Esoteric Survey

William Chappelow at his Tryyn Gallery in Guatay, CA.  Bill is an amazing craftsman who specializes in wood kitchen implements. He's been at it since the early 1970s and his work is included in the Smithsonian permanent collection. Tryyn is a medieval term meaning "coming from the tree". The gallery is located in the mountains just 30 minutes east of San Diego in the tiny town of Guatay, which is on Historic Highway 80. The form and grain of the wood guides what the final piece will become.  Each piece is designed for a very particular use. I spent a lot of time reading the tags before selecting mine. Cream of wheat is one of my favorites.  Bill in his workshop, which is located behind the gallery. Bill's prefered machines are Walker-Turner band saws from the 1930s. He uses more than 250 types of wood in his work. As an avid environmentalist, he uses every scrap. At one point he was even using the sawdust in...

J.B. Blunk: Nature, Art & Everyday Life at the Oakland Museum of California I began making wood sculpture in 1962. I knew how to use a chainsaw and it was one of those things. One day you just start. - J.B. Blunk Mage and Flying Stone  were both included in an exhibition at  The Landing  in 2015.  Hawk Arch below was as well. Bronze Clay A great number of the pieces in the exhibition came directly from the Blunk house .  J.B.'s buckskin shirt The stone sculpture on the right reminds me of Isamu Noguchi's  Radio Nurse . Noguchi was a big influence on Blunk. Maquettes This incredible stone sculpture is from the house as well. The Oakland Museum has been a longtime fan of Blunk. The Planet  was commissioned by the museum in 1969 and is still enjoyed daily by visitors, especially the kids. Correspondence regarding the commission was...

Bonhams  in Los Angeles had a couple of good sales earlier this week. This Ruth Asawa sculpture from 1957 sold for $80,000.   Asawa sculptures are some of the coolest things out there. Soap Box Racer , 1975  by  Michael Cooper  This is sick and it was in California Design 76. It  sold for $25,000 This Doug Ayers sculpture from 1976 sold for $3,750 That guy was good.  This Sam Maloof Rocker went for $47,000.  Is that a record for a Maloof rocker? This   Claire Falkenstein  sculpture sold for $8,125. Someone got a good deal.

Source: Rago  Source: Rago 

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