The "No. 4"

 Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

Design Copyright Roland Lee 2012

I've emerged from my cave to begin posting some of my latest art designs and work. Recently, I've been motivated to do some woodblock carving and printing. Inspired and facinated by the work of the Japanese Ukiyo-e greats such as Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kunishige, Yoshitoshi, etc... I've sat down, got my carving tools out, drew a design, and began cutting. After doing a few prints on inkjet paper, I wasn't happy with the result. So with a roll of rice paper, I cut them to size and the results were better than expected. I could go on and on but the results are the above entitled the "No. 4"

 

Phonographs and vinyl revolutionized the film industry lending voices and music to moving pictures. As they became popular, they sold as household appliance and played a part of the American culture that makes up the fabric of this society. Records were heaven sent showcasing musical talents giving opportunity to both musicians and the general public to own their works. 

Then came the digital age, that made these wonderful machines obsolete. I purchased the above phonograph off of Craigslist for $15, repainted it, and it was used as a prop in a photo shoot. In it's retirement, it has lost its voice but not it's mobility. Using a hot glue gun my son and I found small plastic toys to adhere onto vinyl records creating various interchangeable scenes and remaking the use of the analog phonograph. It is art!

All Tied Up

 

As a sailor of the high seas in old ships, Mike Lawnsby has been to corners of the Earth that most of us would only be able to view in shows like Planet Earth. One evening over a shots of espresso, he told all about sailing to the Midway Atolls Wildlife Refuge and the natural beauty of this protected bird sanctuary. As an amateur photographer, he captured stunning and breathtaking shots of the landscape, the seascape, and the wildlife. In describing his two month expedition it led into a conversation about his knot tying knowledge which is a requirement for sailing the types of old fashioned ships that he did. 

Pulling out a green glass flask with raised lettering at the bottom which read, "POISON" he showed me a complex weave decorating and protecting the narrow body of the bottle. Inspecting it with my fingertips, my first impression was that some kind of adhesive must have been holding the weave together for it to adhere so tightly to the slick surface of the glass. Mike explained that the decorative quality is repetitive knot tying and the tightness of the entire weave is pulled by hand and leveraged by an awl like instrument one knot at a time. He was very generous with his knowledge by giving me a Turk Head knot tying lesson on the spot.

Pulling out a needle case that he crafted from bamboo and a wine cork, Mike used raw materials to make cool functional art that had a pulse. Of course he highlighted the art of tying tight knots on this piece and it's decorative quality. He burnt the image of the ship that he had sailed onto the bamboo as modern day scrimshaw on wood instead of on bone.

Thanks Mike for the lesson and for the opportunity to hear about your experiences!

Chinatown Boardroom

 

 Enoki the Boardroom Bulldog

The Chinatown Boardroom is a neat little space that pairs artwork with surfing and surfboards. It may seem odd at first but the concept of putting an art gallery and a surf shop together does work well. Owners Eric and Jackie and their friendly Bulldog Enoki have splashed color in a small space that flow like the tides. Upon stumbling in, there are photos from local photographers, prints from local print makers and even a couple of signed pieces from Shepard Fairey the contemporary artist/designer. The prices are reasonable and the art depicts the culture of surfing. They have a wide range of gift items ranging from wallets with edgy designs to ceramics Buddah Butter holders. There is a modest selection of surfboards and fins for the surfing enthusiast and some jewelry too.  We met with writer Stuart Coleman from the Oahu Surfrider Foundation who was doing a signing for his books "Eddie Would Go" and "Fierce Heart" at the Chinatown Boardroom.  Yeah, what a treat!

Acrylic Print by Roan Bennett

We purchased the above waffle cone print by Roanah Bennett which will be a nice addition to the art in our kitchen. You can find different artwork nearly every month at the quaint space of the Chinatown Boardroom. They share the same philosophy as Apartment Art which is to live large and live rich in  small spaces by rotating art and being simple.

Stenciled Bow Wow

I had an Andy Warhol moment that flashed over my melon one morning. I fulfilled that yearning by cutting a stencil of a bow wow from a manila envelope, I applied acrylic paint with a sponge on the stencil onto square scrap pieces of wood to create these nine different images of my woof woofs (above). I prepared the blank pieces of wood by hand painting backgrounds on them. I drilled holes in select sides and glued barbecue sticks to join all of the images together. This fun piece was perfect for decorating my kid's room.
Another stencil work that I did at an earlier time is of nine framed rhinos. I built a frame to join all of the nine images together. This was the first piece of art that I made for my son's room.

Wine Crate and Wind Chime

Yesterday's post illustrated the intense labor that is involved when creating a design with origami. Above are two wind chimes that consists of over 3500 nailed silver pailettes on two painted 2x4 ft. boards. It is quite an intensive project to undertake. They hang in an entrance way reflecting light and shimmering and simultaneously resonating the sounds of running water when a light breeze flows through the space. The experience is absolutely mesmerizing and calming. How long does it take to make these wind chimes you might ask? It took nearly 35 hours to nail all of them in place if you work fast.

Click here to get pailettes.

Wind Chime (top) Wine Crate Shoe Boxes (bottom)

Wooden wine crates are becoming a thing of the past. Now days, wine is shipped in cardboard boxes which means that these crates are becoming a bit more rare. Some wineries still use wooden crates to pack their wine but after they are unpacked they are discarded. There is a local wine shop that sells them for just a few dollars each where I picked them up and made them into shoe boxes. Measuring about 7"x13"x20" they save a lot of walkway space.

 

Front View

I

Front View Opened

Side View 

I am writing the plans on making these wine crate shoe boxes. If you would like a copy, then please click here  or email me directly at apartmentarthawaii@gmail.com and I will send you a copy when I am finished writing.

Japanese Bookbinding as a Christmas Gift Idea

Scratch Booklet

With a little innovation and some persistence, I put together a scratch booklet using cardboard from a box, a couple of paper bags with Christmas print on them, and some computer paper that was printed on one side but not the other. It is my of eliminating used paper without being wasteful. This idea came from making an old fashioned photo album that uses sticky triangle corners to hold photos, for a needy family after I did a photo shoot for them. The above is a prototype and I didn't take the time to measure the holes in the spine so the string is a bit crooked. This is a fun project and great conversation piece to pass out for Christmas or for no reason at all.

The spine of the booklet

 

 Inside