The Fine Art Jenga Marathon...

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The Swing, completed

Many people who have seen our show at the Dole mansion were shocked to discover how Joe makes some of his solo pieces; it's a process that takes a lot of balance, time & patience.

For example, The Swing (shown here, both in progress & completed) was created out of one flat 8' piece of Hickory.

What I find particularly interesting about this, is that he cut the wood at no more than a 10 degree angles to create this wavy effect; to me, this shows how just being a little off course can lead you in a completely different direction.

Now, in general, I think that the artistic process any artist chooses is a reflection of his/her character. This is no exception. For each piece to be assembled into the whole, it is necessary for Joe to hold the wood together while it dries.

Hickory pieces ready for assembly

Me, I'm way too impatient for that. As he made this piece, I found myself counting the 40+ wood pieces that he planned to hold together and multiplying that by the time it took for each connection to dry. The answer? Way Too Long. For me, that is.

Joe revels in repetition and the art of carefully engineered attachments. What drives me crazy as I see him watching each piece dry in a pose that looks like freeze-frame jenga, seems to be meditative to him.

Joe, in 'action'

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