for fun

Here are a couple pieces I did "for fun" (i.e., again not putting too much pressure on myself to create a "masterpiece"). The owl piece I will give to a friend for Christmas. He has bought several of my pieces and I thought I'd give him a "freebie". He's an owl image/object collector; so he should like this one. The other piece I put together from some interesting elements I had lying around for a while. What's interesting is that my wife said that she liked it; but that it was a somewhat "predictable" kind of an image for me. I suppose it's been good for me to explore a little bit these days. Enjoy!

To The Power of N... again

Joel Lambeth has posted the latest artwork in the great Power of N project. Check out great works by prominent collagists at
http://www.tothepowerofn.joellambeth.com
Enjoy!

Why?

Why do I do the things I do? Well, I mean... of course I am referring to collage... and more specifically the compositions I create. This weekend I spent some quality time in my workspace and in my creative space. I was perusing some old magazines (always a good strategy for generating ideas and getting inspired). I came across one specific issue of LIFE magazine from the late 60s (1967, I believe) which included a picture of a Chinese civilian being beaten by a police officer. In the 1960s and 70s the imagery which could be found in popular press articles in magazines like LIFE and LOOK and TIME was sometimes quite graphic. I wonder how the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would have been perceived differently if that were the case today. Anyway... I was drawn to this image as a potential collage element. Later on in the same issue I came across a full-page advertisement for Hunt's catsup. As some of you know, I really like images of cross-sections of tomatoes. The juxtaposition of the man being beaten with the tomato background I found compelling. Why? I really don't know. The image is certainly edgy (to say the least). In a way, I feel that it is a little Ray Johnson-y (and perhaps reminiscent of Warhol's "Disaster" series). As I was working with the composition, I realized that there are a couple of ways to crop the image. I originally thought that I would crop the text of the advertisement out of the composition. BUT, as it turns out, the text is really interesting in terms of an additional juxtapositional element. I really don't have ANYTHING against Hunt's catsup (or any other Hunt's product) and I would hate to inadvertently convey something negative about Hunt's (which might be inevitable to a viewer). I am leaning toward not "causing trouble" by leaving the text in as part of the composition. Of course then I start feeling uncomfortable that I am self-censoring (no good for an artist). I am posting both versions to illustrate my "dilemma". Believe me, I am fully aware that this composition is edgy on a number of levels... but this is what has been occupying my time this evening; and I thought someone might find the process interesting artistically (if not aesthetically). There's more to this story as well; and I will post more soon. Enjoy?

relax 'n' scraps

I was back in the studio last night and had a great time (and was productive too)! Here's a small piece (3.5 x 4.5"), the size of which was dictated by a set of small frames I got cheap at a garage sale (or auction?). I'm feeling like I can have a little more fun with these pieces as I'm not spending so much money matting and framing. The small size affords me the opportunity to experiment with some scraps I have laying around. I had the cut woman as a scrap because she was the back of another piece I used. Looking at that piece in isolation suggests that it wouldn't be too useful. When I found another scrap consisting of an aerial view of farm fields, I immediately saw the similarity in shapes and tone of the two pieces. I really liked the combination of the two. But the composition needed some contrast. I looked over at my scissors area and saw the "polyester" element sitting there. "Why not?" I thought to myself. But then it needed some balance (and perhaps color contrast). I think the final muted mauve "punch outs" did the trick. I really like the final product... and it came from "nothing but scraps". I think this was a good exercise for me and got me out of thinking that every step of a collage needs to be something "special". Enjoy!

Sculpture Space CHAIRity Auction 2012

Here's a short video clip of my piece being auctioned off at the annual CHAIRity Auction to benefit Sculpture Space www.sculpturespace.org Enjoy!

black and white with "open" space

Here's a new one I "threw together" from some elements that I enjoyed. Again, I am trying to get back to a "make what I want" approach to my compositions instead of a "I gotta put together something impressive" approach. The former is what I had been doing for years and it seemed to be working. The "down-side" of experiencing some success in the art world I think is the transformation you go through from just "doing artwork" to "trying to do something". I hope that makes some sense as I have written it. Anyway, I had had a colored element added previously for contrast, but I rather like the monochromatic image better. I think it'll look great when it's framed too. I think I will entitle this one "Score!". Enjoy!

Creativity class

I'm writing this post to you from the sunny environs of my creativity class to show my students how to do a new post. Enjoy!