It all starts with a reason to collaborate. Mine started with an actual need to further the impact of one of my sculptural pieces with a unique patina that exceeded my abilities. Color has always been a challenge for me. I discovered long ago that I was partially color blind, and that I saw colors a little less then the general population. That is what initially drove me to do sculpture, instead of painting.
Now, to find the right person to work with. I have been following many San Diego painters and art makers. I have always been enamored with the work of Denise Cerro, and the many materials she uses in her artwork. She is a very hard working artist, and does many really fascinating video’s on her YouTube channel. For this reason, I reached out to her to see if she would be interested in a collaboration. I was elated to have her agree.
The next part of the process was to design and build an interesting sculpture for her to apply her skills. I sometimes do not design on paper, what I am going to build. That was the case in this instance. I was going to build something that was free standing, and that had many curves, and was dynamic in its overall presentation. I like to have void area’s with things running though them. I selected New Zealand Pine for this project, the Pine is a softer wood and is much easier to shape then the much harder species I usually work with. I also knew the wood would be painted, and that any grain, or coloring of the wood, would not be an issue. And so I began.
After the initial cutting of the material, I glued two pieces together to give it more width. I then cut some holes for pieces to run through, and then a square hole to house one of my signature wooden balls.
The entire piece was painted with a white primer, and then I turned it over to Denise for her application. For this collaboration, I told Denise she had full creative license to do with the piece as she wished. As she started to work on the piece, she found a nautical feeling that led to an actual Octopus theme.
And in the end, the piece was remarkable. The collaboration gave birth to Octopus’s Garden.