' slider doors are up, but still need final painting. Plans are on the boards for bookshelves and other built-ins, but first I need to finish up all the little things. Doors are frosted (with a viewing slit for Henry!), the back awning is up and painted, and I've decided to use polygal for the roofing instead of metal.

The SEU faculty show opened last Friday, the video piece from SOL-ART is reinstalled there, minus all the metal framework. Here are a few pix:

Henry wants in!

Steel master Rogelio installing the last awning.

And the awning with paint.

Kitchen during the backsplash project. Notice the essential tools: tape measure, laser level, and Mexican Coke!

Finished! Replaced the outlets and switches, and added under cabinet lights, too. Still need to add the steel window sill and backpainted glass behind the stove.

The electrical inspector came by to be sure it was done right. Funny guy. (Don't worry, the power was OFF!)

"Inspection PASSED!"

one of the partially painted slider doors.

work up at the SEU fac. show.

A New Year

Ok, it's already five days into 2008, it's busy around here! Limestone and glass mosaic tile is going into the kitchen today, the entry doors are frosted, and plans are on the boards for the built-in cabinets and bookshelves. Enough projects to keep me busy through spring!

Henry Miller says Happy New Year!

The New Museum

Worth a few minutes to look and listen to talk about the design, metal screen, and reference to the "cracked concrete floors".
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/28/arts/20071129_NEWMUSEUM_GRAPHIC.html

or read the article:

gated community

henry got his gate! rogelio and his crew did a nice job. it opens, closes, locks, and matches the rails.
makes nice shadows, too. and it will get its coat of paint as soon as my time frees up.
don't forget to come by the sol-art show next weekend! 1141 Perry Road, Sat. and Sun. only, 10-5 pm.
(Perry is just off Bolm, east of Airport)

SOL-ART e.a.s.t. - coming soon!!!

Working away on the SOL-ART installation, which opens Nov. 17 for the East Austin Studio Tour. There will be about 18 artists total involved, a number that grew quickly from the original two, myself and Heidi Stanfield. Heidi and I went on the tour last year, and wanted to be involved this year. She has a lot on Haskel Street, but we decided it was too small and overgrown to accomodate the shipping containers we wanted to exhibit in. We really liked the Stacked Studios show last year, and using the containers solves lots of problems. So....we approached my friends Chris Krager and Amy Grappell who have a five acre plot off Bolm. Amy and I had talked about doing an arts event there earlier in the year, so it seemed a good fit. And so it is!

Now there is a large group of talented people involved and installations going into the two old houses plus four containers and the five acre site itself. There will be live music by Cole Stanfield by day and DJ Dirk Diggla will spin on Saturday night. I'm showing six large color photographs and a video installation of nine little screens, all work from Tibet this past summer. If it all comes together, it will be amazing!

So come on by -- 1141 Perry Road, where it's at during E.A.S.T. -- and tell your friends.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17 & 18. 10 am until 5 pm, open party Saturday night, 8-11. A list of artists is on the image below.

What A Week! (updated)

The past week has been great and really really busy. The move began somewhat orderly, but descended into chaos over the first days of unpacking and hunting for stuff. Still can't find a few things, but did find my misplaced sunglasses after numerous phone calls and treks around town. Of course, they were at home, in the studio, behind some boxes!

First, the house, though not without some issues still to resolve, is great and I love it here. The light is amazing both early and late. The full moon this week was really bright, but wonderful to see. So much sky out here. Trees are nice, but the sky, uninterrupted, is - well, only cliches come to mind. I'll just say I can look at it and never get tired.

So a recap -- moved on Friday, many many trips to ikea, container store, breeds, home depot, etc. But, it's coming together, slowly, and Herman and Henry have adjusted really well. Henry likes his yard! Herman loves his climbing perch between the two windows!

On Sunday, the Sol-Art artists came over for a planning session. The house, though in disarray, handled the group well. It is a great house for entertaining and guests. I managed to get my sufboard dining table set up, and decided to leave the blue protective film on for awhile. The little coffee table works well, though Henry confused it with a big stick and chewed a corner a bit. (Tonight he chewed a pen, blue ink all over the bamboo! But it was water-based, and cleaned up pretty easily. Glad it wasn't a sharpie!)

So here are some pix, and most on a link. The SOL-ART show is coming up fast, and I have a TON of work to do for that. There are some SOL-ART pix on the web link, the sculptures are by Randy with Austin Green Art. Stay tuned for more info on that. UPDATE: The last picture on the web link is the courtyard of a new KRDB house in east Austin. The light reflecting off the metal panels was beautiful. It's for sale, great design and finish out, but way beyond my means. They are doing a new modular project, too.

dog bed, metro, cat perch.

SOL-ART meeting: Sean Gaulager, Ann Tucker, Amy Grappell, Jack Sanders

SOL-ART map

MOVED!

I'll spare you all the gory details, but I closed on Friday morning, and moved on Friday afternoon. Still picking up the loose ends at the old place, and making multiple trips to all the obvious places -- ikea, container store, breed's hardware, home depot, and back again! Pictures to come soon!

Have to say that the light here is amazing.

back on track

friday a.m. close, friday p.m. move.
looking forward to my first agave sunrise.