IN MARSHA’S GARDEN
Car to the mechanic and a trip back across town on BART brought me to the sidewalk in front of Marsha’s garden at an early morning time when Biblical beams of light were sifting in through the towering thicket and illuminating treasures that I hadn’t noticed there before. I stood frozen in front of this throbbing artists enclave, taking in the wonder of it. This is where Marsha found me blissed out when she came down her steps and into the yard to clip bamboo for flags she was making. She was effervescent with the just received news that her son-in-law Ehren Tool had won the prestigious United States Artists award, a $50,000 cash prize given to 50 US artists every year. Ehren, and Marsha’s daughter and her grandson all live in her rambling brown shingle house and are frequently joined on the weekends by her sister and brother-in-law in town from up north. They’re all prolific artists and the place is a surreal dreamscape with color, shape, texture oozing from every knot hole.
Marsha invited me to wander around. As many of you who have visited me and taken my tour know, to visit Marsha’s garden is to step through the Looking Glass. It was lush, surprising, magical that day with fancy pants chicken’s and a bold rooster, Orlando, pecking at my heels. And then she invited me into the house to look at Ehren Tool’s art. Tool was a gung ho Marine who served in The Gulf War, a third generation soldier, his father a Viet Nam vet and grandfather in WWII. Disillusioned by his experiences in the military, he now makes simple ceramic cups that are infused with silk-screened photos, relief’s, stamped images that explore the complexities of war. He never sells them but either gives them away or creates installations. He also sends cups and letters to government officials in the US and other countries to encourage them to use their authority to avoid war. I was moved by the power of Ehren’s creativity to transform a simple cup into a messenger of change and hope. Check out this You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1mRbpyogRA
Ehren Tool is his name. Next time you’re in town, we’ll stop by and spend time with his cups and in Marsha’s garden. And, maybe we’ll talk about our civilization’s addiction to war and what we can do about it…but only if you want to.
From Mandy:
From Mandy:
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