FOR MORRIS -my contribution to Here and There
Throughout his life, the artist Morris Graves searched for mystical peace and silence. One of his vehicles in this search was his painting. Another was his design of environments, houses and gardens. The places Morris chose to build houses in Ireland and in the Pacific Northwest share a similar ambience: they are cool, damp, foggy, and mysterious.

The large-scale building projects that brought Graves satisfaction often seemed to also bring turmoil and strife. I am offering him a very simple place to be. This place is made of hemp paper bricks. It is as basic as possible, built just big enough to fit him. Perhaps this is an homage to the artist’s humble beginnings in a small studio in La Conner, Washington, that he remembered as being haunted by ghosts. Perhaps there is silence within.

detail

Hemp and flax bricks

6ft by 5 ft by 12 ft

Roof

Kozo and gold leaf