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Here is the process of the latest acrylic painting of the Résidence Montparnasse, located in the the 14th arrondissement of Paris, France, one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city. Situated on the left bank of the River Seine, it contains most of the Montparnasse district. Although today Montparnasse is best known for its skyscraper, the Tour Montparnasse, and its major railway terminus, the Gare Montparnasse, these are both actually located in the neighboring 15th arrondissement. The district has traditionally been home to many artists. Measures 36x24" and is currently available at the time of posting. 
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During Modernism Week in February, a tour of the Frey House II is offered through the Palm Springs Art Museum. Highly recommended for the architecture aficionado in you! (From the Palm Springs Art Museum website) At the time it was built, it was at the highest elevation of any residence in the city. Frey took five years to select the site and a year to measure the movement of the sun using a 10-foot pole. It was the second Palm Springs house that Albert Frey designed for himself and it has become a hillside landmark. Perched part way up the San Jacinto mountain, the house looks across the expanse of the Coachella Valley. It was designed to have as little impact on the surrounding environment. Measuring only 800 square feet, the house is compact but very functional. A concrete block podium forms the base for the simple steel structure house. It has a steel-frame with large spans of glass and sheathing in painted corrugated metal. A platform, parallel to the road, projects in front of the house and acts as a deck for the pool and as a roof for the carport below. The design included a flat corrugated-aluminum roof, overhangs to block the summer sun and sliding glass doors that open the interior to the exterior. The house has many walls of glass, which showcase the astounding views. The swimming pool and small deck function as the roof of the carport. The upper level features a dining/work table and the bathroom, while the lower level includes a sitting area, master bedroom and kitchen. Albert Frey added an additional guest bedroom (measuring 300 square feet) in 1967. Being keenly conscious of nature, Albert Frey choose the color of his curtains to match the yellow Encilla flowers that bloom each spring in the desert. He also painted the ceiling blue. One of the most famous elements of the property is the incorporation of a large boulder into the design. It protrudes into the house and acts as a divider between the bedroom and living room. By incorporating the boulder in to the design, Albert Frey acknowledged our role with nature. (From the museum website) American Framing to examine wood framing—one of the country’s most overlooked yet common construction systems. Originating in the early 19th century, softwood construction was a pragmatic solution to a need for an accessible building system among settlers with limited resources of wealth, technical skills, and building traditions. It has been the dominant construction system ever since—more than 90% of new homes in the U.S. today are wood framed. Despite its ubiquity, wood framing is also one of the country’s most under-appreciated contributions to architecture. Its lack of disciplinary prestige stems from the same characteristics that make it so prevalent—ease of use, lightweight, and affordability. However, it is these very qualities that introduce a flexibility for form, labor, composition, class, sensibility, access, and style that expand the possibilities for architecture. This exhibition presents models, furniture, photographs, and a full-scale wood structure, which together argue that a profound and powerful future for design can be conceived out of an ordinary past. Participating artists include Ania Jaworska, Norman Kelley, Daniel Shea, Chris Strong, and students from the University of Illinois Chicago. What can I say? I like models! Took a trip over to The Brewery Artwalk with @jewelrybill (his instagram), to the spring open studio weekend at the worlds largest art complex. With over 100 participating resident artists, we had the opportunity to see new works, discover new favorites, speak with the artists and purchase artwork directly from the artists’ studios. The Brewery Arts Complex began in 1982 at the site of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery. With the passing of the Artist-In-Residence code, artists could rent live/work space in industrially zoned buildings. Renting only to artists is their policy to this day. In July 1997, the LA Weekly labeled it “the world’s largest artist-in-residence community” and in a March 1999 Los Angeles Times article The Brewery was quoted as the “world’s largest art complex.” These are true lofts, not apartments, in industrial buildings that are a part of what has become a uniquely vibrant and creative community. Absolutely worth every moment spent. Free admission and parking. Part two of our three hour visit at Taliesin West in 2008. Process of the graphite drawing of a micro-unit apartment building a half block away from the old Little Italy residence on West Cedar Street in downtown San Diego. Made up of 42 studios at 380 square feet and five penthouses averaging 500 square feet. Completed in 2020, it measures 7"w x 9"h and is currently available at the time of posting.  No history lesson here. Just pictures of our three hour tour at Taliesin West in 2018. As of March 2020, the foundation said the school didn’t have a solid business model to stay open, but it was willing to let second and third year students finish out their degrees, according to a statement given to Architect Magazine. Unfortunately, that wasn't approved by the full board. On the bright side, the foundation said it will keep Taliesin West and Taliesin open so that visitors can experience FLW’s homes and work space. So yes, according to their website, you can book a tour. Well worth the time and expense if you're a FLW fan. Process of a drawing of the historic Coachella Valley Savings No. 2. building located in Palm Springs, California, 2020. The building is a fine example that master architect E. Stewart Williams used the International Style of architecture for commercial buildings in the early 1960s. It features a flat roof, deep overhangs, steel-frame construction, and a lack of applied ornamentation. The most prominent feature of the structure are the inverted arches of reinforced concrete that rise to form columns that hold up the roof. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.  Process of a drawing of the Lever House Building in New York City, commissioned by a San Diego architect/developer in 2019, who provided the photograph.. The Lever House is a glass-box skyscraper built in the International Style according to the design principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The building was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, completed in 1952. The 307-foot-tall building features a courtyard and public space and was designated a New York City landmark in 1982 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Finished drawing size is 11’w x 17”h.  Tours of The Cree House were offered with Modernism in Palm Springs this past February 2020. Having been to the Frey II house, we had to take advantage. The Cree House was designed by Swiss-born architect Albert Frey for former school superintendent, turned real estate developer, Raymond Cree in 1955. Supported by thin steel columns, the 1,124 square foot home has one bedroom, one and a half baths and a 600 square foot bright yellow deck. Recently, the home underwent a thorough renovation, restoring everything from the home’s exterior as well as interior wall panels, deck pieces to the kitchen appliances, to name a few. And it showed as we stepped back in time with this “Forgotten Frey”. |
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