Artist Spends 10 Years Digging This Mesmerizing Cave In New Mexico
American artist Ra Paulette digs cathedral-like art caves into the sandstone cliffs of Northern New Mexico. After being cut off from most of his projects due to artistic differences between him and his commissioners, the artist decided to start his own personal and independent project and to dedicate 10 years of his life to dig a cave subject only to his own artistic vision.
“ I’m through working for other people. I’m not the paint brush and my client is not the painter, ” confidently states Paulette. “ I’ve had ideas for ages that I’ve never gotten to trying. I wanted to create a space that’s transformative. That’s a big goal. “
Paulette spent over a decade traveling to the location to work there alone, accompanied only by his dog. He dug all the decorations and spaces within the caves, including the entrances, stairs, and corridors, using manual tools.
“ Manual labor is the foundation of my self-expression. To do it well, to do it beautifully, is a ‘whole-person’ activity, engaging mental and emotional strengths as well as psychical strength, ” writes Paulette. “ I’m fond of calling this ‘the dance of digging,’ and it is the secret of how this old man can get so much done. ”
More info: cavediggerdocumentary.com | racavedigger.com (h/t: designboom , boredpanda.es )
Trailer of a documentary about Ra Paulette’s work:
Audra
Hypnotizing Wilderness Landscape Carved Out Of Wood
After almost 2 years of on-and-off preparation and work, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based artist duo Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth are almost finished with their new woodcut print, called “Overlook.” The meticulously intricate woodcut of a speckled landscape with forests, mountains and lakes will be soon available as a three-color print, the final size reaching 28” x 46”.
“ Layer upon layer of undulating pattern builds a dizzying intensity in ‘Overlook’, ” write the artists. “ A panoramic infinity will be suggested by the print’s ability to eventually meet itself seemlessly at the edges, expanding like an eternal ‘wallpaper’ into an ever stretching vista! ”
The “Overlook” print will be available as a single piece, a diptych, a triptych, or “ an entire room’s worth of loping, abundant wilderness as far as the eye can see! ” – all from their Tugboat print shop.
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