painting box: LIKE STONES ON THE BEACH: NATURAL FORMS

Walking along the ocean I am always struck by the beauty of stones...worn by millennia of waves. The imperfect curved edges are so human, edges drawn without geometry or right angles.

The photos of the beach rocks and rock pools are ones I've taken.

Stones, and some of what they bring to mind...

Above and below: Carpinteria beach, just north of Rincon. The long runs of rock remind me of spines, or dinosaur backs, like a prehistoric creature rising out of the sand.

Above: Edward Weston nude

Above: Beach rock

Above: Adaline Kent pool sculpture plaster maquette, 1947, from the book "The Donnell and Eckbo Gardens", Marc Treib.

Above: The finished sculpture set in place, center of the pool, on the cover of House Beautiful, April 1951. The location is the Donnell Ranch garden, designed by Thomas Church.

Above: Dame Barbara Hepworth, Image II, 1960, collection Tate Museum

Above: Dame Barbara Hepworth, 1961, photo by Rosemary Mathews

Above: A scene from a short film about Hepworth, shown here working in Cornwall.

Above: Beach rock

Above: Large Ikebana arrangement by Sofu Teshigahara

Above: Milton Avery (1885-1965), Beach Blankets, 1960

Above: This is a view of the guest suite I designed with Annica Howard for Wattles Mansion Design Show House this spring. It was a tiny room, only 8-1/2 feet wide, so we made it easier to move through by rounding all the edges. Charlotte Perriand inspired the custom table desk in the foreground, and the side table next to the Martin Eisler lounge chair. We had them made in limed oak.

Above: Interior by Charlotte Perriand

Above: Apartment of Emmanuel de Bayser, Berlin. Jean Royere "Ours Polaire" white seating, 1949.

Above: "Bord Uto" pine side table by Alex Einar Hjorth (1888-1959), designed 1932

Above and below: Bora Bora Chair designed by Terry Dwan, 2008

Above and below: Striated rocks, Rincon beach, California. The pattern looks just like wood grain.

Above: De Sede Terazza sofa set designed by Ubald Klug in 1973.

Above: Raoul Hague (1904-1993) wood carving, 1962

Above: Raoul Hague, a piece seen in his workshop in Woodstock, NY. This is the back cover of a catalog for an exhibit at The Washington Gallery of Modern Art, 1964.

Above: Jean Arp, Human Concretion, 1935

Above: Finn Juhl Poet Settee, 1940s

Above: Beach rock

Above: Ken Price, "Wide Load", 2004

Above: Ken Price, "Oh Gee", 1998-2004

Above: Chair by J.B. Blunk, from a show of his work at Blum and Poe, organized by Gerard O'Brien from Reform Gallery in 2010.

Above: Mario Dal Fabbro Chair, 1970-1984

Above: Jose Zanine Caldas, lounge chair, solid wood, 1970s

Above: Isamu Noguchi "The Mountain" 1964, Noguchi Museum

Above: Ceramic by Jean and Jacqueline Lerat, 1950. The ceramicists were part of the La Borne ceramics group, shown in NY by the Magen H Gallery.

Above: From the book "Ellen DeGeneres Home"

Above: Ceramic pot by Kazunori Hamana

Above: Cover of Miro book, published 1974

Above: Wall sconce by Serge Mouille, 1950

Above: "Trine" scorched oak chairs designed by John Makepeace

Above: "Harvey", by Mary Chase, Drawing by R.O. Blechman, 1953

Above: Joan Miro figure, 1956

Above and below: Jene Highstein (1942-2013) installations

Above: Isamu Noguchi "Childhood", 1970, Noguchi Museum

Above: Rock path in a Japanese garden

Above and below: Rock pool formations, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Above and below: Kate Newby, from her installation at Poor Farm, in Manawa, Wisconsin. Her work is on exhibit there till June 2017. The glass and ceramic work was made during her residence at Poor Farm and was inspired by the surroundings.

Above: Ben Nicholson, Relief, 1934, collection of Kettles Yard, University of Cambridge

Above: William Scott

Above: Amalia Pica, a detail from (un)heard, 2016, in her current show "Blow The Whistle, Beat The Drum" at Marc Foxx Gallery. Pica has covered a variety of noise making objects in white plaster, muting them, in reference to the Provos, a non violent counter cultural movement in 1960s Amsterdam who found playful ways of protesting.

Above; Handmade iron frying pans by Narita Takayoshi

Above: Bowl (with rocks) by Uplifters Ceramic Studio on Luther Conover table.

Above: Bowl at Galerie Half

Above: Prototype for a chair, Isamu Noguchi

Above: Pair of PK9 chairs by Poul Kjaerholm, 1960s

Above: William Scott

Above: Tile top table by Uplifters Ceramic Studio, 2015

Above: Beach rocks

Above: Actor William Boyd

Above: Martin Puryear Untitled, 1997, painted cedar and pine, 68" x 57"x 51".

Above: Painting by Myron Stout (1910-1987)

Above: Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015), Study for Rebound, 1955, collection MOMA

Above: My friend's Boston Terrier has great markings! Photo by Randi Malkin Steinberger

Above: Andre Borderie Lamp, enameled ceramic

Above: Nautilus Study Table Lamp, designed by Christopher Kreilling, available at Blackman Cruz

Above: Paul Feeley, Untitled (January 12), 1962

Above: Paul Feeley, Untitled, 1960, from a show at 57W57 Arts, NYC

Above: Leon Polk Smith (1906-1996)

Above: Milton Avery Interlude, 1960

Above: Piccola Papilio Small Armchair, B&B Italia, designed by Naoto Fukusawa

Above: Sori Yanagi (1915-2011), Elephant Stool, 1954. Yanagi's father was a philosopher who founded both the Mingei folk arts movement, and The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo. Sori Yanagi was responsible for an incredible diversity of design, from children's toys to magazine covers to superhighways.

Above and below: Leon Polk Smith (1906-1996). Smith came from a family who settled in the west in the late 19th century. They landed in an area that was still called "Indian Territory", which became part of Oklahoma a year after his birth. Smith grew up working the fields, and living in shacks with his large family, as one of 9. After leaving home he worked at odd jobs to help out during the depression. Smith wasn't exposed to art till he was about 28, discovering the art department while in college for a teaching degree. He continued teaching as well as painting throughout his life, eventually settling in New York City in 1945. His work was shown at Betty Parsons, Stable Gallery, and several others. He was included in shows at the Whitney and MOMA, with a retrospective of his work at the Brooklyn Museum in 1996.

Above: Gallery poster, Arp Exhibit, 1944

Above: Jean Arp in his studio, 1950s, photo by Ida Kar

Above: Ceramic by Peter Callas, 2014

Above: Dubuffet, 1963

Above: Ellsworth Kelly, East River, 1959, Collection Art Institute of Chicago

Above and below: J. B. Blunk (1926-2002) residence, Inverness, California. Blunk was a sculptor working in wood, and his rustic cabin, which has been preserved, is full of his work. These photos are included in the book Handcrafted Modern, by Leslie Williamson, which has more views of his home.

Above: Exterior of J.B. Blunk's Inverness home, with his work in the foreground. Photo from T Magazine by Lisa Eisner.

Above: A corner of our living room, showing an Allen Ditson prototype chair.

Above: Walnut armchair by Finn Juhl model 48.

Above: A chair at Galerie Half

Above: Stairway made by Wharton Esherick in his home, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The stairs were exhibited at the 1939 World's Fair. From the book "Artist's Handmade Houses", photo by Don Freeman.