While having coffee at Jones in Pasadena I saw a woman walk out with an armful of burlap sacks. Curious, I inquired about them and was told to return to collect some the following week.
I needed to make some planters for the auction and had been in discussion for quite some time on what to use.
The following week Jones donated 10 burlap bags. Each individual bag was inspected by me to see where is it was made, what it contained, how it was stamped with it's identity. Once used to transport un-roasted coffee from such faraway places as Indonesia and Brazil these bags appeared so rustic, yet evocative of the coutour gowns that Lucy and Ethel wore in the episode "Lucy get's a Paris Gown."
I experimented with how to use them. I lined them and began to fill them with soil They became sculptural objects on their own, but as I began to fill them with plants they transformed.
Inspired by the offerings at Sunset Nursery in Silverlake I began to see themes.
There was the Simon and Garfunkle: " Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme"
Visconti : Basil, oregano,tomato and borage...
Baliwood: lemongrass,cumin,mint, spicey basil ...
Well, you get the idea.
Arms and face infused with a combination of soil and herbs I stood back and admired my work.
