Desert Fence Posts-steel table

I made this table with ceramic artist, Christina Devine, in around 2007 or 2008. She Made the tile top and I made the rest out of steel. This beautiful table is a perfect example of how found material can be incorporated into furniture. The thing that really attracted us about this common fence post that I used to form parts of the legs and skirt of this piece, was the green color of it, as well as the lugs running in a raised border through the center of the post. These qualities are given emphasis and enhanced by their placement in combination with other complementary metal elements. The green color was sacrificed on the legs in order to obtain a more mellow bronze-like luster. This table base has a lovely, dark glow to it that is set off by the colors of the tile top. The green of the metal border, with it’s repeating pattern, accords with the large green tile and it’s series of raised dots which is found above. The reddish brown of the metal harmonizes with the different browns and off-whites of the tile. This play between color and material is continued on a metaphorical level in the relationship of the tile and the metal.

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Dimensions: L-31” x W-17” x H-18”

Handmade Ceramic Tile and Steel Tea Ceremony Table

Here is a table that I made in collaboration with ceramic artist, Christina Devine in 2007 or so. 

This lovely and simple table is very low to the ground. It is ideal for sitting at cross legged on pillows while you drink your tea. The tile on top is reminiscent of an old painting one might find on a scroll in the Far East. The table would also look beautiful in a garden setting as a small sculpture set among plants or rocks. The steel base is an elegant example of how found objects can be combined with stock material to form a whole new form. I fabricated rings and bent steel rod in order to support the oversized bolts which have become legs for this piece. A large cast iron machine part frames the tile and is a major component of the table top. It is given prominence by the subtly and reticence of these ingenious legs. The top seems to hover there a few inches above the ground. Seen from the side, these legs have a pleasing and graceful strength to them as well.

Dimensions: Lenth-23” x Width-23” x Highth-8”

I sold the table on March 19, 2008 on Etsy for $700. USD to a client in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Here is a close up view of Christina's ceramic work:

And here is a close up of one of the legs:

Elegance of Technology Steel and Ceramic Tile Coffee Table

This is the first table that I made in collaboration with ceramic artist, Christina Devine. It was around 2007 or so.

In this table, we wanted to communicate the elegance of technology when it embraces Nature rather than attempting to dominate or subjugate it. The base is made of steel that I ground and polished thoroughly, before and after welding it. Some of the staining and pitting caused by many years of oxidation was purposely left on the legs, feet and one side of the table skirt because of the contrast it provides to the mirror like finish of the other three sides and to the mechanical bracing pieces gripping the edges of the tabletop.
The tile is hand made by my partner, the ceramic artist Christina Devine. The blue, green and beige of the glazes that she used harmonize with the gentle sheen of the steel bracing. Patterns of perforation in the metal is echoed in the more organic and random circle impressions found in the tile. The combination of glossy and matt glazes used on these tiles is mirrored by the soft, smooth finish I used on the steel.

Size: 36”L x 16”W x 19”H

We sold the table on Etsy to a client in Henrieville, Utah on Feb 6, 2008 for 900.00 USD not including shipping.

Dinnerware Artspace Solo Exhibition 2012

I have been working with David Aguirre for the past monthn or so, preparing the new Dinnerware space. http://dinnerwareartspace.blogspot.com/  The new location is at 425 W. 6th St.  We started out by installing insulation and drywall on the ceiling. In the area that was to become the gallery, the walls were made of yellow cinder block. So I framed them with 2"x3" inch wood, hung sheets of drywall and plastered them. Pia helped paint the walls. During the remodel of the building I came on several nights to work on my painting, entitled, "The Million-Year Apprenticeship". The large painting shown in the above photo. 

The space was ready the day before the first art show. I went early in the day on Saturday the 2nd of June to hang my art and the opening was at 6pm that evening. The show started an people began showing up. There were three food trucks and it was really hot out. Once the sun began to go down, I started feeling better and more energetic and social.

I had planned to sell the raffle tickets, that I had made and set out, for a contest where someone could win one of my 8 oil on paper paintings. However, because the heat of the afternoon, I didn't feel like doing anything to encourage that, until a woman asked me about them and decided to buy ten tickets and then people got really excited about it and bought a bunch of tickets. They really loved the whole raffle ticket thing. And I started feeling better about it, and the whole show in general. 

The raffle ticket situation, was that whoever win would be able to choose any one of these 8 oil on paper pieces. I sold the tickets for $1 each. The raffle ticket thing was so exciting that at the end of the night I decided to draw two tickets for two winners. The two that ended up being chosen were "Network" [top row, 2nd from left] and "Connection" [bottom row, 3rd from left].  During the show, I also sold "Chat Stream" [top, 3rd from left] and an oil painting on wood called "Under the Bed" http://neilcollinsartist.blogspot.com/2010/10/under-bed.html

Overall, the show went really good, I'm really excited about the work and it was a wonderful way to initiate the new Dinnerware location.