Table Mesa Road

Episode 11, in which destruction contains the seeds of creation.

There's this spot about 30 minutes north of Phoenix that gives access to one of the man-made lakes Arizona uses in an attempt to store water. It's the kind of place my dad used to take us when I was a kid, to camp and fish and enjoy the outdoors. The rule was, always leave the area in better condition than you found it. We used to pack out any trash we saw as well as any that we made.

So I was shocked to see how people abuse the site today. People take everything from coffee cans to coffee tables out into the desert and blow it away with all manner of guns. Then they just leave it there, along with their expended bullets and empty cartridges and shell boxes. The area is a big dry wash, and when it rains, all the water flows into the lake, carrying in every bit of toxic waste left behind.

So the place is a mass of contradiction. The beauty of the Sonoran desert astounds me, and the debris deluge turns my stomach.

You know what an artist has to do with this wealth of material.

Create.

We went out and foraged, then had a picnic near the lake, and Joe Willie Smith and I collaborated on a twig sculpture, which will probably be shot to kindling over the weekend. But you can see it here.

May 20, 2007, Update:

This video has been selected to screen at Pixelodeon!

Spin It and Run

Episode 10, in which Cheryl tells Joe Willie Smith to spin it and run.

I swear, I love how much I get to play in this class, and that my teacher is free to play, too. Spending my semester this way is one of my better decisions.

Have a look at what my fellow students worked on today:

• a ... propeller ... thing
• a mask
• a kinetic mobile
• a metal sculpture

I did more sandblasting today. Specifically, I blasted some ugly green paint off of a wood frame purchased for under $1 at the As Is Yard. The sandblasting revealed the grain of the wood nicely. Joe Willie also sliced a piece of oak for me, and it's gorgeous.

Unfortunately, while I'm doing my own work I forget to yank out the video camera. I'll try to do better next week and show you how my own work is coming along.

Urban Freak Studies

Click To Play

Episode 9, in which we perform a classic carnival freak show during lunch.

Today was a foraging day, but I forgot my video camera. Luckily guest vlogger Dale Doubleday had her video camera.

I did bring a still camera, so I can show you photos of where we went and what we saw.

Our first stop was Apache Reclamation & Electronics, which is just this space, both a building and a yard, containing reclaimed items from industry. They had a little bit of everything, including chemistry supplies, and boy was it cool.

Joe Willie and I wanted to make a printing press with some of these rollers.

I dearly wanted a way to take these shelves home. I'd have to rent a flatbed truck.

We ate lunch and performed our carnival act at La Canasta. Delicious food!

We ended the day with some hard core thrifting. It was a blast.

Santa Fe Railroad

Episode 7, in which we threaten national security.

For today's class we walked a couple of miles along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks, foraging for metal, glass, interesting rocks and wood. It's not shown in the video, but Joe Willie found an amazing 18 inch piece of beautifully weathered oak, and let me tell you, it was heavy. He's going to give me a slice of it for one of my projects. As you watch, keep an eye out for our impromptu xylophone. We left it out by the tracks for any wandering musicians that might happen by.

Random Saturday Foraging

Episode 5, in which Cheryl loses her nerve.

For class, we are asked to document our resources. I've taken that to heart and am making note whenever I see something that might be of use to fellow students, even if I don't want it. I'm also trying to document anything I pick up for myself, even if I'm not sure how I'll use it. With that goal in mind, here are the resources shown in the video:

Scottsdale Community College, behind the art building:

• discarded gym equipment may yield interesting metal bits and other parts, but you should probably ask around and see if it's okay before just nabbing stuff
• Desert landscaped areas contain cool natural materials, like tumbleweeds and seed pods
• Any college campus is probably a good place to find miscellaneous stuff discarded by maintenance - I found rusty wire and wood

The former greenbelt at Chapparal & Hayden Roads in Scottsdale has lots of:

• driftwood
• freshwater shells
• lost golf balls
• the occasional dead waterfowl with pretty feathers

Camelback Road & Arcadia Lane in Phoenix:

• red brick rubble
• metal
• pipe

Looks like a car wreck. I don't know if the brick is owned by a homeowner, the city, or maybe a neighborhood association, but I doubt anyone would miss a bit of it.