From walkways to garden fences, from fireplaces to bookshelves Vait's work uses the stones and wood he hand selects from Homer's Bishops beach.
Flat surfaces, consistent thickness, flat edges so they can come up against one another, and a range of color these are the elements Leo Vait uses to picking rocks. Like many who visit Homer's beaches Vait walks away with with a personal collection. It's in Vait's strong and gentle arrangements that he distinguishes himself. Vait allows for the materials to speak up and shine for themselves.
Vait works with the materials found at his living art supply store, sometimes too well. Take for example Vait's waterfall across Kachemak Bay that he created for clients at their house on what started out as a barren hillside. It appears as if the house was built around it. It was, "too successful, I need a before shot," Vait lamented.
Vait described it as, "a splendid marriage of natural forms stylized, combined to all work together."
About 10 years ago Vait slowly got into architectural design features. Why? "Because it paid money," Vait said, without hesitation.
"I went back to activating these skills," the stone and concrete skills Vait developed as a stonemason during his college years.
When Homer's Beach Policy Task Force was working to set out goals and regulations for area beaches in 2000, driving on Bishops Beach came up as something to possibly put a stop to. Vait's reaction, "Guess I'm going to have to get arrested." And while an arrest record has not been incorporated into Vait's art, a commitment to nature's materials and design has.
One design element he follows from the world of nature is the helical curve. Vait likes to call it a "spirilic" curve because it sounds more stream like. The angle is always different, never repeating, "like the number pi, it never resolves itself, never ends," said Vait. The swell and taper of bones, trees, it "makes wood strong." And it makes Vait's work strong too.
Not quite strong enough when you have the will of vandals to destroy. Vait created and installed trail markers for the Poopdeck trail in the heart of downtown Homer, in 2001, Homer's first public art. The trail signs were vandalized in the winter of 2002, then repaired, and made even stronger and rehung only to be targeted again. At the time Vait told the Homer News, "I thought I'd made those things bombproof this time."
Now when asked about public art Vait said, "I feel icky about it. But it's not a reason to give up." Vait holds out hope for the future possibility of public art on the new library property. And Vait continues his craft inside.
There have been many large installations ironically warming an interior by bringing the outside in. Vait created the entry to the Pratt Museum's new ongoing exhibit space, Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place. "The arched doorway is a styled version of organic lines <> the shape distilled down to clean lines," says Vait. A tree screws through the right side of the space a clear homage to the organic materials he loves so much. And how fitting that the space would be opened up by a Kachemak Bay resident using Kachemak Bay materials.
With a shoulder injury and surgery coming up this fall Vait's large scale work will take a break. Vait continues to go with the flow, "it all happens for a reason, maybe I'll work smaller," Vait said.
Is there a favorite piece he's done? "Well, I like working with water and rock ," said Vait, and that pretty much says it all. Vait added, "it's something that's been on my mind for years," and will be in front of our eyes for years to come.
Photo provided Leo Vait's "too successful" waterfall.
Photo provided An organic entry leads the way home.
by Susan Kaplan
Leo Vait's life's a beach. Bishops beach in particular.
From walkways to garden fences, from fireplaces to bookshelves Vait's work uses the stones and wood he hand selects from Homer's Bishops beach.
Flat surfaces, consistent thickness, flat edges so they can come up against one another, and a range of color these are the elements Leo Vait uses to picking rocks. Like many who visit Homer's beaches Vait walks away with with a personal collection. It's in Vait's strong and gentle arrangements that he distinguishes himself. Vait allows for the materials to speak up and shine for themselves.
Vait works with the materials found at his living art supply store, sometimes too well. Take for example Vait's waterfall across Kachemak Bay that he created for clients at their house on what started out as a barren hillside. It appears as if the house was built around it. It was, "too successful, I need a before shot," Vait lamented.
Much of his work is more identifiable as the creation of an artistic mind. Vait's work is set inside a house, leading up to it or built right into it.
Vait described it as, "a splendid marriage of natural forms stylized, combined to all work together."
About 10 years ago Vait slowly got into architectural design features. Why? "Because it paid money," Vait said, without hesitation.
"I went back to activating these skills," the stone and concrete skills Vait developed as a stonemason during his college years.
There's one thing in common, "all materials, it all comes from the beach," says Vait.
When Homer's Beach Policy Task Force was working to set out goals and regulations for area beaches in 2000, driving on Bishops Beach came up as something to possibly put a stop to. Vait's reaction, "Guess I'm going to have to get arrested." And while an arrest record has not been incorporated into Vait's art, a commitment to nature's materials and design has.
One design element he follows from the world of nature is the helical curve. Vait likes to call it a "spirilic" curve because it sounds more stream like. The angle is always different, never repeating, "like the number pi, it never resolves itself, never ends," said Vait. The swell and taper of bones, trees, it "makes wood strong." And it makes Vait's work strong too.
Not quite strong enough when you have the will of vandals to destroy. Vait created and installed trail markers for the Poopdeck trail in the heart of downtown Homer, in 2001, Homer's first public art. The trail signs were vandalized in the winter of 2002, then repaired, and made even stronger and rehung only to be targeted again. At the time Vait told the Homer News, "I thought I'd made those things bombproof this time."
Now when asked about public art Vait said, "I feel icky about it. But it's not a reason to give up." Vait holds out hope for the future possibility of public art on the new library property. And Vait continues his craft inside.
There have been many large installations ironically warming an interior by bringing the outside in. Vait created the entry to the Pratt Museum's new ongoing exhibit space, Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place. "The arched doorway is a styled version of organic lines <> the shape distilled down to clean lines," says Vait. A tree screws through the right side of the space a clear homage to the organic materials he loves so much. And how fitting that the space would be opened up by a Kachemak Bay resident using Kachemak Bay materials.
With a shoulder injury and surgery coming up this fall Vait's large scale work will take a break. Vait continues to go with the flow, "it all happens for a reason, maybe I'll work smaller," Vait said.
Is there a favorite piece he's done? "Well, I like working with water and rock ," said Vait, and that pretty much says it all. Vait added, "it's something that's been on my mind for years," and will be in front of our eyes for years to come.
Photo by Susan Kaplan, Homer News Leo Vait, above, selects a rock from Bishops beach.
The nature of incorporating art
by Susan Kaplan
Leo Vait's life's a beach. Bishops beach in particular.
From walkways to garden fences, from fireplaces to bookshelves Vait's work uses the stones and wood he hand selects from Homer's Bishops beach.
Flat surfaces, consistent thickness, flat edges so they can come up against one another, and a range of color these are the elements Leo Vait uses to picking rocks. Like many who visit Homer's beaches Vait walks away with with a personal collection. It's in Vait's strong and gentle arrangements that he distinguishes himself. Vait allows for the materials to speak up and shine for themselves.
Vait works with the materials found at his living art supply store, sometimes too well. Take for example Vait's waterfall across Kachemak Bay that he created for clients at their house on what started out as a barren hillside. It appears as if the house was built around it. It was, "too successful, I need a before shot," Vait lamented.
Much of his work is more identifiable as the creation of an artistic mind. Vait's work is set inside a house, leading up to it or built right into it.
Vait described it as, "a splendid marriage of natural forms stylized, combined to all work together."
About 10 years ago Vait slowly got into architectural design features. Why? "Because it paid money," Vait said, without hesitation.
"I went back to activating these skills," the stone and concrete skills Vait developed as a stonemason during his college years.
There's one thing in common, "all materials, it all comes from the beach," says Vait.
When Homer's Beach Policy Task Force was working to set out goals and regulations for area beaches in 2000, driving on Bishops Beach came up as something to possibly put a stop to. Vait's reaction, "Guess I'm going to have to get arrested." And while an arrest record has not been incorporated into Vait's art, a commitment to nature's materials and design has.
One design element he follows from the world of nature is the helical curve. Vait likes to call it a "spirilic" curve because it sounds more stream like. The angle is always different, never repeating, "like the number pi, it never resolves itself, never ends," said Vait. The swell and taper of bones, trees, it "makes wood strong." And it makes Vait's work strong too.
Not quite strong enough when you have the will of vandals to destroy. Vait created and installed trail markers for the Poopdeck trail in the heart of downtown Homer, in 2001, Homer's first public art. The trail signs were vandalized in the winter of 2002, then repaired, and made even stronger and rehung only to be targeted again. At the time Vait told the Homer News, "I thought I'd made those things bombproof this time."
Now when asked about public art Vait said, "I feel icky about it. But it's not a reason to give up." Vait holds out hope for the future possibility of public art on the new library property. And Vait continues his craft inside.
There have been many large installations ironically warming an interior by bringing the outside in. Vait created the entry to the Pratt Museum's new ongoing exhibit space, Kachemak Bay: An Exploration of People and Place. "The arched doorway is a styled version of organic lines <> the shape distilled down to clean lines," says Vait. A tree screws through the right side of the space a clear homage to the organic materials he loves so much. And how fitting that the space would be opened up by a Kachemak Bay resident using Kachemak Bay materials.
With a shoulder injury and surgery coming up this fall Vait's large scale work will take a break. Vait continues to go with the flow, "it all happens for a reason, maybe I'll work smaller," Vait said.
Is there a favorite piece he's done? "Well, I like working with water and rock ," said Vait, and that pretty much says it all. Vait added, "it's something that's been on my mind for years," and will be in front of our eyes for years to come.
Much of his work is more identifiable as the creation of an artistic mind. Vait's work is set inside a house, leading up to it or built right into it.
There's one thing in common, "all materials, it all comes from the beach," says Vait.
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