This year's Rumble would not have been such an outstanding success without the brilliant work of both international and local artists. Of the talented local artists featured in Rumble's 2009 art fair, Blakeney Sanford's is perhaps most inextricably tied to her home in Santa Barbara.

Sanford is a recreational stand-up paddler and surfer whose love of the ocean completely inspires her work. Her impressive, large-scale installation pieces are made of epoxy resin and fiberglass, complex materials that easily display her artistic skill. The dynamism of her pieces evoke a strong sense of movement, mirroring the fluid environment in which she is completely at home.

In addition to her fine art pieces, Sanford also works within the utilitarian arts, creating beautiful inlaid paddles and wooden surfboards.

Sanford contributed one of her epoxy installation pieces to this year's Rumble Art, delighting guests with its mirror-like quality. Sanford describes her process in creating the piece as follows:

"I used a preexisting mirrored wall and wrapped it with epoxy panels in shades of gradient blue. The mirror reflects the half circle wrap, creating a finished whole circle. Thus, the piece looks as if you could pass through the mirror to the other side. This effect is appealing in that the piece looks whole with the mirror, not reflected, while the viewers see themselves in the mirror, an obvious reflection. One step to the left or right changes the feel of the entire piece. Everything surrounding the piece becomes a part of it." (via her blog)


Find out more about Sanford and her work at her website, www.blakeneysanford.com. Also, check out this article on Blakeney by Santa Barbara Magazine, as featured on the Ashley and Catherine website!