Big Bend National Park

A few weeks ago I packed my car up with art supplies, camping gear and snacks and hit the road.  My ultimate destination was Starry Night Residency in Truth or Consequences, NM but the trip out there was an adventure in itself.  Before showing up in T or C my round about route led me to visit 3 national parks, 1 national forest and experience many inspiring hours of the changing landscape.The mileage count was impressive and would have been daunting if I had taken time to tally how much time I would be spending on the road to get to the residency. 

Carlsbad Caverns

But the time flew by as my mind soaked in the beautiful forms and open sky in front of me as I drove.The creative wheels were already turning when I pulled out of the driveway.  As I go further and further from home I felt my mind relax and let go of the minutia that so easily fills it up in the business of my life.  The vast expanses soothed my mind and allowed me to get into a creative zone. My first stop was Big Bend.  From there I went on to visit Carlsbad Caverns, Lincoln Forest and White Sands.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect transition into two weeks of art and inspiration.

Big Bend National Park                Lincoln Forest                    White Sands                                

For more images check out my Facebook album! 

Find more information on the Red Dot Art Spree on the Women & Their Work website.

The 3D drawings are created using a wide variety of materials, colors, and shapes. The framed pieces of wall art explore the use of three dimensional space and geometric forms that inspire larger installations. The combination of vibrant colors and dimensional configurations are intended to add unique and exciting accent to any space. Each one-of-a-kind piece is for sale now. 

You can find them on my website in the 3D Drawing Collection.  If you want to see them in person feel free to give a call or send an email to set up a time to come by the studio.  We're here most days during the week 10-5 and sometimes on the weekend as well.  Email hello@melissaborrell.com or call 512-387-4515

GloWave was selected to be on display at the Bee Cave Sculpture Park at the beginning of July. The Bee Cave Sculpture Park is a 7-acre natural setting that exhibits an assortment of permanent and rotating sculptures. In addition to art, one will also stumble upon a spring-fed pond, large oak trees, over 20 different native species of plants, and a great amount of wildlife.

GloWave found its second home when one frequent jogger enjoyed the installation so much that he wanted the piece right outside the comfort of his own home. The jogger ran by the sculpture every day since the opening of GloWave and now has front row view to part of the undulating figure every day.

If you missed the opportunity to visit GloWave at Stacey Park, don’t miss your chance to check it out at Bee Cave Sculpture Park!

Thursday June 12, 2014  7-9 PM

Canopy  916 Springdale Road

Join me and my Canopy neighbors to celebrate the new spaces at Canopy this Thursday June 12th!  It's the 2nd annual party and we're so excited that the new spaces in Building 3 and 5 are now open too.  

The studios, galleries, and creative spaces at Canopy debuted last year and almost immediately became the hub of creativity in East Austin. Last month Buildings 3 and 5 were completed and the Canopy community welcomed new faces in these amazing new studio/retail spaces.
 
The 2^nd Annual Grand Opening Party will be held on Thursday, June 12th, from 7 pm to 10 pm. Drinks will be provided by Deep Eddy Vodka, the El Cubico Taco Truck will be serving complimentary delicious bites from La Condesa, and GoodPop will be passing out cold treats. There will be a silent auction benefiting local non-profit LifeWorks, an Annie Ray Photo Booth, and music from DJ Khary Alexander of Dub Academy. Guests will be able to tour the studios and newly added retail spaces in all of the Canopy buildings.

Studios sponsoring the event include Big Medium, Son of a Sailor, Keith Kreeger Studios, Modern Rocks Gallery, Invenio, You’re Welcome Studios, No. 4 St. James, Pollen Floral Art, Matt Garcia Design, Women Printmakers of Austin, Revelator, Melissa Borrell Design, Lynn Brotman, Em Dash, Stephen Paul Connor, and Blue Genie Art. We are proud to expand Canopy’s presence as one of Austin’s most exciting creative spaces, and we hope you will join us for an evening celebrating this new chapter. 

I hope to see you there!

I just returned from a great trip to west Texas.  The amazing sunsets,  beautiful music, long conversations, and friendly people energized me. The trip started because my friends and musicians The Succulents were going on a west Texas tour.  I met up with them in Alpine and spent a lovely evening listening to tunes, talking with locals, and even running into a friend from Houston!  

                                                               

After Alpine we went on to Marfa where I got to see friends I had met the year before when I was working on a playground with Jack Sander's Design Build Adventure.  East Side Play looks great and is being enjoyed by the kids in the neighborhood!  You can see more images from last summer on the Design Build Adventure Site.

I wandered around town and met an artist who is working on an interactive video installation, talked to Robert of Arbor and Son, the master printmaker who worked with Donald Judd as well as many other amazing artists, and checked out the art exhibits that were on display in town.  

You can also take a look at the videos of the other TEMPO projects that have been installed around town over the past 8 months.  

The closing celebration for the TEMPO projects will take place on April 30th at the final installation i see you/you see me.

GloWave is an undulating form that references the water that flows in Blunn Creek. The piece is illuminated in the dark with blue light. The GloWave is one of the TEMPO projects commissioned by the City of Austin Art in Public Places. 

Temporary public art plays an important role in attracting new and emerging artists to the City’s public art program, enriches the civic dialogue, and engages public space in a unique way. The TEMPO program allows artists to explore a range of themes suitable for the outdoor environment and provide the opportunity for innovative, thought-provoking artwork that impacts the way people experience their environment.

Art Alliance Austin (est. 1956) engages people with great art by supporting Austin’s most promising visual artists and arts organizations to build a vibrant, informed community. The non-profit, member-powered organization promotes and funds visual art by commissioning temporary public art and producing experiences that bring artists and collectors together while generating economic benefit for the entire city.

11th Annual Art Night Austin :February 22, 2014,  7pm- Midnight 

Variable Proximity

Featuring five Austin artists who have created installations and jewelry that challenge the notion of art and the proximity of the viewer to it.  There is wearable jewelry by Masumi Kataoka, Laritza Garcia, Melissa Borrell & Liana Tomchesson plus installations by Gary Schott utilizing heavy, dangling plumb bobs.  Other installations are Liana Tomchesson’s ode to the Austin heritage tree ordinance and Melissa Borrell’s Expanding Landscape which turns paper thin Mylar into an upwardly expanding shape of curves, waves and spikes.

On display through February 5, 2014

Location: Between Gate 7-11

I've been working on a custom installation piece for a client in my studio and my neighbor took this picture of me working on it.  It would have been a lot easier if there really were 4 of me!  I had to log a few late nights to get it all done in time!  Check out more of his amazing panoramas  on his website Panorama365.

Read more about it and find out about other TEMPO projects at the Art in Public Places website.

The funny thing is I'm really kind of old fashioned.  I was one of the last people I knew to get a cell phone.  And I still prefer talking on the phone to texting.  But I really love technology when it comes to making art.  I started exploring industrial production methods when I was in graduate school and now all of these tools are even more accessible.  I created my first 3D printed work last fall and then earlier this year I was really excited to be invited to be a part of the 3D Print Show that's happening in London this fall.  I'm working on creating some new pieces for the exhibition.  Its all still a work in progress right now.  But take a look at all of the amazing work that is being created with this technology: from kites, to lamps, shoes, ceramics, furniture, clothing, and of course jewelry.  

Welcome to my brand new website! I've been working on it for the past few months and am so excited to launch it!

Here in Austin, summer is already well underway.  We haven't quite hit 100 yet but we're getting up there.  Any chance I get I'm jumping in some water to cool off.  

Earlier this month I traveled to San Antonio to attend Scale: A Gathering of Sculptors, a conference & symposium highlighting the works of several internationally renowned sculptors like Gudjon Bjarnasson (from Iceland) and Ivano Vitali (from Italy). It was so great to meet other artists from Texas as well as around the world all in one place.  I really enjoyed Alice Aycock’s presentation—she’s been creating sculptural installations for the last four decades and has had works displayed in MoMA and the National Gallery, among others. If you’ve traveled through Washington, D.C.’s Dulles Airport recently, you might recognize this (Aycock’s Game of Flyers Part II):

Another beautiful airport art installation is the eCLOUD, found in the San Jose International Airport. The eCLOUD (seen below and at the top of this page) is a sculpture made from polycarbonate tiles that hang from the ceiling and adjust based on real time weather patterns from around the world. Depending on which city the eCLOUD is "listening to," the sculpture's appearance shifts between transparent and white in order to depict that city's current weather conditions. Pretty cool!

I'll be sharing more inspirations here so come back soon.  In the meantime, stay cool...