Monday, September 11, 2017
Sept 17th, " Rural Studio"
Warm, dry and noble.....the requirements for the buildings documented in this incredible book. After reading your responses to "How Much House?" I no longer feel I have to give a long introduction to this reading. You are all insightful with your comments. I have long held that the best teaching is to simply get out of the way of learning. You are all proof of that belief. So, read this book, sit with the stories and reflect on this community classroom.
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Melissa Hidalgo - My Love, Our Public Lands
This first semester of the MAE program has been inspiring due to the readings we have had. These readings have felt personal and heartfelt....
OMG! I LOVE THIS BOOK! Future, you continue to open my eyes to new and wonderful things, and here is yet another. I have already checked the Rural Studio website and they are not accepting volunteers. boo.
ReplyDeleteI think small endeavors can make a real impact. What the students learn is invaluable. Reusing, actually doing the building, working with a client, being a part of the community. Things you can not teach in a classroom setting. The clients being brought into the design and respected for their opinions. Working with the agencies and groups in the towns. On and on.
I loved the Bryant house and the pictures of the front porch, from 1994 with a pristine porch to the 2000 with the "personalization" of the porch. I loved it. The house is a home.
I love the ingenuity in the Mason's Bend Community Center. 80 Chevy Caprice windshields! What a use of resources and yet still incorporating the center into the landscape.
Mockbee created a hands-on learning incubator that benefited so many groups.
Thank you.
Chris, I liked your thought about small endeavors making an impact. I think that is one reason, I, and other people often do not get involved, or coordinate community outreach opportunities. I've often wondered what it would be like if an actual part of our lives was selfless service. For example, what if people worked three days a week, provided community service tho days, and had two days off? I wonder how this would affect/ improve our society and the lives of real people?...
DeleteChris that exactly my reaction when I first read this book. I lived for 7 years in NE Arkansas and saw living conditions very much like the ones documented. Living on a military base and being very young it was a very different world. If you add the race issues of the 1950' and early 1960's it really was a separate place.
DeleteJames, small projects can include knitting a throw for a homeless shelter or women's protective service.
We have a new art challenge this year for our high school students. One component is to do community service through art. I am having to open my eyes and find meaningful opportunities for students. This book has helped, and Future, I will use your idea of knitting too.
Deletethe knitting idea is from a teacher friend...and the quilt idea... I have students who give art lessons to various groups which is really a wonderful service
DeleteChris,
DeleteI liked that point out to the limitations that a normal class room setting has. And Mockbee is breaking such limitations by bringing the students out of their institutions. I think a big part of what Mockbee’s students learn is from living closely in with poor people and getting to know them and their environment in a more personal level.
I also loved the photos taken on the front porch of Bryant house, they made me smile; I was always fascinated by the choices people make when they personalize their houses, transforming them in "homes" as you say. With this in mind, I took tons of pictures of doors, from everywhere I've traveled, trying I guess to answer the question: what do the doors say about the people behind them? I still do this... I also liked the expression "hands-on learning incubator" that you used in your comment; I think is right to the point.
DeleteThe school that I am work for is one of the lower income, lowest test scores in the district. I have some rough kids, mostly with my 5th and 4th graders. This is also the first year that my school has had an art program since the school has been open in 41 year. I believe as an art program we can help and benefit the kids in many ways. After reading this book, I came up with an idea for a project where I can come up with a community project where the kids help to make something and be eco-friendly for the school and the community. This project will help student feel that they are important because they are part of something great!
DeleteI actually had a difficult time getting into this book. It may be because I do not generally find architecture all that engaging, or that, looking from an art making standpoint, it really seemed more like a lesson in community service than artistic training. Having said that, I do understand the social implications of artists engaging in direct, life changing endeavors. The idea, and action, of making respectable housing available for humanity is so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMason's bend Community center: I like the windshield idea. The center seems like an uplifting place to be, enabling the community to strengthen bonds.
Newbern:
The Barn like Supershed: I liked the Idea of utilizing the wax impregnated cardboard until I saw the structure. I think that aesthetically, the cardboard is very unpleasing, and although it may be effective and functional, I believe its use could have been better prepared in a visually aesthetic sense.
Sanders-Dudley House: I liked their incorporation of the rammed earth walls. I wonder why this trend hasn't caught on in the general home construction scene. Perhaps it is too expensive, high maintenance, vulnerability, or just not sophisticated' for modern man. I am curious if anyone has insights into this thought.
Two quotes that I really found insight and inspiration from:
Hero Children's center: “Students don’t know you can't do things, and, therefore, things get done that normally wouldn't. …important that students at the Rural Studio are exposed to the realities of Hale County, where they see there's a different world than the one with fifty-story building.”
In the student reflections, Jennifer Stanton says, “At the studio, home is school and school is home.”
For me both of these quotes speak to the need of our educational system to be more in tune to the needs of and responsibility to our communities. Allowing young people to experience selfless service would certainly benefit both their lives and the lives of those they encounter. I know that currently high schools often require community service as part of certain degree plans, but I like the idea of college programs including, much like student teaching or internships, periods of field related community service as part of their degree plans. I realize this would be controversial, but know that the overall gains could be substantial.
I would and will argue that architecture is a form of art/ art making. Compare an average strip mall with one of these buildings. At TTU we do alot of outreach in our university classes...we go into art class rooms and offer extra hands/eyes/energy plus supplies. It gives our students a chance to work in a school and to from the first class on be hands on. We go mostly to under served schools but we also go to our most popular/ wealthy schools. At one time we literally went to an elementary school without an art teacher and one day a week taught art to the entire school!
DeletePerhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully. I did not mean to insinuate that architecture is not an art form. I was simply stating that from my personal perspective the book seemed to be highlight the social aspects of the program more than its artistry. I also did not mean to imply that that was necessarily a shortcoming. The book just initially peeked my interest less than I had anticipated. I do recognize the artistic elements of the endeavor an am sure there were many, many creative experiences for the students throughout each project.
DeleteIt is all OK....this class and any class I teach is based on your being able to state your response. I appreciate honesty, and I love the opportunity to have a dialog.
DeleteJames, I agree with your comment about experiencing selfless service. And, as you say, college is a great way to contribute. This kind of experience, students can live in the environment and be totally absorbed, learning empathy and tolerance of others. I did talk to an architect today who said he knew all about Rural Studio and wished he had been a part of it.
DeleteJames, I agree with you that as a say, painter, one may feel a little distance from architecture, since architecture has more functions in everyday life than a video art or a painting. However, for me the thing that connects the book to our practice the most is their teaching ideas. The way they approach teaching goes beyond majors and disciplines. That teaching should be through real and practical experience. And the object of teaching is not only instructing the discipline, but the social and ethical points around that discipline.
DeleteArchitecture is a very different form of art, and falls into the utilitarian side of art making as opposed to the strictly aesthetic/research side, which is where I think James is coming from here. This divide between the functional and utilitarian arts is actually very strongly seen in jewelry, where you have art and statement jewelry and then the well-known industry side a la Kay, Rogers and Hollands etc. It becomes a problem when people start to look down on one or the other simply for being different. There's a lot of that in the art jewelry field, particularly towards bench work, which is really pretty sad. I think creativity in all its forms should be respected.
DeleteGood point Sarah. I believe one of the best/worst things about grad school and an MFA is the all consuming need to learn everything and be good at everything/every technique in your area while developing your own style or "look". There is very little time for reflection and there is no time for service. Mockbee had to education the other professors at Tulane as much as he taught his students.
DeleteWe grow through teaching and helping others. Possibly, a future MAE program might incorporate service work. What a wonderful way to learn more about the field while developing your own style.
DeleteJames, I was wondering if, after reading "Too Much House" and starting this one if our project for the class would be to build a house!! I think both books are showing the benefits of hands on learning for students, they are just using architecture as the vehicle. Learning by doing and making the mistakes. I do not have my book handy, but somewhere a student talked about trying to put everything into one project and how scaling it back made it better (very paraphrased here).
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and the cardboard bales, they were very distracting!
I promise no more architecture books. I taught drawing in Architecture for 3 years so I developed a true appreciation of subject.
DeleteThe cardboard is important because it available and free.
I moved into a refurbished building this year and worked with the architects and builders in the process. Often, when I would argue a point, I could bring the “artist” out of the architect and get him to understand what I thought art studios needed. When we did discuss in terms of design and function, the conversations were much like mid-project critiques. A true enjoyment to have someone with the same game plan.
ReplyDeleteReading this book, I enjoyed seeing the photographs, especially with the owners and occupants, and reading how the buildings were designed. The camaraderie of the students working together and with the community seems second to none. Most of all, I was captured by the love of Mockbee by his students and his work as an artist.
I envy how he put his question, “Do I have the courage to make my gift count for something?” to work in such a grand way. From portraying people from the “taboo landscape” in his paintings and collages to building a whole community. Telling his students. “their goodness is more important than their greatness, their compassion more eventful than their passion” is something I hope to feed to my students. Combining his love for art and architecture, his student, Jennifer Staton said, “He’s a friend, someone we look up to, definitely, but he’s just one of the guys, real comforting, He’s brilliant, Little things: he’ll compare the elevation of a building to a painting, and that’ll get us thinking about composition.” Another student, Steve Hoffman, talked about how Mockbee brought out the best in everyone.
Close to the end, “In Praise of Shadows” by Lawrence Chua was a pleasure to read his interpretation of Mockbee’s art. The “Untitled”, 1991 collage, on page 166, is a captivating interpretation of the “taboo landscape”.
"their goodness is more important than their greatness,..." that right there captured me. So good. I would also love to pass that on to my students and then have them pass on that same wisdom to whomever they meet. The world would be a better place right?
DeleteMy school is a national school of character, I would love to share this quote with my character committee and see if this could become our school motto. I agree, it captured me as well.
DeleteI too loved the connection to/with his paintings.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the quote which Paige mentioned. I have always used my art in a personal way. My work has never been aimed at social activism, and rarely even social commentary. This reality is deeply tied to who I am as a person, both my intrinsic manner and life goals. This book, and much of the research I have encountered during the MAE program, has made me better understand and begin to question this course. The quote “Do I have the courage to make my gift count for something?” certainly sets my mind to reflection. I know what my art and teaching means to me and the students that I come into contact with and I do believe that in those spheres I have certainty felt reward for my efforts. The question for me to consider is Do I want to make a broader impact with my work? Towards this, I have begun feeling out my passions and possible avenues of action. I'm not sure if such work is really for me, but if there is a meaningful influence that I am able to contribute to, I hope I too have the courage to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteJames I think you are in a perfect place. Graduate school is meant to make you think/re-think. First, you are a teacher and you show up everyday, there really is no greater service. Looking at your art in a new way or new ways is what allows you to grow. Keep questioning.
DeleteThat's exactly what this book and this blog entry made me do Future, think and re-think about my teachings and artwork.
DeleteGood....there will be readings that make you mad or seem to have no purpose, it is all design (at least in my mind) to offer space to expand and a place to be safe with new thoughts
DeleteI always appreciate the people who ignore the artistic trends of their time and work on their genuine goals and philosophies. I think, these people many times need to be in unique spaces, with more isolation and far from the loud noises of the art world and markets. I think they are the ones who can say something truly new.
ReplyDeleteMockbee seemed to me one of these sorts of artists and teachers. He has his philosophy of architecture and teaching art, and he is persistent on it. I liked his idea that architecture shouldn’t be just about making buildings, but it has ethical and social duties. Mockbee uses teaching and making a building as means of social work and social change. For me, as a teacher, an ideal way of teaching art is a way that I can incorporate art into social work and for social change. I really learned from this book…It was an excellent example of such approach to teaching.
I think this book and the last week reading on sustainable cabin have many things in common. They both emphasize on teaching in a practical or “real” way and not theoretical, abstract or virtual. They both bring a perspective into the play; a philosophy of instruction and creating art. However, I liked this book more than the one we read last week. This is because, this book was more specific on a particular project, which was engaged with social and ethical concerns.
In short, what Rural Studio does, is well defined in this quote from the book: “students create something wonderful. Architecturally, socially, politically, environmentally, esthetical. That’s the mission of rural studio.”
I believe one of the most remarkable thing about what Mockbee did was taking students out of the very private and elite walls of Tulane and forcing them /allowing them to experience the realities of poverty. From a institution of privilege to a landscape of forgotten.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are absolutely right. I think this is a very critical point in his teaching that I didn’t acknowledge well…that he is also changing the teaching the environment, or space in accordance with his teaching goals.
DeleteIf I were an architect, it would be different if I stayed in my studio, read about poverty on the internet, watch some movies about them, and make a house from when I go there and live with them for many days. This is a much more real and profound understanding of the people who I am make a space for them…
What I liked most about this book was the reinforcement of the idea that a teacher is much more than a simple presence in a classroom setting, delivering the required material related to a certain area of research. That the teacher is rather a model for the students, having the power to influence their beliefs and perception of the world. Most important, that the teacher is able to inspire passion for present and future work and plant the seed of change by showing and proving to the students that they can become a real force if they really want to change something.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the book I felt a little bit irritated by the direction the text seemed to go; creating to Mockbee a sort of Robin Hood aura, and introducing him as a hero fighting against the entire academic and professional field of architecture characterized by “emphasis on fashion, frantic speed, and superstardom” (2). I really don’t know what the situation is in the field of architecture, my contacts with it have been minimal so far, almost inexistent. But if I initially felt that the tone is somehow exaggerated, as the story enfolded and Mockbee’s portrait took a clearer shape (“moral sense”, “lack of dogmatism and boldness”, “comforting”, “honest, good guy” with a “Santa Claus complex” (4) etc.), I became moved by it. In the end, I think that his deeds and the way he was perceived within the communities he helped are more relevant than everything.
Related to the project, I think that the idea of building modest, low cost houses for poor people, by using “inexpensive, mostly salvaged or donated, often curious materials” (2) is genius, and building them with the help of students makes everything even better. In addition, exposing students to poverty with the purpose of making them sensitive to humans’ real problems is a very direct and potent approach. As a matter of fact, the whole manner in which the project was conceived and implemented shows love for simplicity, honesty, efficiency, and people. Also the idea that the houses should be inspired by and reflect the spirit of the place is very interesting and praiseworthy. There are so many communities scattered all over the world that lament for the loss of traditional elements in architecture, but so few initiatives that attempt to reconcile tradition with modernity in a thoughtful, considerate way. To be able to do that, and especially by using inexpensive resources is something to appreciate in my opinion.
A few other aspects that caught my attention or I particularly liked:
• The photographs – some of them were very compelling, speaking volumes about Mockbee’s vision, but also about the people they were built for (e.g. the photograph on page 29);
• The use of automobile windshields for Mason’s Bend Community Center (50);
• The community’s involvement at Hero’s Children Center (126)
• The use of materials for Hero Playground (122)
• The students’ portraits at the end of the book which highlighted the pedagogical endeavor of the project.
The issue of being exposed to poverty is an important one as for middle- and upper-class people, poverty can be a relatively obscure concept not seen much beyond panhandlers on street corners, and this relative insulation can lead to a lot of damaging stereotypes about working class folk. I went to high school with a lot of blue collar kids whose parents worked retail, secretarial etc. Some didn't work at all. Those kids had a lot of issues, but I always connected more with them because they were generally kinder and more accepting than the kids in my own social class. I also worked a lot with Habitat families back then. By contrast, my brother and sister, who lived with their mom, went to the most affluent high school in the state, and it shows. They have had little to no contact with working class families and the biases that come with that showed this summer when my sister said something extremely racist and classist when she said she no longer wanted to shop at a specific Indianapolis mall because it was so full of "those people" now. Attitudes like that are what really divide people, along class lines, race lines, and political lines, and split this country up. So working to expose students to the realities of the world outside the sphere of their own school is incredibly important.
DeleteAs the former Dean of Architecture (TTU) told me, 75% of the buildings on earth are not built by or with an architect.
DeleteNever thought of that, Future.
DeleteI am glad you were able to change your mind about Mockbee. His work and the Rural Studio changed the way architecture was taught and inspired a number of professors to rethink their methods. I loved how he made sure the students talked to the people...got to know them and what THEY needed not what the student thought was necessary.
ReplyDeleteI think that my problem was not with Mockbee himself, but with the intent to isolate him and place him against everybody else. Maybe it's just a matter of time, and at that moment there were very few architects interested in such type of projects... However, Mockbee's merits are incontestable.
DeleteThis book took me back to 5th grade in a way. It reminded me of a program we did at school called "If I Had A Hammer", not sure if you all are familiar with it but it was a program that help teach Math to kids with a hands on activity outside the classroom. Eventually, the whole class would learn Math that will get us ready to build a small shed like building. and we did. We all learned how to put what we learned to use and to work as a team to build it. I know it must have been really fun because I still can clearly remember that day. As a teacher myself, I understand how learning beyond the classroom is important. Teaches you more than just the subject you are learning. There should be more teachers like Mockbee that can and should expand their teachings to hands on work, uncomfortable situations, and expand their learning to more than just the subject at hand.
ReplyDeleteReading about each of the projects they had to work on was fun. The book gave explanation how that project started. The Butterfly House was intriguing to me because the owner was first hesitant to have Mockbee and his students create them a home. Shows how close they got with their clients. Not only did the clients help them building but they had to earn their trust first before starting on a project. A second project that really caught my eye was the Yancey Chapel. I love how open it is at the end of the chapel. Creating it all from dirt and found object. Looking at the images it doesn't seem like it would hold eighty people, less 300 like the book said. Makes me want to see it in person.
The photography in this book is also wonderful. Having the clients fill the spaces that were created for them makes the image be more than just a picture of a home or structure.
That sounds like an awesome learning experience. When I get my students to work with wood tools, even a hammer. I am amazed how much they love it and how little experience they have.
DeleteWhat a great class!
DeleteI feel like in some of the projects that we teach in the class incoorpate other subjects and even life lessons. Just with clean-up in my classroom we responsibility and learn how to clean after themselves!
Delete
ReplyDeleteHe is an absolute genius. Very inspiring book about vernacular architecture and Mockbee's vision for an egalitarian, up cycled architecture for ALL people. The text, the photos, the ideas are all inspiring. The only complaint I have is that the book could definitely include more photographs, as well as concept sketches and design drawings. Photographs of details could help too.
I particularly like the sensitive way that the homes are photographed, especially the "then and now" pictures that show how the owners and home adapted to one another. As a teacher and an artist, I know how important it is to be close to your community. Therefore the project I would have loved to have worked on would have been Mason's Bend Community Center. All the houses serve a great purpose but I felt like the community center served as something bigger.
These homes exhibit ingenuity in the way the architecture students built with recycled materials and the way the homeowners furnish their homes with very little cash. Even if you're not an architecture nerd like some people are it's worth seeing what a little money and a lot of heart can do for people who really need it
I really wanted to see more images of the Sanders-Dudley house. Couldn't believe there was just one.
DeleteThere is a film on Rural Studio you can order. The voices add a wonderful southern touch
DeleteOh really! I would be really interested in watching it!
DeleteSorry to be tardy to the party. Actually I read this book in sections before bed throughout the week. I think it's an innovative yet classic way to address the issue of abject poverty in the United States: return to "antiquated" ideas of using an object until it's disintegrated, finding new uses for old items until they're too old to be of any use. This is the way people lived up until about the end of World War II; before the invention of automation, throwaway fashion, and the economic boom that followed the war, most people (my blue-collar ancestors included) simply could not afford to be wasteful. I remember watching my grandparents find the most ingenious uses for things considered trash to most people and there was a LOT of stuff to carry out of both houses when each set passed away. So Prof. Mockbee is actually bringing back to life a very old and important concept, and at the same time reminding us that as poor as we may feel we are, most of the world once (and in many areas continues to) make do with what is available. I often wonder how much richer (and less polluted) our country would be if we were more resourceful and less wasteful.
ReplyDeleteThat said, and as fascinating as these houses are, I found myself wondering about the technicalities of the project. How long will these structures hold? How much maintenance will they require, and is this considered in the design process? (The materials are generally pretty strong, but considering the income level of the people they're going to, they need to be exceedingly low maintenance and issues that arrive should be fixable by the average person rather than a contractor). Of course this is likely something that is addressed thoroughly in each design, and may have even been addressed at some point in the book; just something that occurred to me when I consider how much money and time my parents spend maintaining their homes.
America's economic prosperity has plateaued, as evidenced by the 2008 recession and subsequent fallout; we can't become infinitely more prosperous, and the result of the economy of the last decade is more families living together and the rise of the tiny house movement. If the income gap continues to be an issue and climate change becomes more of an issue, I wonder if Mockbee's technique will catch on, and people will begin to return to a more sustainable lifestyle characterized by smaller homes made of sustainable materials with a high recycling-to-trash ratio? Probably not likely anytime soon, but it's something that shouldn't be ruled out.
Although Mockbee himself has passed, the work continues and it is an influence on many. Upe's class is an example...not trying to do the same thing but to leave the drawing board and go into the field literally.
DeleteWeek 1 Sept 10: My grandmother was an only child who inherited her mother, aunt, and grandmother’s things when they passed. She was a child of the depression and was taught to save everything. Being my grandmother’s first grandchild –a girl, I was the one who would carry the possessions into the 21st century. I find it interesting that men carry on the family surname were women pass on the family heirlooms to their daughters. From the start I was handicapped. I already had china, knitted afghans, silver, crystal, embroidered handkerchiefs, cookbooks, old silverware, milk glass,… waiting for me the day I was born ( I have just mentioned a fraction here ). My father’s mother could finally sleep at night knowing the possessions were to stay in the family. What a struggle it has been my whole life to carry from house to house this stuff. Most of it I truly love. I have some unique, valuable, sentimental, coveted, cool stuff from the early 1900’s. Lucky for my grandmother I am an old soul and tattered, aged ephemera from the 20 and 30’s speaks to me. BUT I am not an antique shop and the country farmhouse look on steroids is not my taste. I am more the modern French country- stress clean lines and less clutter. But what to do with 3 sets of china? This doesn’t even include my mother and her side of the family. Potentially, my two daughters will have to decide between 6 sets of china. Six!
ReplyDeleteI read an article in Huffington Post recently about the dilemma our children face with the family “stuff”. Many are choosing to sell it all and opt for a more clean modern kitchen and home. They do not want to be burdened with possessions. My grandmother’s possessions alone filled a 3500 sq ft home in Dallas and ranch home outside of Sherman, Tx. Over the years I have sold off many of the family heritage-most of it furniture. ( I had furniture from the 40’s and 50’s.. some even ealier. ) My home hadn’t really become mine, it was a mini replica of the days gone by. Now, before one says anything about treasuring the nostalgic, I must say I love old things too and knowing they were handed down from generation to generation totally floats my boat. But please realize the obligational burden I feel and my attic feels year after year. I have A LOT. I am my own antique store.
I have just recently moved to a new home with a little more square footage, new décor and the wagon of antiques, too. What I wouldn’t give to be free of this. FREE! There, I’ve said it. It’s out in the open now. I lower my head. I exhale.
Public education has become noisy, noisy with exhausting paperwork, noisy amounts of emails, noisy with do more with little pay and time noisy with children who are over indulged, and noisy schedules. Life is noisy, buy more and collect more, busier is better. I want to be simple in every way I possibly can. I fight the clutter every day. I fight the clutter in everyday life.
Andy Warhol was a hoarder. He filled warehouses full with artifacts and stuff. He liked to think of his warehouses as time capsules. How funny.
Flueckiger’s book, How Much House? Could not have come into my life at a better time. I could hear the stillness, the quiet. I could sense the freedom that came with such a small dwelling and vast amounts of land surrounding. The simplicity of space clears the clutter in one’s mind. . The small space grabs your soul and asks nothing of you other than just be.
A doctor once told me to be asleep by 10 and stay asleep past 2 for the stress hormone cortisol to recalibrate daily. The cabins make me think of space that enables the body to reconnect and calibrate with its mind and spirit, bringing all three together.
I feel I would have grown and gained deep perspective being in Flueckiger’s class with the sustainable cabin. I am in accordance in letting the space speak.
great response....I understand the burden of family treasures
DeleteWeek 1 cont..
ReplyDeleteTwo historical artists whose work comes to mind is Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth. Both artists created a sense of space in their painting. More importantly, I feel, is the sense of a quiet stillness. I personally am drawn into their works- I can stare for what seems like hours into the wordless space created on canvas. I had not thought about their work and how it relates to my own but the more I reflect I begin to see a correlation. As a bookmaker, I am simple seeking, the beauty of the cover, pages, craftsmanship are my words.
Kathy Fahey is a contemporary book artist I admire. Her creations possess a graphic printers element with exceptional line quality I admire. Naturally color lifts my spirits and appeases the inner child within me but deep down, I would love to take as many antiques as I could and manipulate them somehow into an artist book. I do not feel the need to have words in my books in order for them to be understood. They speak for themselves. Simple, free, elegant, quiet.
Chris,
You mention living in such a place as the sustainable cabin as a “romantic thought”… I feel you are not alone in thinking- haven’t we all thought it to be romantic to have a “little” cabin far off in the woods, a shanty by the sea, or a homestead on land as far as the eye can see? All to escape from everyday life?
Paige,
My better half is much like you- a people person. Although he works for Delta Airlines and comes in contact with thousands of people daily, he still seeks the company of his close friends to rejuvenate him- while I seek simple quiet spaces.