TONNESEN

April 27, 2010
 
Breathing TubeWe've been busy.
 
The breathing tube in the decapitated head references Antony Gormley's self modeling (he uses his own body to pull molds and suffocation is an occupational hazard). Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning but the truth is that I love the softness and foreverness of lead.  We're wrapping everything in it.
 
We've been going 100 miles an hour with landscaping and real estate projects but it's all too much to jam in one newsletter so we're going to break things up. This one is about girls and the Logans.
 
If you're interested in how we buy and fix up foreclosures, I'll be repeating a talk I gave to Jay Butler's Real Estate Development class at ASU on May 15th at 7:00 pm for Spirit of the Senses on the same subject. If you want to join us RSVP to Samantha Staiger in our office by May 12th and bring 10 bucks if you're not a member of S.O.S.
 
Enough on Real Estate. Meet Sam...


THE NEW GIRL
Sam I suppose six months isn't that new. She is standing. Sheila and Pilar like her. Maurice, Rick and Luis like her. She has a calming influence on Bill. We think she is wonderful.
LOGAN
Kent and Vicky LoganKent and Vicki Logan are amazing and I don't throw that term around lightly.  We are so grateful to Andy Byrnes (their builder) and Eddie Jones (their architect) for recommending us.

Logan's at Night

Blue Elf AloeWe did their landscaping. We planted these Blue Elf Aloes shoulder to shoulder. They are from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, thanks Jean and Janet.

The far sculpture is by Tom Otterness. We visited his studio in New York with Spirit of the Senses. The trash bag isn't. It's a bronze piece by Gavin Turk.

Boxwood

Mica LanternThe Root Box piece (an ironwood stump) was a collaboration with The Construction Zone.

The lanterns are 12 inch mica cubes. Mica is a translucent mineral sometimes used as lampshade diffusion.

Barrel Bubbles

Cactus Spiral MakingThen we did these steel rings bubbling with golden barrels.

Spiral of Cactus

Spiral ProcessNext we did a swirl of baby saguaros inspired by Robert Smithson's famous Spiral Jetty built in the Great Salt Lake in 1970.


Saguaro Brace


Saguaro BraceThen we fashioned a brace for a leaning saguaro.

Our next newsletter will have a picture of a huge one that crashed to the ground at the Powells.




Bound Blind GirlThis piece, Bound Blind Girl, anchors another saguaro brace.


Gagged Girl


PedestalThen, we did another brace that my wife Pilar says is "horrible". Thank goodness Vicki Logan just said, "Cool" when she saw it for the first time.

Then Kent said, "I think we should do all the saguaros"(!). While I was measuring things by the pool he pointed to a vacant concrete sculpture pedestal (from which we had just relocated a large piece by Jason Middlebrook) and he said something like, "...before I go shopping for another piece, if you have an idea you want to show me I'm willing to take a look." After I regained consciousness, I thought, "Don't screw this up!" They are among the most important collectors of contemporary art in the WORLD. They have given away over 500 significant works to major museums.

NEWS FLASH

Venus of Burning Man
 
I love art history, I'm pre-occupied with it.
 
I am writing this at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. Guess what? Today I got the most important art commission of my life. Mr. Logan (Kent seems too informal at this moment) has given me the green light on this piece for the vacated plinth! It's a stainless steel box with an ochre stained figure fresh from the playa at Burning Man. He has also asked us to write a book, perhaps titled "The Logan Garden," documenting the work to date and projects which may continue through the summer.
 
Pinch me...


[email protected] 
www.billtonnesen.com


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