David Franklin

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Drift Inversion on the Cover of The Front Porch Newspaper

October 7, 2017 by David

Drift Inversion made the cover of NorthEast Denver’s Newspaper, The Front Porch!

Read the article here:The Front Porch

…also enjoy a short video of Drift Inversion in Motion

https://davidfranklinart.net/dfwp/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/For-Barbara-.m4v

Thanks to:  Aaron Whelton, Kurt Nordquist, IDE Engineers, Barbara Neal, Denver City Councilman Christopher Herndon, Park Creek Metropolitan District, Denver Urban Renewal Authority, Civitas, Mortenson Construction, and all of my friends and family who supported this project and worked so hard to make it happen, and to my awesome wife Joanne.

 

David Franklin

Filed Under: Installations, News, Public Art, sculpture, Uncategorized Tagged With: Aaron Whelton, Aluminum, Civitas, colorado, david franklin, Denver, Denver Parks, Mortenson construction, Park Creek Metropolitan District, public art, sand dunes, Sandhills Prairie Park, Stapleton

Cultural House of Cards on Seattle’s “The Stranger”

January 14, 2017 by David

The Cultural House of Cards on the Cover of Seattle's The Stranger
David Franklin’s Cultural House of Cards on the Cover of Seattle’s free weekly newspaper, The Stranger, for the week of Jan 11-17 2017.

This house of cards symbolizes the fragile cultural structure we build together in our societies, and the beauty within each part of it.

Ever since my wife and I moved to Seattle in 1993 there has only been one source for truly comprehensive coverage of local music and arts, that has been The Stranger, Seattle’s best free weekly paper.  If you are looking for an event, no matter how obscure it’s in The Stranger.   The Stranger has an independent minded perspective  on anything and everything important happening in the city and the world, with a true sense of grit and intelligence.  It’s this creative viewpoint that has always made it the final word in Seattle’s vibrant culture.

The digital version of this week’s Stranger can be seen here.

This is such an honor because of the feeling of acceptance in my local arts community it provides, something that has not always come easy for me.

This piece, The Cultural House of Cards,  sits within the high barbed wire fence of The Green Hill School in Chehalis, WA, but it has refused to stay imprisoned.  WIth a feeling of it having a life of it’s own this project has gained the attention of Hi Fructose Magazine, Montreal’s Mural Festival and now The Stranger.  Its themes are very appropriate to the times we live in and the challenges before us a s a diverse society.

Cultural House of with daughters.
Sitting in the Cultural House of cards with my daughters prior to painting.
The Cultural House of Cards
With my helpers Scott Wipff and Brian Perry after the installation

 

My wife Joanne, my kids, Mike Sweney, The Green Hill School, Kurt Nordquist, Brian Perry, Scott Wipff, Jonathan Areola, and Western Graphics all had important roles in making this Washington State Arts Commission happen.

Thanks to everyone that has enjoyed this project and seen the importance of the message about all of us contained within it,

David

Filed Under: Installations, News, Public Art, sculpture, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Chehalis, david franklin, fine art, Green Hill School, house of cards, public art, sculpture, the stranger, Washington, Washington State Arts Commission

The Plant Show

September 25, 2016 by David

The Plant Show 99¢ Plus Gallery
The Plant Show curated by Simran Johnston at the 99¢ Plus Gallery, Brooklyn New York

I think every artist dreams of being in a gallery show in New York City.   It’s a total stereotype, and one that I am not ashamed to say that I too have carried around for years.  One I have carried around without much hope of realization or much action on my part to make it happen.  I just kept working, following my imagination and thinking maybe someday.  One day, late last Spring it happened, and I got invited to be in The Plant Show  at the 99¢ Plus Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The Plant Show Announcement
The Plant Show Announcement

Simran Johnston curated the show and did a spectacular job.  The 99¢ Plus Gallery, in a repurposed discount store, seemed like the perfect place in New York for my work.  I started following them on Instagram and was thrilled to see that their previous opening had been shut down by the police.  This opportunity was looking better all the time, and I had the perfect piece for the show.  It was one of my favorites and was sitting in storage, waiting for just such a chance to be given a new life and purpose.   Little did I know what would happen…

With gallery walls all painted green, and an intriguing cast of characters assembled, what Simran designed in the 99¢ Plus Gallery grew beyond what could have been imagined, and became a media sensation.

Congratulations Simi, and thank you for including me in such an awesome group and making dreams come true.

Tentacle Planter
Tentacle Planter 2013
Medium: Vitreous China and Glass
Dimensions: 18” x 22” x 20”
Made from a Kohler sink, known by the workers there as a “Dog Dish,” with tentacle legs joined and fired into one piece. The table has a glass top with a glazed white canoe bowl on top.
Made at the Kohler Factory in Wisconsin as part of an Arts/Industry Residency.

Please go on Instagram and check out #theplantshow to see all the great work, and for the entire surreal experience.

Press for the Plant Show:

New York Times

Art Forum

Sight Unseen

Wallpaper Magazine

W Magazine

Observer

 

David

Filed Under: News, sculpture, shows, Uncategorized Tagged With: 99¢ plus gallery, Arts/Industry, brooklyn, ceramics, Kohler, sculpture woodworking, tentacle, tentacle planter, tentacles, theplantshow

New sculpture in development for Denver

March 31, 2016 by David

I am currently working with Aaron Whelton  on a new public art sculpture project for Sand Hills Prairie Park in the Forest Hills development in Stapleton.  Not far from where I grew up and went to high school, this is an amazing opportunity to get back to my home town and get to practice my craft.  What we are envisioning will transform an otherwise mundane space into something exceptional.  This is a preview of what we have in mind.

The site for the project is this pedestrian underpass in Sand Hills Prairie park with Central Park Boulevard running over it.

Pedestrian Underpass at Sand Hills Prairie Park
Pedestrian Underpass at Sand Hills Prairie Park under construction

The theme of the park is based on sand hill landscape formations that existed in the area before the building of Stapleton Airport.  The concept emerged from the idea of sand formations.  We designed a sculpture of sand dunes that will be approximately 116′ long and 23′ wide.  The model looks like this.

preliminary model for Sand Hills Prairie Park
preliminary model for Sand Hills Prairie Park

The sculpture will be hung from the ceiling of the tunnel for a very surreal effect as you move through the space.

Rendering of the Dune Sculpture from the entrance of the pedestrian underpass
Rendering of the Dune Sculpture from the entrance of the pedestrian underpass
Rendering from the opposite entrance of the Dune Sculpture concept in the pedestrian underpass
Rendering from the opposite entrance of the Dune Sculpture concept in the pedestrian underpass

Rather than decorate the entrances to the overpass we wanted to transform the space inside the tunnel itself.  The sculptural members will be painted a white to brighten the space and hopefully the whole effect will make it a destination to be experienced.

 

 

rendered view from of the sculpture Inside the Central Park Boulevard underpass
rendered view from of the sculpture Inside the Central Park Boulevard underpass

The tunnel is also oriented almost due east and west which at sunrise and sunset should allow the reflective nature of the sculpture change with the light and color at different times of the day and year.

detail of the Dune Sculpture installation
detail of the Dune Sculpture installation

We are right now finalizing the design and going through all of the steps for approval required by the various stakeholders.  Keep your fingers crossed and we should be installing in the early fall 2016.

 

David

Filed Under: Installations, News, Process, Public Art, sculpture, Uncategorized Tagged With: Denver, dunes, Forest Hills, public art network, sand dunes, Sand Hills Prairie Park, sculpture woodworking, Stapleton

Images of the California Rain installation for the Port of San Diego

March 31, 2016 by David

California Rain is David Franklin's newest sculptural facade
California Rain is David Franklin’s newest sculptural facade that wraps around the new Springhill Suites &Residence Inn Bayfront in the Port of San Diego. photo courtesy of coolsandiegosights.wordpress.com

 

Richard Schulte’s great blog coolsandiegosights  about sights and events around San Diego featured some great photos of my new California Rain project.

See the post here.

 

detail of the California Rain Sculptural Facade
Detail of the California Rain installation on the new Marriott in downtown San Diego. Created as part of the Port of San Diego’s public art program. photo courtesy of coolsandiegosights.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Installations, News, Public Art, sculpture, Uncategorized Tagged With: california rain, coolsandiegosights, david franklin, John Portman and Associates, Port of San Diego, public art, Ripples, San Diego, sculpture

Making “The Ghost School”

February 1, 2016 by David

Closeup of one of the vitreous china sharks circling the dense swarm of Herring
Closeup of one of the vitreous china sharks. Made at a John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Residency 2015.

Why make a ceramic school of fish?

The concept for “The Ghost School” came from an urge to make a hanging sculpture that captured the dense swarming beauty of a school of herring surrounded by predators. Why do these dense schools of bait fish form? Protection from predators. Since we eat what eats them, it’s these cloud-like schools of fish that we look for when salmon fishing out on the Salish Sea with my family. It’s also the kind of formation of fish that countless predators large and small seek around the world to feed on in large lakes, seas, and oceans. Flocks of sea birds will also give away where these schools of fish are as they circle and dive to feed on them.

School and PredatorBait fish or forage fish like herring, anchovies, sardines, eulachon, smelt, and alewives form a vital link between the tiny creatures they feed upon, like plankton, and the larger fish we eat, like salmon. They also support creatures like diving birds as well as whales, sharks, and many other creatures. These species are under a lot of pressure from overfishing and a number of other factors and their numbers are declining rapidly. This is the case in my neighborhood, and as they go, so do the birds and fish that feed on them. That is why this art project became “The Ghost School.” I created it to add voice to the alarm and to honor these small fish that are beginning to disappear from our waters.

The Ghost SchoolThankfully, as awareness of the issue grows, these fish have been getting some good press lately. There is a great short film made by Jesse Nichols, a talented young man from my hometown, that explains the importance of forage fish and some of the action being taken to preserve them in Western Washington. To the north, First Nations groups led by the Heiltsuk in British Columbia are leading protests agains commercial over-fishing and closing their own vital fishery to try to maintain the viability of herring stocks and to raise a greater awareness to the decline of these precious resources. Also, National Geographic recently did two articles about the struggles facing fish like these, which can be found here and here.

How I Made the “Ghost School”

Carved Fish and Shark
Carved Fish and Shark

To make the Ghost School I started with seven carved fish and two carved sharks. Each fish was a different size and had a different curved form. These were then molded, cast, fired, recast and fired again to create 16 different sized fish molds which provided the needed variety for the natural look of “The Ghost School.” Here are photos of the process:

Molding a Herring
Molding a Herring

 

 

 

Fish molds full of slip
Fish molds full of slip
Shark coming out of its mold
Shark coming out of its mold
Fish that didn't make it
Fish that didn’t make it

During my peak production my goal was to cast sixteen fish twice a day. This yielded around twenty seven good fish, as I would consistently lose several when releasing them from their molds, due to broken fins and sometimes full-on collapsing.

Support structure – or, what’s it hanging from?

I needed a structure to hang the fish from, one that could carry the significant weight of the number of fish it took to take to create the school. The school is very heavy, as all the fish and sharks are made from the same vitreous china that all ceramic Kohler products are made from (resident artists work within the factory and use all the same production materials). The structure also needed to work with the water/school of fish theme. So I enlisted my public art team of Arron Whelton and Kurt Nordquist to help design the interlocking plywood grid to support the school of fish.

Ripple support grid virtual model
Ripple support grid virtual model

I designed the lower surface of the support structure with a sculptural ripple effect that is similar to my last couple of public art projects. Visually, it serves to places the fish underwater as well as relate it to my greater body of work. The structure was hung from a steel beam used in the studios for operating chain hoists for lifting heavy objects.

The grid and string all ready for fish
The grid and strings all ready for fish

As the fish were cast and cleaned up on a daily basis, one batch was run through the drier while another batch was run through the kiln. I assembled the school slowly, adding a few fish at a time every couple of days, as they were ready.

Greenware fish on a kiln car
Fish on a kiln car heading into the fire.
Assembling the Ghost School
Assembling “The Ghost School”

Each fish is suspended from pairs of holes to ensure they do not freely rotate. The fish are supported on 250 lb braided test fishing line with antique venetian glass beads.

It took three months and 468 fish to complete the Ghost School. None of this would have been possible without the support of my amazing wife Joanne, who continues to support my crazy ideas all these years, and who took care of everything at home while I was away, most importantly our three beautiful busy daughters.

The Ghost School
Sharks surround a school of herring

The associates at the factory, whom I count as good friends, were a huge help and pleasure to work with. Also thanks to the people at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, especially Kristin Plucar. Shari McWilliams, the program tech, was indispensable. The piece will remain in Wisconsin as part of the Kohler Company collection and displayed in one of their hospitality properties for public viewing. I would like to thank Laura and David Kohler and Kohler Company for making this possible.

Finally, none of the Arts/Industry residencies would be possible without the kindness, generosity, and great vision of Ruth Kohler, who started the residency program over 40 years ago and has brought new and greater possibilities to artists like me ever since.

PS – Side Project

ceramic school of fish in a hospital ware sink
“Ghost TV”

Because every residency needs at least one side project! “Ghost TV” is a collaboration with Paul Roehrig, the caster that makes this large flushable hospital ware sink known as a “TV.” His work station was near mine and he wanted to collaborate on a piece of artwork. He has been working at Kohler for nearly as long as I have been alive and is a master of the most difficult pieces, and I was honored to be given this to work on.

Filed Under: Installations, News, Process, Residencies, sculpture Tagged With: Arts/Industry, Bait ball, carving, ceramics, craft, Forage Fish, Herring, JMKAC, Kohler, Kohler Company, sculpture, Shark, swarm

When Your Residency Goes on Strike

November 18, 2015 by David

As many of you know I’m in the midst of my second Kohler Arts/Industry Residency. It’s one of the very few programs in the country where artists are invited to utilize a studio housed inside a working factory, and it’s the best of its kind. Residents are flown to Wisconsin, provided lodging and a small stipend, and given the opportunity to work on a level that only a factory can provide. At the Kohler pottery, I receive all of the slip (liquid clay) I need, endless mold-making and firing capabilities, and the expert advice of Shari McWilliams, one of the most amazing ceramic techs around. Working alongside the highly skilled factory employees every day allows me to draw from their expertise, too. In return for all these fantastic resources, I’m asked only to donate some of my work and a few hours of educational time.

Assembling the Ghost school in the Pottery
Assembling the Ghost School in the Pottery

The Kohler Arts/Residency Program was launched in the early 1970s by the tireless and remarkable Ruth Kohler, who also is director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Ruth’s dedication to philanthropy has had a huge impact in the local community and has benefited artists from around the world. In selecting me for the Arts/Residency program, Ruth resurrected my career, catapulting me forward into new artistic worlds, and benefitted me greatly.

This is my second residency at Kohler, so when I arrived I already had a number of old friends in the factory and immediately began making new ones. Strong relationships are vital to getting my work through the production system, and the hands-on time these workers spend assisting me in my projects is amazing. The friendships continue in the off-hours, too. Twice, Marty, one of the pottery inspectors, took me fishing.

Catching fish on Lake Michigan
Marty and I with my first Lake Michigan Rainbow Trout

Another day, my friend Dave took me and another resident on a tour of the local countryside, which really opened my eyes to the depth of Wisconsin’s beauty and the kindness of its people. Dave has been determined that I get the full Wisconsin experience this time, and made it his mission to make sure I take the time to do that.

In thanks for all of the warmth and hospitality I’ve received during this long stretch away from home and family, I asked each of the workers sign a fish in “The Ghost School,” so I could tangibly integrate the feeling of camaraderie, of working together, into my project.

Dave Stark and I at the Parnell Tower
Taking a tour of the Kettle Moraine and the Parnell Tower to see the fall color.

Throughout this residency, negotiations between Kohler and the UAW Union (which represents most of Kohler’s employees) have loomed. In the past few weeks the tension has been building. It finally erupted when the company made an offer. The workers soundly rejected it and went on strike. Having made concessions during the previous contract negotiations, which happened during the recession, the workers are taking a principled stand in defense of the lowest paid among them. Risking their holidays — and who knows what else — to walk picket lines in Wisconsin’s bitter cold, these men and women are taking a step into the unknown to do what they believe is right. For that, I respect them now more than ever.

pottery workers on strike
Pottery workers on strike

On the other side of the line are the Kohlers. As an artist and a participant in the residency program they have been good to me. They’ve  promoted my work, provided opportunities I never could have imagined, and allowed me to work in their unparalleled facilities achieving things I never could have done on my own. These are amazing gifts that can’t be forgotten or underestimated.

The Ghost School
The Ghost School

I am allowed to cross the line and enter the factory at any time. The workers know me and understand I have a contract to fulfill and have many non-union friends going to work every day. The lines are not as clear as you might think. But I haven’t set foot inside since the strike began. Instead, I’ve been drawing and catching up on other work. Eventually I will go in to finish my work and complete what needs to be done. Meanwhile, the wind and rain are having a new and different significance as I think about my friends out on the picket line.

Sometimes life turns out to be more of an adventure than one bargains for. I hope for a quick resolution, though I’m not very optimistic about that. What I am certain about is the good that resides in all the people here. Their kindness has touched me profoundly and I owe everyone involved a deep debt of gratitude. Wisconsin is truly a beautiful place, and the Arts/Industry program has provided the experience of a lifetime.

Filed Under: News, Residencies, sculpture Tagged With: Bait ball, carving, ceramics, craft, david franklin, drama, fine art, Herring, School of Fish, sculpture, Strike, swarm, Union, Water, woodworking

New Public Art For the Port of San Diego

November 13, 2015 by David

“And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”

John Steinbeck-East of Eden

Cam_07 copy

For the past couple of years I have been working on a major project for the Lane Field North Development in the Port of  San Diego.  The theme is water, and for this place it could not be a more powerful symbol.   The lack of water, and at times the raging overabundance of water has been a force that has shaped California, moved its populations, created riches and hardships, and at time battles between neighbors.  It is also the same story through the West and has driven people in desperation to California for its dream of the promised land.  It could not be a more timeless and powerful symbol, and developments like this could not exist without out it. The Port of San Diego itself exists because of it.

When complete the sculpture will be three stories tall on the South side of the building and four on the North and divided into two 220 foot lengths. Monumental in scale, it has the Pacific Coast Highway on one side and Harbor Avenue on the other.  Cruise ships and aircraft  carriers park nearby and trains pass through the station across the street as well.  It is a great honor to be working on this project with John Portman Associates who designed the building and LFN Developers who are making it all happen, and also to Clark Steel Fabricators who is fabricating and installing the project..

Special thanks to Aaron Whelton, Kurt Nordquist and IDE Engineers who help me realize major projects like this.

 

The first panels of the California Rain sculpture
The first panels of the California Rain Sculpture at Lane Field North in the Port of San Diego

The California Rain Sculpture begins to take shape

Installing California Rain sculpture at Lane Field North
Installing California Rain sculpture at Lane Field North
Land Field North From Pacific Highway in the port of San Diego
The Lane Field North Tower looking southwest from Pacific highway. The arrow points to the artwork which will eventually stretch around three sides of the building around the garage floors.

Filed Under: Installations, News, Public Art, sculpture Tagged With: Aluminum, Art, david franklin, Lane Field North, metal, Port of San Diego, public art, Ripples, San Diego, sculpture, Water

How to Succeed at Public Art When Everything Goes Wrong

August 25, 2015 by David

Iron worker installing ripple panel.
Iron worker prepares to lift section of the rippling wall.

Please take a look!

The Americans for the Arts ARTS blog asked to write about the Rippling Wall public art project.  I figured enough time had passed to tell this story.  You can enjoy it  here.  For those of you who worked on the project, or were close to it I am sure you will remember well. Enjoy!

David Franklin

Filed Under: Awards, Installations, News, Process, Public Art, sculpture Tagged With: Aluminum, americans for the arts, drama, Fire Station 21, Oregon, Portland Architecture, Portland Fire and Rescue, public art, public art network, RACC, Rippling Wall

The Old and the New

July 16, 2015 by David

This Tentacle installation has an interesting setting.  It sits on a mantle I carved from fir in 2004 along with the panels on either side.  The theme of the carvings were wind and water, with creatures from the water and the Moon on the right panel and creatures of the air and the Sun on the left panel.  The mantle has wind and waves flowing out to their respective sides.

The Tentacles are a new contrasting sculptural element.  They relate as a theme around the home and also to the carved Octopus on the top of the panel on the right.  It is really amazing to work with such kind people who continue to appreciate your art as it evolves, and to see it all working together for a new effect.

Tentacle Installation
Tentacles Installation, mantle and panels carved in 2004.
View of Tentacles with Wind Cliff Mantle and Panels
Tentacles with Wind Cliff Mantle and Panels

Filed Under: carving, ceramics, Installations, News, Process, sculpture, Uncategorized Tagged With: carving, ceramics, fine art, octopus, Portland Architecture, sculpture woodworking, tentacle, tentacles, woodworking

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