collage clearinghouse

RIP Mike Kelley

2012-02-02T11:54:00.001-08:00

"GO: One thing that the Internet seems to be doing is eroding the idea of copyright and originality. People are just taking bits of things and using them in a very free way.

MK: That's great. And the corporate entertainment industry is trying to stop it from happening. Think about it: Andy Warhol could not have a career now. He would be sued every two seconds.

GO: It's given a lot of work to the lawyers.

MK: Copyright laws are terrible for culture. It's illegal to respond to the imagery that surrounds you; you're bombarded every minute of the day with mass-media sludge. It should be the opposite: Everybody should have to respond to it. This is what should be taught in the public school system.
William S. Burroughs should be a major role model: All students should be given tape recorders and cameras to constantly record the gray veil that surrounds them, so that they can recognize that it's even there-and manipulate it. Most people are not aware of the white noise they exist in. Tape recording and photography allowed people to become aware of what was invisible to them for the first time. We're surrounded by invisibility. That's what I think art can do-make things visible."

Source:

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/mike-kelley/

David Ball at Argot and Ochre Opens Tomorrow Nite

2012-02-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

It was good of Daniel Rolnik to send me info about this artist. He is new to me, as most are, since lately I am hibernating. I took a look at his site and was immediately moved by the deep colors. They are intense, and they grip the page to the very edges. For a northerner like me engulfed in a monotone winter, these pieces were like medicine.
David was kind enough to send me this:

Tumult - 2011

Most of the work appears to be done mixed media, and then texture is added to compliment his initial thought. I love the way this makes the work seem half fantasy and half real. It's so difficult to achieve this, let me assure you, and he does it well.

I was scrolling along, and got color drunk. And then. I saw these. Fabulous. Pieces. That just moved me beyond the beyond. It's the winter palette. MOST exquisite. I loved this piece and the muted colors. His work is really cool. Personally, I think it reeks of masculinity. And that's a good thing ... since I usually am engulfed in my own female-ness. (does that sound sexist? I don't mean it so)

Lucky for you, west coast person, since you can see this stuff up close and personal at Argot and Ochre in San Fran at the Harum Scarum exhibit, 111 Minna. This opens tomorrow nite!

Where I was, where I am

2012-02-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

The path my collage work has taken throughout my artist life has been a strange one. At first, I was quite enamored with DADA and the accidental placement of odd objects against one another.
My work was blunt and simple and full of Hannah Hoch love.

As time went on, I discovered altered books, round robins and I went thru the Victorian phase. I used a lot of period imagery and gained skill at mixing my own artwork with others.

Victoriana

An intense period followed this, when I was fresh out of my divorce. I went into a deep exploration of layered textures, using anyting and everything that I could get my hands on and leaning less and less on my own artwork.

Layerama

Since the David Hochbaum studio visit I have gone an entirely different route. I have used less and less external ephemera and have begun to fill in the space on my own. There are less works, but they seem more personal and meaningful.

Snow Moon - 2012

And so it was with great interest as I encountered the work of David Ball. Such rich canvases, filled with color...it was obviously fantasy...but with touches of realism in the collage elements. These pieces are speaking to me, although my style is vastly different from his. I want to honor him with his own post, and so that shall be.

Collage Centennial

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

CALL FOR WORKS

Collage/Assemblage Centennial
1912 - 2012

CALL FOR WORKS: DEADLINE February 15, 2012. PLEASE REPOST

The modern use of collage techniques is consider to have begin in 1912 with works by Pablo Picasso (such as shown). Constructive art as been growing ever since. To celebrate this 100 year anniversary the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction (collagemuseum.com) would like to invite you to contribute one or more modest sized hand-made collages, assemblages, box assemblages or constructions* representative of your working style for a large (hopefully overwhelming) exhibition that will be held in 2012. A catalog of the exhibition will be created and made available to contributors at actual cost. A PDF version of the catalog will be available to contributors for free.

No Fees, No jury, all works accepted and exhibited, none returned. Your contribution will become an important part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
What is needed.

Please send one or more collages, assemblages, box assemblages or constructions of modest size (you decide what is ‘modest’) that is ready to hang on a wall or exhibit on a pedestal or shelf. Works on paper should be framed if possible or, at a minimum, send in a clear resealable polypropylene bag. Unframed works will be hung together like an installation.

Please send one of the museum’s Deed of Gift forms filled in clearly and a photo of the work. To download a copy see:http://ontologicalmuseum.org/exhibitions.html

On the back or bottom of the work please be sure to include your name and contact information as well as an email address and your website if you have one.

In addition, please send by email:

o Additionally, send a digital (1000-1200 pixels on the long side) of the work by email with description and contact information for the web page that will be created for the exhibition.

o A thoughtful statement expressing your views about collage, assemblage and/or constructive art as a contemporary form of art making and/or discuss the history of this genre and why it is interesting to you. These statements will be part of the catalog. Imagine that you are primarily speaking to the other artists who will be participating.

Send to

Collage Centennial

Cecil Touchon

135 COUNTRY CENTER DR STE F # 10
PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO 81147-8958

info@collagemuseum.com

* photo montage and digital montage will also be acceptable if printed in high definition/quality on archival material, unique and signed. However, hand made works are preferred.

Stop SOPA!

2012-01-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

Star Wolves

2012-01-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to explain the elation that occurs within an artist as she completes a piece of work that truly fits the vision that she had prior to creation. Well, no I guess that's almost impossible. How about I share the process? (remember! It's all about the process!)
This piece was in my mind all month. I have been really super busy, who isn't these days, and I have had to get really hard core about finding the time to settle into some collage work. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with this particular subject, the Wolf Moon. According to the Farmers Almanac's page about the moons, which is what I am using for guidance in this series, the wolf moon is kind of scary.
I quote:

"• Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon."

Within these pieces I am using a specific motif with a rectangle box with a semi circle top. I pictured these wolves, pressing in on an Indian long house....and the idea began to gel. You know how I am working to supply most of the ephemera in these pieces with my own stuff, and I can assure you I have taken no pictures of wolves lately. Therefore, the only answer was to go ahead and paint the wolves. Scary. I am usually not willing to invest the time necessary to do this type of thing, but when you are able to only do one good collage a week, it seems important to pull out all the stops!

They began as a sketch in pencil. I really like this phase of the work. It's ummmmm...Leonardo-ish!

sketchy wolves

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to portray these guys in paint with success. They ARE hungry looking!
The next hurdle was what to do about the figures. I have been going thru quite a bit of deliberation and trauma over the figures lately. I don't want to just cut and paste people in. I don't want to necessarily have a figure in every piece, either. It's been a slight dilemma. I was tempted to use a family picture, with several people, not just a girl. But none seemed to fit as nicely as this pic. I decided upon this little girl...she's from the 50's I think....(I was a bit dismayed about not using an Indian village, but I am not sticking that tight to the theme.) She has the right look on her face, a wincing look. She's entering her house with some fear...and that's what I needed. The whole thing started then and there to remind me of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, and I was very happy my little girl had a hood. I was tempted to paint her coat red but I felt that leaving it gray would allow you to fill in these blanks--or not... The wolf in the story was hungry, and the parallel fit so nicely, so I went with this idea. I like the fact that 2 different themes will fit the work. Sweet.
The pictures of the hawthorn berries in this piece were taken at night in my yard a few weeks ago with my Lomo Colorsplash camera that I have had for at least 6 years or so. It's a very touchy little manual camera, but I love the effect it produces and nothing matches it. I chose these photos to use prior to painting this piece, and so the color scheme was already set. The first thing people have said to me when seeing this piece is: "love the colors". In teaching design at SUNY Cobleskill, we spent time on colors and the vibration that occurs in the eye when using complementary colors. This is demonstrated well in this collage.
I feel good about this piece. It works for me, matches what I had in mind prior to execution, and that my friends, is a high like no other. Even if I cannot explain it.
And so, without further adieu, I share with you a piece that I am quite proud of.
The Star Wolves.

Star Wolves

Dear Anonymous

2012-01-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know who you are, but I am grateful for you comment on my last post. Thank you so much for taking the time to express your feelings on this. It was because of you that this final piece exists.
I was dismayed over the placement of the figure in the Long Nights Moon collage and I really was going to just shelve it and move on.

the bad girl

When I read the heartfelt comment that was posted by "anonymous" I was inspired to go back and finish up this piece. I ended up finding the most perfect head (with a fairly decent look on her face!). I have to tell you how DADA this whole process is, in that this head was found, cut as is, in my pile. It was a reject from another time, but matched this hole *perfectly*. It was meant to be. After this collage surgery, I proceeded to gold leaf it. I have not used gold leaf before, and it's quite the mess the way I do it. But then again, I am an utter slob whilst I am creating. (right Steven?)

the good girl

As I brushed off excess gold leaf, it spread all over the table and adhered to gluey edges in the work. It ended up being okay, almost like a golden moon glow, but I will be careful in the future. (I apologize for the not so clear pic. This was taken with my new iphone, which I am experimenting with. Usually I scan these...)

final, with gold leaf

Note to myself: I used Rhoplex on this piece. It was a pain in the arse. It was this glue that ruined the girls head to begin with...and it also was the cause of the gold leaf sticking to all those edges. Using Jade will eliminate this problem. Only us Rhoplex on the thinnest of papers, and then put it away!

Long NIghts Moon

2012-01-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

What a struggle this piece has been! And although I am posting it, I am not quite satisfied with the result. The girls head is bugging me, and I tried to camoflage her by hiding her behind some oak branches, but .....??? It is what it is.

This is #2 in the series of the monthly moons...using the medieval Book of Hours as my inspiration, as well as the naming of the moons by the Iroquois. This moon is the longest of the year. I tried to convey that darker than dark moon rising feeling. The bottom piece of blue stuff...they are cyanotypes. I got some sun paper and took oak leaves from a tree in my yard, that also supplied the Lomo colorsplash blue filtered oaks in the foreground.

I have some gold leaf. I am contemplating putting the medieval calendar style dial on the moon, and putting some gold leaf in the background, however that face is bugging me, and makes me think I had best move on to other works.

Happy New Year from upstate NY. At this point, the days are only getting longer and we can celebrate the onset of a new season.

Long Nights Moon

2011-12-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
Just finished this one today. Thought it was a propos for the upcoming New Year's Eve celebration. Happy New Year everyone!!!

like and love

2011-12-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
I work quite often on my collages. I really enjoy the process, so why not. In fact, I think I am officially obsessed with collage. I really enjoy looking for elements; I really enjoy looking at others' collages; I think about my on-going collage projects pretty regularly; I really enjoy talking to other people (who are interested) about art in general and my collage efforts specifically; I even occasionally finish a piece here and there ;-) Most of the collages I create I "like" (which is probably pretty natural); but others I create I "REALLY like" (or "love"). I was very excited yesterday (Christmas eve day) to finally complete, mat and frame a piece I've been working on for a couple weeks. This is a piece I think I "love". I show it here from collage "surgery" to finished and framed. It's entitled "I began to experience the effects at around 3000" (8" x 6"). Enjoy!

A must see—David Hochbaum in NYC

2011-12-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

I am happy to share some info from David Hochbaum about an upcoming show in NYC. I have never been to one of his shows, but I am excited to report that I shall be going down for this one.

He says:

Next To The Sea

I am very pleased to be invited by the lovely Lillan Munch to participate in a show at her gallery, which opens this January, 2012.
The show is titled "Next To The Sea". It is a 3person show and the first extensive showing I will be doing in NYC in 5 years. I am thrilled to be premiering a few of my new large format Polaroids. I will also have a few new photo constructions as well as an installation of 111 ships. I am very excited to be able to show on my home turf and I really hope, if you are in the NYC area, you are able to come and see the exhibit while it is up. I have here a few sneak peek shots of works in progress.And here is the info for the show:
Opening Reception Sunday, January 8, 5-8 pm
“Next To The Sea”

Pierre Botardo
David Hochbaum
Jacob Dahlstrup Jensen

Opening Reception Sunday January 8, 5-8 pm
MUNCH GALLERY
245 Broome Street
New York, NY 10002

The show runs January 8 - February 5, 2012

nothing to do with collage

2011-12-16T06:24:00.001-08:00

Paper mache ornaments that I have been making for the family. Hence, the absence of personal collage related posts!

Beaver Moon 3d

2011-11-29T12:30:00.001-08:00

I had this piece going on for at least a month. It still isn't exactly complete, however it is in a state to be shown. I am moving on to the next moon now, (the long nights moon!) and the details on this piece can be finished later on in spare time (ha. what is that?)

in progress: everything is laid in place. nothing is glued down

I thought it was interesting to see how things change as I work on them. The above photo was taken when I was still defining this piece, prior to my inner fight about putting figures in. I fought with myself the whole month over whether or not to include a person. Somewhere inside I wanted to emulate the flat version I did, and I searched for a figure to put in the center. In the end, I went with 2 ladies in white, who seem to be emerging from the background.

almost finished piece

The part you see is almost done. I intend to extend the picture out onto the sides of this dresser drawer. I am working with different methods of drawing the viewer in. This piece gets no gimmicky LED lights!!

Work in Progress

2011-11-28T08:29:00.001-08:00

I've been busy. Real busy. It's a good month when I have several fires that are lit at once!

This piece is as of yet untitled. It's a 3d piece, and I am working with mirrors and lights.

The idea is to have the building extend out from the substrate....and be open on the bottom and top, allowing the curious ones to peak inside. I have done collage work on both the inside and outside of the building. The only way you can see the inside work is by the reflection in the mirror. It's hard to explain. Let me show you.

An overall view, with crappy lighting!

The base is a thick 1" piece of gnarly wood that I found in the garage. I painted it white, and then added accents with GOLDEN interference paint. This worked really well, and when you look at it in person, it's pearly. I started this piece before my wedding and ocean honeymoon, so I was in a shell mood and actually picked apart vintage shell earrings in order to create the weeds and front lawn.

A closeup of the right side with better lighting, you can almost see the pearly effect.

The building was made from digital photos, which I blew up and afterwards used colored pencil in order to bring out the pearly colors. Unfortunately with these crappy fotos, you can't see the effect.

Underneath the building rests the mirror. And a hole.

The mirror will be attached to the building and it becomes one unit that I will eventually paste down on the wood. That little hole? I will house the LED light which will shine thru that odd looking piece of vintage jewelry, filtered light...In the back of the wood I have to use the router to create a hole that will house the battery pack and switch for the LED. It will poke thru the hole and I will then glue the jewelry above the hole to create the effect. This will help in 2 ways. First, you will be able to see in the mirror better, if you choose to try this. Also, it will allow the real glass windows that I put in the building to shine thru. It's an eerie effect, with the strange glow of LED coming thru it. (the windows were actually old mirrors, that I removed most of the frosting on the back.)

The people living inside only revealed thru the mirror once this is attached.

Here's the couple that live inside....an HP box was the substrate, and these tabs will get glued under the mirror.

detail of upcycled jewelry that I tore apart as greenery

Everything on this is complete, art-wise. I just have to get my sweet husband to help me with the router part for the LED and I guess I shall have to name this piece at that point!

holiday treat

2011-11-26T07:38:00.001-08:00

Steve Specht here...
Here's one I'm entitling "In the Fishbowl" (5 x 7"). It's a bit more colorful than my pieces tend to be; but I like it. It seems to have a holiday feel to it, I think. Enjoy!

It's Not Always Black-and-White

2011-11-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
Just wanted to let folks know that one of my collages (shown here) will be part of the juried exhibit at the Arkell Museum/Canajoharie Library (glad that a collage will be represented as part of the group... maybe there will be more). The opening reception is being held in conjunction with Elves Night in the village next Friday (Dec. 2nd). Enjoy!

smallest yet

2011-11-23T09:01:00.001-08:00

Steve Specht here...
Have I mentioned how nice it is to be back in the studio? I love it! Ideas seem to be flowing freely. The "problem" is that I now have about 6 actual projects "in the works". That can sometimes be a bit distracting for a monkeybrain like me. Last night while I was juggling the ongoing projects, I put together a few remnants that I had laying around. I used a small aperture mat and "found" the germ for lovely this composition. I tacked it down this morning and will frame it. Although I made a couple of lapel pins a while ago, this is the smallest of my "real" collages yet. I tend to like the small format collages. It's only 2.75 x 2.75 inches (7 X 7 cm). Enjoy!

Mailart by Clint Chadsey

2011-11-17T06:38:00.001-08:00

There was a really nice person from the past who sent me a wonderful mailart package that I have neglected to rave about. I apologize to Clint Chadsey for not gushing about his work earlier, when the excitement of receiving it was fresh, but as I have said....I tend to be a bit manic. Sometimes the timing is just not good in my own personal brain. I can remember when Clint's letter came. I was uber depressed, and I got overwhelmed that someone who doesn't know me would spend time and do something so nice for me. I felt incapable of handling this at that time but it has nagged me ever since that I did not post about this thoughtful event. But I am trying to get back on track with everything, and today is Clint's day.

This is some thought provoking collage work here! I am such a fan of black and white. I can't get enough of it in my day to day life, with b/w striped socks, striped sweatshirts, polka dotted socks, and checkered ear plugs. My first personal art experience was in pen and ink, so a black and white piece feels like home.
Clint uses black and white like a pro. The work is convincing and most impressive is the idea behind the work. I tend to work for beauty and forget the meaning when I work. It's obvious he has a statement to make and he does it well.

So appropriate for these times we live in.

I don't want to even pretend to know Clint's political affiliation, and I try hard to leave my own personal opinions out of this blog, but the sentiment from Dorothy saying "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" seems so appropriate, given the times we are living in! Today there is a small Occupy group in our town of 2200 that is protesting the local Bank of America. #Occupy comes home.

This face-dog is absurdly sweet

The juxtaposition of the images he uses works so well. These images are from post cards that he sent me. I can't send them out. I keep the precious stuff!

My political mood today is choosing these images. Aren't they great?

He sent quite a few to me, including a few color pieces.

Bold. Statements. Being. Made. Here.

Thank you so much Clint! These were great pieces to post for the #OWS mood I am in today. More of his work can be found here.... on his site.

The Hyper texture of Gail Coito

2011-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

I regret that I am so slow to respond to people that sometimes send me beautiful mail or write to me by email. I am such an emotional sort, and I go up and down more than your local park's swing set. It's a big fault of mine, but as I curse that emotional gal inside of me, I also remember she's the one that rules the roost and allows me to be creative at all. So please forgive me, all of you, for putting you aside while I try to keep a grip of myself! Gail has written me more than a few times about sharing her work and I am so glad that she did! I am in love with her textures!

So, today I want to share the work of a talented woman named Gail Coito who hails from San Fran, CA but originally she was from the East Coast. Finding her way to collage thru her work with a Hospice group, she recognized her calling and has been doing cut and paste ever since.

Her work is uber textured, and super tactile saturated. These pieces read like an ephemera fest. Poetic little snippets sewn glued and fit together to form an unknown memory. In her recent work on her website, I spent some time getting to know the characters she has created.

A Depositor - Random Stacks Series

Looking thru old photographs it's hard not to imagine what their lives were like and what they stood for. Gail spins a literal web with thread and tiny hints of paper, leading you to draw your own conclusions. Fantastic mixtures of paper and textiles. Little bundles of peoples lives. I seem to be able to come up with lots of little descriptions for her sweet collage vignettes.

Book of Secret Codes - Random Stacks Series

More here, at her site. She also teaches, so you west coast peeps can take advantage! There are some serious textures here...and many layers a collagist can get lost in....

Yet Another Interface

2011-11-16T06:39:00.001-08:00

Pardon me for changing the interface again. The last one I was trying seemed buggy to me. It kept freezing on my mac, and then it stopped me from being able to post! This newer look seems like it may be a better fit. I am hoping that Steven has access.....I miss his posts.

mixel

2011-11-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Just read about a cool new ipad app called Mixel. It mixes images and creates digital collages. I am not sure about how the copyright nazis will feel about an app like this!
I admit I must be one of the ten people that does not have an iPad. Yet.
And I am craving to try this and several other apps.
If you are iPad endowed, you may want to try this!

Hyperallergic writes about here. I think it's a cool idea. But is there a practical application?????

Beaver Moon (flat)

2011-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Beaver Moon (flat)

Today is the Beaver Moon. An appropriate day for posting artwork that is inspired by it, wouldn't you say? This piece was a struggle. It's a transitional piece I think. I am watching my ideas and work change.

The color scheme: was inspired by The Sowers, by Van Gogh. I was teaching color and color relationships this week at SUNY Coby in design class. I was also reading about Van Gogh. I am quite amazed at his use of color. My piece uses purples and pale yellows and oranges. It's an attempt to really force color vibrancy using compliments.

The design: was inspired The Tres Riches Heures. The Book of Nature, which was painted in 1400's. I really love this book and the idea behind it. I am using this project as an exercise. Each month I will do a piece based on the moon. I was careful not to look at this piece at all (recently) as I made my own. I don't want to copy, but take the essence. In my piece, I am wanting to define the oval shape with pen and ink and add some numbers. I might try this digitally before I take it to the final work, and only if it looks good.

The use of photography in this piece: was inspired by David Hochbaum. It's no secret I like his work. His use of large scale photos that he takes himself continues to drive me to this mode of operation. I have also almost eliminated external ephemera. Almost! (those planet stickers I could not resist!)

The idea: in case it isn't coming through. The beaver moon is about getting ready for the cold. She is supposedly harvesting the weeds. I don't know if the message is strong enough. I hate to go blatant and put a beaver on the piece. That's cheating!

Beaver Moon Miracle

2011-11-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

The rest from the collage studio table has created The Miracle. The very thing I have been waiting for! A CHANGE...
It was bound to happen. I have been wanting to break out of my creative mold for awhile now, and I think that finally the glass has shattered. No longer can I put the pieces back together.

I decided to warm up my collage skills with a simple piece about the Beaver Moon...which is coming up on Nov. 10. I researched the term and the meaning behind it and I have an idea. I did a watercolor on 140 lb. paper for the base. But as I started to add objects, I found that they were heavy. REALLY heavy. I took them off. I struggled and put them back on. I took them off again. ON again. This process exhausted me and I quit and came back. The next day I told myself that if I wanted to deal with these heavy materials, such as fur and metal...I would need to move to a heavier base. Like a dresser drawer (my latest substrate obsession).

I ferret out a nice one from my husband's vast collection of furniture parts and paint a background. I decide in this process that I am going to do 2 works! One shall be flat. Old style. Like I used to do it. For me, so I can satisfy the urge that I have to go back....I can be Free and do what I want. This is for my enjoyment. ~~For selfish ME.~~ The second piece in the drawer would be the new stuff, the heavy... I lay them out.

Art #2 in the drawer is just a base coat of acrylic, no actual scenery. I am relying on my digital photo to carry it. (It seems like cheating somehow, ~~but the photo is mine so relax Julie~~) The fur, parts of vintage jewelry and hats, netting, it all will rest nicely on this piece.

It's that Art #1 that is troubling me. I struggled like crazy to place the first few objects on it and ended up removing them. I tried again, with another set of paper pieces, going in another direction. Nope. It just is not going anywhere. It's collage future appears to be dead. So far, this piece is a watercolor. And nothing more.

And there is the change!! I refuse to work on it if I have to go backwards. I quit. Somewhere in there the old went into a cocoon, and something new has emerged. The new work wants to have a lot more depth. It wants to mix paper with milkweed pods and vintage jewelry parts and be heavy. It doesn't feel "pure paper" anymore. It isn't just collage, it's collage plus something else.

Along with the urge to combine newer and heavier materials I also want to build up and off the paper. I can't get past it. To sum this all up, I am working on much more intense pieces. They require planning. And electrical engineering! These works are evolving and they are taking so long. This part I am not liking...~~and I told myself to go Julie and express that time frustration thing on Art #1,~~ but so far, that canvas remains cold and alone. While the Beaver Moon begins to rise....

Note to you and me> I need to take some photos of the process here, so this blog has something visual going on. All these words make me nervous.

When is a Piece of Mail a Piece of Art?

2011-10-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

When is a Piece of Mail a Piece of Art?
When Terry Garrett sends you a letter, that's when! I was most delighted to receive this gorgeous and meticulous piece of art from Terry on a day when my soul felt most black. I wasn't expecting much in the old snail mail box, except more bills..., but there was this fantastic adventure in there to surprise me.

the folded envy, with the flap tucked in

I have felt a bit inside of myself lately. This letter helped to draw me back out.

the little diamond fold

The image of a bird landing on a rooftop...a parallel to the mail that landed in my box.

the beautiful letter - art cheers up the soul

The telescopic eye of this collage on the outside of the envelope is another parallel...to the way I feel about looking towards the future in time... of the country, my network persona, my blog, my artwork, my soul. All systems Go!

the prophetic vision - we look to the future!

#occupythisblog

2011-10-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable. With the world beginning to #occupyitself....I found a strong need to begin to #occupythisblog better than ever before.

I am surprised Steven didn't lead a small protest and take it over! I've been a slacker plain and simple. And it's time to crack the whip, quit whining, and get down to business.

I just did the first thing I could to make it obvious things are changing here. I chose this new design for the blog for the ability that it gives YOU as the use to create your own interface and viewing experience.
It's so democratic. It's so fresh. Let's rock this thing!

Where I landed. Where I go.

2011-09-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

My feet are back on the ground, I think. It's been a long lingering month or two where things were so busy that I had to be disciplined just to finish all the tasks on my plate. Chris and I got married and that required my complete attention. After a simple family ceremony in our yard, we went to Maine and had a few days of wonderful surf to unwind. Immediately upon returning, it was the start of college and I had to pull myself together to teach Design at COBY two nights a week instead of 1. Meekly, I post on this blog, but I feel guilty for letting things just die here. I continue to do this periodically. I am not sure about the overall future of this forum....I am still weighing out where I am going from here.

I did a small showing of art at the Harvest Fest in Sharon Springs over the weekend. The Harvest Fest was not exactly the best art forum, but I did want to show these pieces to the local folk that live in the town that the art was about. I got to talk to various people about Sharon Springs and I even sold a couple of pieces. As I put things away in boxes to bring down to the Elephant Bistro in town, I really felt the urge to just put this work to rest. I have already shown it and I actually am tired of it all. The Bistro, however, really wanted to have some pieces hanging in their restaurant, so I brought them down there. Regardless of this strategy, it does feel like it's the end of an era. It's the end of the Sadler era and it's time for me to move on to new ideas and formats.

I felt badly about not selling more this weekend and I had to sit back and think about reality.

The one thing I did sort out over the weekend is my own thought process, which isnt' working right.

I do art to express myself and as I do this, I could care less what anyone would think of the completed work. I go for a particular "look" and when I achieve it, I toss the canvas aside and move onto the next unfinished puzzle. When I feel I have completed a body of work, I take it to a gallery to show/sell. I take these artworks and present them to the public where I now expect them to like it---no, love it-- and perhaps even purchase it.

When I create, I could care less about anyone else. But afterwards, I am trying to sell to someone else, and honestly, what nerve!! I expect them to like my viewpoint, and the way I presented it, and also to buy it and love it like it's there own. I am looking to be rewarded for being me. No wonder it's such a bummer when art doesn't sell, or when someone doesn't exactly like what you do. You really put yourself on the line. There's no way to avoid this I don't think.

So there are 2 ways to go on from here.

1. Cater to the public. Figure out what sells, figure out what people want, and give it to em. Not sure if this is anywhere near as personally satisfying. But, if out society decides merit upon how much money we make, then this is definitely the answer. Lots of money = good artist.

2. Do my own thing, and suffer the consequences. If it sells, good. If it doesn't, who cares? I got my satisfaction out of the creation anyhow.

My new husband says that art is my therapy and that I probably would stop doing it if I did it just for sales. I tend to agree. But this doesn't help the wallet! And somehow this whole sales thing seems to tie into the money thing. And the money thing ties into the self worth thing. And the world goes round.

"Thinking of Ewe"

2011-08-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
On Saturday October 1st, Sculpture Space, located in Utica, NY will be holding its annual CHAIRity auction. Sculpture Space is an internationally lauded residency program for sculptors (see www.sculpturespace.org). I have been donating pieces to this great cause for the past 10 years. I usually do a piece of painted furniture and for the last couple of years did a collage as well. This year I have done this piece for the event. It's entitled "Thinking of Ewe" (14" x 11"). I'm hoping that two people like it enough so that it will bring in a respectable amount for Sculpture Space. It's a great event and is the closest that Utica ever gets to feeling like New York City (in my humble opinion). Enjoy!

Black and white?

2011-08-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

Steven Specht here...
This piece is 14" x 22" and I think I will entitled it "It's Not Always Black and White". The reason for this title? Each of the elements - with the exception of the starry space element- is taken from a book or paper that made it appear to be black and white. However, although the pieces were monochromatic, they each had different hues. The woman is somewhat purple. The fetus is yellowish (aged paper). And the roses have a Payne's gray hue. I love the interplay of these subtle colors in this piece. Enjoy!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW COUPLE!!!

2011-08-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Best wishes from Steven Specht! Enjoy the day... and the rest of your lives together!

Takacs Shell Starship

2011-08-12T06:44:00.001-07:00

Takacs Shell Starship, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Time is winding down and the available free time i have has disappeared. I have been preparing for my wedding which is next weekend. My husband shall receive some gifts of art. This piece is the cover of the little album I have been working on for him. I will be handing a miniature version out as a wedding favor.
The ocean is calling me, and as I sit on the coast of Maine, I shall be collecting ideas, images, and emotions for my next work. I have had hardly any time this summer with both my daughter and I getting married, but let me assure you, absence makes the heart grow fonder...and I cannot wait to get back to my artwork!
I'll be back soon, with a new name and a brand new attitude!

Old Forge exhibit

2011-08-02T05:53:00.001-07:00

Steve Specht here...
Boy I really do not want to "displace" Julie's stunningly beautiful self-portrait collage, but I hope she'll understand. We got very little publicity for this up-coming show (and perhaps some of you will be interested). I will be part of a three-person exhibit this month at The Old Forge Library Gallery with Suzanne Firsching (sculptural wall hangings) and Victoria Zacek (fiber artist). The opening reception is the Friday (Aug. 5th) from 5:00-8:00.

Mother of Pearl

2011-07-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

Mother of Pearl - she plays the oyster harp

Such a difficult thing....doing a self portrait...I rarely do them. This was one of the few times that the vision in my mind actually matched what ended up on paper. This piece is for the wedding album. A real gift!

workshop opportunity

2011-07-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I am very pleased and excited to notify anyone who might be interested that Jonathan Talbot will be offering a two-day collage workshop at Utica College next April 21st and 22nd (2012). This is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best! Go to Jonathan's website for a more detailed description and to read comments and see work from previous workshop participants (including me!). http://www.talbot1.com/workshop/index.html

ABAD 23

2011-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

A Book About Death is still quite alive. To quote the ABAD-23 site...

"The ABAD Project was born in 2009 at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in New York City, the brain child of Paris-based American artist Matthew Rose. ABAD has since grown into an international art movement that continues to sweep across the US and the world. It has traveled to Brazil, Belgium, the UK, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Mexico, touching artists everywhere.
This will be the 23rd ABAD worldwide, the first on Long Island’s beautiful South Shore."

I participated in the first exhibit, but have not been in any of others. It was time for another round. So I did a pair of works for this exhibit and I tried to use as much symbolism as possible. For this project, the artist is instructed to provide 2 pages, one for the exhibit and one to be bound in a permanent book..."thereby furnishing an Omega to the Alpha of the Unbound Book of the original show".

On the fronts of my 2 pages, for the base paper I used a grave rubbing. Pen and ink and acrylic add a splash of color, while black mourning lace adds a bit of drama . There's a nude male on one page and a nude female on the other--symbolizing the equality of death. Both figures are literally in bondage, and also exhibiting the "ties that bind" with threads--where I have stitched the front page to the back page.

page 1

page2

The back pages consists of portions of a cemetery log book. One of these is particularly endearing and charming, mentioning a certain "John Burrly, buried in the old ground by side of his wife. $5.00 paid the association for that privilege."

back2

back 1

It's all still quite amazing to me, how the emotions about death of one man, in this case Matthew Rose, grew into a worldwide phenom, which is far from dead. Ray Johnson was the originator of the whole concept and although he is gone, his ideas and thoughts live on also. Perhaps this is the ultimate irony of it all, and I sometimes wonder if Ray knew this. It's all such a delicious mystery, the unfolding of life and death!

I send this package to the gallery today on the 13th. For you Ray.

More exhibit information can be found here on the ABAD 23 website.

nautical kiss

2011-07-11T12:36:00.001-07:00

nautical kiss, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Notice, the dates on the vintage journal correspond to the dates of our trip...

Shellstar machine

2011-07-11T12:34:00.001-07:00

Shellstar machine, a photo by misphit on Flickr.

Aaaah. The Days of Summer 2011.
So far my days and nights consist of dreams. I am in a land within my head, and dreaming of ocean love. My fiancé Chris and I are getting married next month...August 20. Our honeymoon will be spent in BoothBay Harbor Maine. I am making this special wedding album for my husband-to-be. It's been fabulous fun to be back on the collage table after the rigorous exercises I have put myself thru as of late. I cannot believe how the inspiration just gushes when my mind is "in" something. I am so very excited, so this art feels like an overflowing tsunami.
Please enjoy this page from the wedding album. It's my personal fave.

To The Power of N... revisited

2011-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I've been selected for this great event! So excited and nervous at the same time!
http://collagista.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/to-the-power-of-ncall-for-submissions/

Failure... or is it?

2011-06-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
So I spent a good portion of the day cleaning my studio space a little and just sort of getting back into the swing of things with my collage efforts. I actually did two collages today. One was done in the spirit of my friend and fellow collage junkie Julie Sadler. Her collages are awesome and they are quite different in style compared to mine. Her process- which she uses to great effect-- is much more "free form" and she lets herself explore more that I do in my meticulous ways. So I decided to try to "let go" a little and work without much planning. The result I think turned out okay. Then I decided to finish a piece I had started a little while back. This piece is a bit more in my "voice". It's also the smallest collage I've made (measure 2" x 5"). Enjoy!

Schwitters

2011-06-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I will keep this post very brief, so as not to overshadow Julie's recent interesting crystal post. I realize this is VERY 'late notice', but if you get a chance to see the Schwitters collage exhibit at Princeton University art museum, SEE IT! Its phenomenal! Bad news is that it is only up until the 26th. See my blog for more coverage...

Crystals of Resistance & the Process

2011-06-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

Altho it really isn't collage, I want to mention one of the things that are currently fascinating me...and this is the website of the massive installation by Thomas Hirschorn at the 2011 Venice Biennale. The title of his masterpiece is "Crystals of Resistance". It's a huge installation created in the Swiss Pavilion, made of raw materials placed in grand scale. He uses many visual cues to reinforce his basic premise, and they all equal a very powerful exhibit that has enchanted me even just by viewing on the internets.

You are inside a geode. Crystals poke from every direction.

In addition to all the imagery, he has this website that accompanies it. In the site, he supplies many documents and sketches and illustrate the birth of his idea and the evolution that followed. He goes into detail and writes about the project and the meaning of the various dioramas he creates....he supplies a book list of the books that he read that influenced his work. It's a huge treasure trove of his process.

Crystals of Resistance website home page

It's all about the process.

He tells a tale on the Schema page that relates to a time in his past when he witnessed children selling crystals....
I was moved. It was a simple tale, but the fact that he shared it helped me follow along his train of thought, and allowed me a glimpse of his work from another dimension.

My attempts at documenting my not-so-recent Mohawk Valley pieces on Tumblr was an extension of this idea where I am sharing the process. I am not achieving this nearly as well as Thomas Hirschorn with his massive and thorough website exposé!

At first glance, the exhibit appeared to be harsh to me, the appearance of the raw tape and foils and the fact that he makes no attempt to hide it at first jars me and makes me snarl. But I am enraptured by the crystals, since I have a fondness for them, being a Herkimer Diamond fiend.....so I keep looking through the pictures and it all begins to make sense. This is how art is I think. Art used to be something that hung on a wall and looked good. We are living in new times! I am learning to embrace them.

The Artist's Reception for Steven Specht at Arkell

2011-06-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Visitors absorbing into each collage illusion

The gloomy weather did not prevent a small crowd of art lovers from attending Steven Specht's reception for his show at Arkell. With these fiery works to view, it didn't matter what the weather was doing… we were in Steven's little stellar world for the moment.
As I entered the gallery, I was happy to see a large supportive group studying the work. He stood graciously before his most recent accomplishments, with the gallery's stone wall providing a great neutral backdrop for showing some of his newest collages.

The fabulous Steven Specht and his muse Mary Carol Murrie Durr

I purposefully took in each work and mentally noted various things…such as the finely polished surface of each work, the soothing color combinations and the humor infused within. The stellar additions to some of the pieces tickled the scientist in me, and I enjoyed his realistic depiction of everything constellatory! My foray's into the celestial usually mimic astrological themes…so seeing full planets and moons with craters was inspiring.

I really liked this pair, but my photo does not do justice

Enchanting the viewers with his crazy meticulous style, he allows the viewer to really believe the tale he is telling…It's magical.

more on inspiration (not "moron inspiration")

2011-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I posted something similar a few months ago; but I think it is worth reposting some new images and showing how raw images serve as initial inspiration for some of my pieces (because the MOST common question of me is "Where do you get the ideas for your pieces?"). Here are a couple of images that I got from a vintage French story book. They both inspire me in an "invasion" kind of way. Of course the window in one of the images will most likely be replaced by some spacescape. The lighting is awesome and it provides me with a nice 3-D illusion. The one with the woman walking the dog is quite thought-provoking as it is, methinks. I've illustrated here how just adding a circular element (it's technically two related elements) with stark color contrast can enhance the "collaged" image immediately. I will probably be working on these images over the next couple weeks-- exploring images and experimenting with placements. I will try to post intermediate images in the progress (but I can never guarantee that "documentation Steve" will be at the side of "creative Steve"-- perhaps fodder for another post). Enjoy!

ABAD: Kickstarter

2011-06-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Remember the Book about Death? This exhibit has grown to unbelievable proportions..how ironic that something about death should promote shuch growth...
Mr. Rose, with his boundless enthusiasm, has started quite the phenom.
There's a new facet to this project that is now in motion. LuAnn Palazzo is trying to drum up support for this project. It's a fantastic and worthy cause, so if you have a dollar or two to spare in the name of ART-- because, you know, the govt. is reducing art aid by the millions of dollars--could you possibly donate?
I quote from kickstarter:

ABAD has since grown into an international art movement that continues to travel across the US and internationally. ABAD has shown in Brazil, Belgium, the UK, Croatia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mexico. It has spawned dozens of collaborative exhibitions on three continents.

This new exhibition celebrates THE TIES THAT BIND all living things universally through death, as well as the creative ties which now bind thousands of artists that literally reach around the world.

The Bay Shore, LI exhibit will feature for the first time new work from worldwide artists that are actual book pages like Ray Johnson originally created in 1963, and NOT postcards. The pages will be bound by the curator into a handmade volume and displayed at the exhibition, thereby furnishing an Omega to the Alpha of the Unbound Book from the original NYC show.

There have been many performance pieces included in these shows but never any music. For this show, I would love to feature some live New Orleans Funeral Jazz! That is primarily what I am raising the money for. I also need to print up posters and fund publicity and other items for the opening reception.

Congratulations Steven!

2011-06-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to attend Steven's upcoming show at Arkell in Canajoharie, NY. I am certain he's put a lot of thought and effort to the pieces he will be showing. I am psyched that the gallery in my lil 'ole town is so cool, and I am happy to welcome Steven to Canajoharie!
I will post more with pix after this weekend, but I just wanted to give a shout out to the monkeybrain here online, in case anyone is nearby and can make it.

Here's the google map...if you plan to attend. Cya there!

View Larger Map

Edgey

2011-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I thought that some people might be interested in a brief "lesson" in collage technique (although I'm probably preaching to the choir). I took photos while I was creating "Delicate Rana" (i.e., the blue frog piece) to illustrate the importance of covering edges in collage. Here you see the white edge of mat board on which the collage was created. Simply by using matching paints to cover these white edges, you get a much "cleaner" look which results in more powerful impact (imho). I use a ripped off piece of a foam "brush" for best results (if you use a standard paint brush, it's more difficult to keep paint from "straying" onto the surface of the collage). Enjoy!

"Surgery"?

2011-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
I'm working on a somewhat larger scale piece these days. The primary element is something I cut from a canvas wall hanging that I purchased in New York City last year at a flea market. The wall hanging illustrates the internal organs of the human body and was probably used in an elementary school. Last week one night when I was working on detail cutting, I sort of cracked-up because I realized what I was doing was like some kind of weird collage surgery. Here's a photo of the "operating stage". LOL. Enjoy!

To The Power of N

2011-06-06T07:51:00.001-07:00

Steve Specht here...

Thought I would pass along this call for submissions to participate in an interesting collage event. Go to this site for more information

http://tothepowerofn.joellambeth.com/

From their website:
"The medium of collage allows for the expression of concepts, ideas and emotions through the reinterpretation and recontextualisation of an endless array of discarded and then found materials.

But what if there were only a finite amount of pieces to choose from with which to make a collage? Would two collages created by different artists using the same materials end up looking the same, or at least similar? What about ten different collages by ten different artists?

Would a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters all eventually write Shakespeare?"

MoMA Picasso exhibit

2011-06-06T07:41:00.001-07:00

Steve Specht here...
In May, Mary Carol and I went down to NYC to see the Picasso "Guitars" exhibit. Although the focus of the catalog (and title) for the exhibit was on the guitar form, I was struck by the essence of all of the work (i.e., not just the guitar images) in terms of Picasso's exploration of collage itself and of collage as part of truly "mixed media". I have read in various art books that Picasso originated collage as a legitimate medium in modern fine art, but was invariably disappointed when authors typically relied on the same single image to illustrate this [see the ocre-colored guitar piece with the blue rectangle in the upper center entitled "Guitar, Sheet Music and Glass" (1912)].The exhibit at MoMA included SO MANY more pieces which served as a testimony to Picasso's genius with regard to collage (Picasso never seems to disappoint!). It seemed to this naive observer that Picasso was not so much interested in collage as a single medium, but as a means to explore the possibilities of intergrating images. Some of the "collage" elements in his paintings are actually paper elements; but some of the elements that look like paper are actually painted (e.g., the faux woodgrain). I was also struck by the simple collage elements that were included in his charcoal drawings. They were minimalist, but exquisitely placed! I particularly like the piece with the "J" precisely cut at its origin. Enjoy!

Rochester Contemporary Arts Center 6 X 6 show collages

2011-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
Thought you might enjoy some collage highlights from the recent opening of the ROCO 6x6 exhibit/fundraiser. Shown were some of my favorites (and mine is the frog, entitled "Delicate Rana"). Enjoy!

Rags to Riches (in Stratford)

2011-05-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

How does that saying go?

One man's junk is another man's treasure.

There's this juxtaposition of the rhinestones against the ramshackle shed. The heavy substrate allowed me to attach heavier objects to this work. The protruding 3d front door will be enhanced further when I install a tiny blue LED light underneath the drawer pull. It should shine an eerie light down upon the front door and reflect off of the jewels.

I feel like these pieces are so vulnerable and fragile, sticking out from the base with no protection like this. The art is almost as fragile as the actual buildings they depict!

It was all she had, this humble ramshackle home in the woods.

a jewel in the rough.

Protruding Front door

Rags to Riches

(in Stratford)

Mixed Media on vintage cabinet drawer front

Book endpapers, laser prints taken in Stratford, 35mm photos, vintage blueprint, vintage magazine ad, various rhinestone jewelry parts, vintage engraving, postcard

Sachem 2

2011-05-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow

Brant

This is Indian piece #2. It's going along with that video I started to do months ago. It's so difficult to go and pour myself into something that I have left behind for awhile. Stretching in my memory banks, I try to pull out the emotions that drew me to this idea in the first place. It's such a struggle! I seem to require an intense amount of concentration to be able to continue along in a particular subject. I work full time-part time-and now free lance. It's difficult to find the free time for me to address these things. When these periods happen when life seems to get in the way of my own pursuits, I get a strange anxiety as I face the paper again. Can I meet my own expectations yet? Can I even meet the quality of what I was doing before? I doubt myself, and my skills feel rusty. I hate these feelings, but maybe, just maybe this time I have had enough time to digest some new ideas....some new life. I threw away over half of my ephemera collection. I also have new rules I am following. Will anything change? It has to. It's the law of our planet.
Now, more than ever, I am hoping for something to emerge from this cocoon I have been hibernating in.

King John

Altered Books Final

2011-05-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

This past semester I taught design at SUNY Cobleskill again, and I tried a really crazy idea for the final project. After learning about line, shape, texture, color, etc....I had them create altered books as the final.

Erik B reworking a Bible! He had music as his theme and revealed that music was spiritual for him.

They needed to create at least 4 sections, and design the cover--keeping some kind of unity and theme across the book.

The very prolific Gaby D works on her altered '70s biology book, giving it a hippy rainbow attitude.

It was a month long journey, with the students going crazy over these books.

Melique G drawing in his unique raw style within his altered Encyclopedia.

I watched the whole thing unfold and as they worked on them, I learned as much as they did.

Brittany S covered her book with leather and made an enclosure out of a nail she plucked out of the wall in class.

The various ways they tackled the theme, the interesting things they did with their pages, their utter involvement, it was just fascinating and I am so glad I decided to go this route as the final!

Josh T completely covered this book with gesso, and then created a masterpiece book about rain

The rewards for stepping out of our boxes are many.

"Re-planetizing Daniel"

2011-05-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
My latest as I get ready for the show in Canajorharie. Hope you enjoy!

WAY too long!

2011-05-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Steve Specht here...
It's been WAY too long since I posted last. The good news is that the semester is almost over and I look forward to posting vmore through May and the summer. This morning I'd like to share with you a piece I put together which is a bit deviant from my typical style (although, of course, you can probably see my "voice" in the piece as well). I was working on a piece for the 6 X 6 show at the Rochester Contemporary Arts Center (more on that later) and had several 300lb watercolor paper substrate pieces prepared for the project. I ended-up having a piece left-over. The paper was painted with a mixed green acrylic paint and then I took a "metallic" blue spray paint can and held it above the paper about two feet and sprayed a fine "mist" down onto the painted paper. It really provided a nice effect-- a little sparkly (not too much) and a nice blue green hue (see detail). I had some elements laying around that I had prepared for use without having a specific purpose for them (it's collage afterall, right?). So I just started experimenting without much intention. I realize that other collagists do this often; but my approach typically is driven ("dogged") by a need for more intentional composition (for better or for worse)... you can ask Julie about; she's seen me work ;-). Anyway, this is what emerged from my play. I have entitled it "He stunned her with his emptiness" (5" x 7"). Enjoy!

Yet another NYC collage exhibit

2011-04-02T11:33:00.001-07:00

Read this story in the NY Times about a Romare Bearden collage exhibit.
www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/arts/design/romare-bearden-at-michael-rosenfeld-gallery-review.html?_r=1&hpw

“Romare Bearden Collage: A Centennial Celebration” is on view through May 21 at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, 24 West 57th Street, Manhattan; (212) 247-0082, michaelrosenfeldart.com.

Webster Wagner Hollow

2011-04-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Webster Wagner Hollow

Mixed Media on Oak Dresser Drawer

Acrylic, pen and ink, stencil, tape transfer, vintage yarn package, graffiti peeled in NYC, laser prints

I often drive by dark, old neglected buildings and wonder about the interiors. Sometimes there's a dim light and I can peak in and see the shadows of my imagination inside. This particular house, the Webster Wagner house in Palatine Bridge had no lights on and a feeling of desolate desperation permeates it's exterior. It always seems so empty and hollow.
While I composed this piece, I stopped to consider what should happen inside the building. I wanted no top or bottoms on the buildings prompting you to get closer to look inside. I wanted to convey the hollow feelings I have. So I decided to have the inside of the building be identical to the outside, a mirror image of the outside. The exterior has an interior that is it's exterior.

The exterior has an interior that is it's exterior

This idea of working on a different plane has me enthused. Especially since it fits my current subject matter so well! The video I am doing might really benefit from this treatment. It's funny how one idea bleeds into another.

article worth reading

2011-03-28T03:45:00.001-07:00

Steve Specht here...
Wow, this is a very interesting article in "Inside Higher Education" about science, creativity and art. Enjoy!
www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/28/interview_with_author_of_book_on_artscience_labs

Webster Wagner House

2011-03-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

After all the fuss and tedious work for my daughters' shower, it was a mind shift to begin work on my own stuff again!

Webster Wagner House

Today I was able to plunge back into my work! I just finished Webster Wagner's House. It's a very imposing, run-down and creepy home in Palatine Bridge. I tried to imagine it in another day, perhaps when times were not so tough. In reality, this house looks worse than ever. I doubt it has a long future ahead.

More invasion and other fantasies

2011-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Steven Specht here...
Greetings! I wish I had more time to share some thoughts about this piece; but I am really overwhelmed with my "real job" work these days to take the time. I did want to get this image (11 x 14") "out there" though. More to come when I find a little bit of time. Enjoy!

Appropriation and Richard Prince

2011-03-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Work by Richard Prince—in the Canal Zone exhibit

Who is Richard Prince:
from wiki:
Richard Prince (born 1949 in the Panama Canal Zone) is an American painter and photographer. Prince began appropriation photographs in 1975...
Re-photography uses appropriation as its own focus: artists pull from the works of others and the worlds they depict to create their own work.

He's been in the news lately....he got sued for his appropriation of photographs, specifically, images from Patrick Cariou, a photographer who is author of the book “Yes Rasta". I always watch with keen interest when I see collagists brought to court. If you have followed this blog, you have heard of my exploits with copyright issues, and how recently I purged more than 50% of my ephemera collection in order to push myself to create more of my own pieces for collage work.
Sadly, Richard lost the case. I am not aware of the specific details of this case, so I cannot comment on this outcome. It is interesting to note, however, that the judge not only found Richard Prince guilty, he also found the gallery that represents him (Gagosian!) guilty too! This is a HUGE blow to collage art and appropriation in general.
Step lightly, my friends!
I suppose, if your work isn't selling in the 6 figure range, most likely no one will be suing or bothering you. Once you reach that threshold....and it becomes more about the money....it appears as though the courts do not easily rule in your favor. How many times have you taken a photo from any other source but your own and embellished it?
Again, since I don't know of the nitty gritty details of this case, I can't make much of a judgement. But as a full time collagist, I still find this all so very disturbing.

To flip the coin:
Really. How hard would it have been for Mr. Prince to go and get his own Rasta photos? He has the money to do so. Or he could even search (Flickr) Creative Commons for other pix to use. I feel this man could have avoided the whole problem by taking his own pix. Go figure!

Article in the New York Times about the case is here.
More about Richard Prince can be found on wiki here.
And finally, a link about the very exhibition causing the problems for Mr. Prince is here.

Work by Richard Prince—in the Canal Zone exhibit

Finished! Back to my own stuff!

2011-03-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

The wedding projects are finished. I ended up creating 12 different heart collages which when printed became the table cards. The originals I bound in the book for her and honestly, it's the best binding work I have ever done. Indeed this is appropriate, since it's for my daughter! I can't wait to see the look on her face this weekend at the shower. A trip to North Carolina is in order and I will be out of town for a week enjoying southern spring weather while snow continues to pile up in my yard!
This past week I finished up a piece for Steven (which i will be telling more about in a future post), in addition to doing a piece for Melissa McCobb Hubbell and 6 pages in an altered book round robin for Laura Lein-Svencner. It's been a crazy busy week!!

My stuff on the wall in downtown Canajoharie

So when I got the go ahead to hang my artwork downtown at the Elephant Bistro, it pushed me over the top! The elephant bistro is a new place to eat in Canajoharie. It's got really great food and a super nice ambience I just adore. The ladies that run it are very personable and from the first time I went there I felt I was with friends. I have more pieces to hang for them, but this will have to wait until I get back home. Time for some R & R!

Invasion series

2011-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
This one is entitled "No, I haven't heard about any invasion" (8" x 10"). I am having fun with the "Invasion series" so far. The title of my upcoming solo exhibit at Arkell Museum in Canajoharie (June 3-July 29) I think will be entitled "Invasions and other fantasies". I'm really looking forward to seeing the piece hanging together. BTW, it wasn't intentional that my last two pieces have had a similar color scheme, but I certainly like the scheme. Enjoy!

"Elegant Finestra" (8" x 8")

2011-02-27T12:57:00.001-08:00

Not much to say about this one at this point. Just thought I'd share. I'm hoping to finish a couple this week. Enjoy!

Opportunities?

2011-02-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

Steven Specht here...
I hate to bump Fred's work (SEE BELOW!), but thought some of you might be interested in the following:
A couple of things for folks to consider.
The Rochester Contemporary Arts Center is conducting one of their interesting fund-raisers again this year in June. It's called the 6x6x2011. Artists can submit a 6" x 6" piece of artwork (any medium) which becomes part of a 5000 piece exhibit (yes, 5 thousand!). Each of the pieces is priced at $20 to benefit the Center. It's interesting to see the diversity of artwork. The down-side is that your name does not get posted with your piece. It is only revealed to the buyer (so the name exposure is virtually non-existent). BUT, I think it's a worthwhile cause. I think I am going to do it again this year and attend the opening reception on June 4th. Should be fun. Check out the website at: www.rochestercontemporary.org/ You can see a cool video from last year's 6 x 6 event at this site too. Deadline for submission is May 1, 2011.
The Old Forge Arts Center is sponsoring an exhibition with the theme "H2O". They are accepting artwork and written work for this show. The show runs from March 26-May 7th with opening reception on March 26th. The deadline for submissions is March 7th. Check out this site for more details: www.artscenteroldforge.org/exhibitions.cfm?newsitem_id=23&action=view
Enjoy!

p.s. Also, way further on down the road. Jonathan Talbot will be conducting one of his wonderful workshops at Utica College during the weekend of April 21-22, 2012 in conjunction with a collage exhibit at Utica College of which Julie will be a part! More details to follow (you'll be able to enroll through Jonathan's website soon).

Fred Tomaselli

2011-02-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

Discovery of the day:
Fred Tomaselli
I found these beautiful works through Look into my Owl. What fascinating and in depth pieces this man creates! To quote wiki:
"Tomaselli's paintings include medicinal herbs, prescription pills and hallucinogenic plants alongside images cut from books and magazines: flowers, birds, butterflies, arms, legs and noses, which are combined into dazzling patterns that spread over the surface of the painting like a beautiful virus or growth."
Fantasic pieces that feed my imagination, works that take awhile to absorb! He coats the finished product with resin, and I can't think of anything more glorious visually than looking thru the depth of resin at these primordial images.

Fred Tomaselli (American, b. 1956). Big Raven, 2008. Acrylic, photocollage, and resin on wood panel, 84 x 72 in. (213.4 x 182.9 cm). Private collection, courtesy of the artist, White Cube, London, and James Cohan Gallery, New York

Fred Tomaselli (American, b. 1956). Desert Bloom, 2000. Photocollage, acrylic, and resin on wood panel, 60 x 60 in. (152.4 x 152.4 cm). Collection of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg

My love of anything organic prompts me to look further. I go to the Brooklyn Museum site and find this wondrous piece that puts me in a swoon and inspires my sad and lonely collage muse. What a celestial masterpiece. I am an instant fan. Can't believe I haven't seen his work before.
More on him here:
Brooklyn Museum
James Cohan Gallery
wiki

"I was thinking of something different"

2011-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
Here's a piece I did a couple years ago, before I learned Jonathan Talbot's technique. I "refurbished" it and re-matted and framed it (mat and frame not shown here). It's 8" x 10". Enjoy!

Lapel pins

2011-02-13T09:58:00.001-08:00

Steve Specht here...
During one of my evening travels through collage-land, I happened to do a little mini-collage with some scraps. After some exploration and experimentation, I thought these might make nice collage lapel pins. Still need to work on some of the details, but I kinda like these. I gave one to MC for Valenine's Day. Enjoy!

Primordial collage

2011-02-10T19:37:00.001-08:00

Steve Specht here...
This exhibit looks like a great opportunity to see some of the earliest collages of Picasso and probably some of the initial collages that gave "fine art" credibility to the medium. Check out the story at the New York Times site.
"Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914" is on view from Sunday to June 6 at the Museum of Modern Art
I can't wait to see it!!!

i am a collage assembly line

2011-02-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

I am working on a project for my daughter. She is getting married in May and her shower is in March down in Wilmington, NC. I volunteered to make centerpieces for the shower and this has had me collaging my brains out.
The theme for the wedding decor is black and white. She has used music motifs in her invitations (which I also designed for her...) and I wanted to include these ideas in my project.


saturday

I made 12 collages so far, 8 x 7 in size. They will be scanned and printed. Then I will create table cards out of the prints.
The originals? I plan to bind them in a book that i will present to her at the shower.

It's meant a whole lot of crazy collaging and with this theme, I can relax and not worry so much about composition. It's been fun. But I feel like an assembly line!

to you

2011-02-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

1-1
Originally uploaded by misphit

Sending you love on wings.

Anthony? Johnny? or no name?

2011-02-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
It's been a while since I posted a new piece. Here's one that I finished this weekend. I need to mount it and frame it though. But I'm having a bit of a problem with a 'name'. The title of the piece will be either "One Day Johnny... One Day" or "One Day Anthony... One Day" or "One Day Son... One Day". Does it make a difference if I assign a name to the individual in the vintage photo used in this piece? Hmmm... Any thoughts? And... should I care what others think? In general? Interesting questions methinks. Regardless... Enjoy!

A message from Alexis Anne

2011-01-23T15:11:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the new year.

This Saturday at Swarm Gallery in Oakland is the opening reception for Bloom & Gloom, a duo exhibition with my friend Katy Horan and myself. The works I’ve created for this show are all non-figurative, a side of my work that I have always loved personally, but have not exhibited much.

Other news: studio visits from just last weekend have been posted on Juxtapoz and The Flop Box... Follow those links to check them out. And, on January 30th, keep your eyes peeled for an illustration I made for the New York Times Sunday Magazine On Language column, utilizing football players, of all things.

Below is the press release for Bloom & Gloom, and a couple images of my new work for the show; hope to see you Saturday!

Best,

Alexis

“Milk Grass”, collage on vintage paper, 14 ½ x 12 in.

alexisanne.com

Sachem

2011-01-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row got promoted to collage today. I really was thinking about ways to float his face on top of script. I came up with all these various techniques, but each of them had faults. I ended up printing my own ink drawing on the paper and then working the collage. His face is so busy already with the tattoo, I didn't really feel the need to add too much embellishment.

Sachem

Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row

2011-01-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

The next thing I need is 2 fine Mohawk Indians. I need them to be somewhat true to what a native American actually looked like. I researched and found information about this fine warrior and Iroquois Sachem. They had fantastic face tattoos and I think I will use these patterns in my upcoming work on this particular vid.

Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row

Here is his companion, Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow, the grandfather of Joseph Brant who is quite a figure in our local history. These 2 prototypes will now go from drawings to collage.

Sa Ga Yeath Qua Pieth Tow

Music to my ears

2011-01-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Anthony has completed the music for my first hidef video project. I am so excited about this and I will try to express it! It's a bizarre thing to have a vision that you make visual by creating an artwork. It's another bizarre thing to have a concept, and have someone else complete your concept in another medium. There is such an inner exhilaration that I feel as I listen to the music that was composed for me for my situation on this occasion.

It's like magic. When the things that spawn in our minds become real. The power of it!!! It's like a rush, like a drug, like endorphin execution overload.

It's like a game of toss. I had the ball and passed it to him. He took it for the play, and sent it back at me.

Go listen here and share this excitement with me!

The next part is the video. Finally the moment i have been waiting for! It's this actual moment in a project that I love the most. It's when something has already taken hold, and you are already into it deep enough that you can't turn back. It's when you can't think about anything else but finishing it, or going back there, into the magical part of your own brain where these things live...even in your sleep. It's when the tingling excitement of your accomplishment is felt in your pores and in your organs and you feel it leaving you in it's own birthing. It's when it is happening that I love creation the most.

Gotta go. You know where. Back there....
I'll be back soon.

The clearinghouse dilemma and Jeff Koons

2011-01-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

clearing out the house
A couple of posts ago I brainstormed here on the various aspects of distributing my work.
I still am hammering this in my mind, and I have yet to come to any kind of reasonable conclusion.

I posted about 14 items on etsy last weekend. I found that less than satisfactory! Somehow, just listing stuff up there and hoping someone finds it among thousands of other craftwerks seems silly. I am not into posting favorites, and tooling around in forums, or buying online real estate so my things can be seen. I just hate this mode. It's like art pimping. And besides, I would rather be making that talking about what I have already made.
It's such a battle to find the time to devote to marketing. I am thinking about setting up some kind of loose schedule for myself and trying to follow it. Maybe this will help me achieve those pesky marketing-type goals I hate to deal with. I don't have the time to ponder this too long, I would much rather be creating, as as evidenced by my recent posts showing i am back to work on the table again.

I started a facebook page for myself. Now that was a leap! I always think of these pages as pretentious and arrogant. However, I am hoping to populate the page with scans of art that I am disseminating, upcoming shows, etc. Maybe this way I can steer folks to these artworks I want to distribute.
???
It's such a crap shoot!

of course, the clearinghouse needs to sport a pic of the infamous dog balloon

Copyright remains a hot topic in art news and I always read articles pertaining to this subject. Meanwhile, speaking of copyright....we have the Jeff Koons debacle. Apparently he seems all balloon dogs and images of such belong to him. Read about it here or here or here....

Nitefall

2011-01-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Looking across the snow drifted fields I saw nitefall.

A star studded vaulted sky slowly came into focus while sapphire stars fell to the ground.

This began as a quick super loose watercolor. I really didn't like how it turned out painting-wise, since I did it in a rush, without waiting for layers to dry. It sat overnight.

The next day, I spend time painting the tree branches. These are tedious little devils and to make them at all believable, I really have to be in the zone. It sat overnight.

The next day, much to my chagrin, I paste a huge gold foil star in the upper left corner. Horrors! I ruined all the goodness of this piece in one motion. The glue sticks to watercolor, unlike acrylics, and actually will remove paint and alter the colors so removing the star after I cursed at it for an hour left a huge scar in the prominent sky. It sat overnight, but it bothered me all night.

The next day, I find the perfect piece of swirling cardboard (it escaped the recent big destash even tho I have had it for years) which becomes my descending sky. Problem solved! It sits finished. And it no longer bothers me.

great site about Joseph Cornell

2011-01-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

Roaming the web this morning, I found a super nice site about that artist we all know and love, Joseph Cornell. There's such a soft spot for him in my heart. I went to a surrealism show at the Met a few years ago and got to see some of his work up close and personal. It's fab stuff!
This site has some really cool videos that show Cornell's work in motion. I loved this, since at exhibits, you sure can't touch anything.

Cassiopeia 1 - Joseph Cornell

the halfway point

2011-01-13T16:45:00.001-08:00

looking towards home
Originally uploaded by misphit

This was the halfway point, prior to all the collage stuff.

She pulled the wind from the sky and birthed a forest

2011-01-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

The sky was pale and ominous and the sun tried to penetrate. She pulled the wind from the sky and began to birth a forest.

I told myself I could do whatever I wanted on this canvas, since I just did 2 really tedious pieces. The watercolor was done from memory of a scene behind where I work. I have in mind to build up off the paper and try to make the objects appear to come out at you. In this case it's quite literal, as the netting reaches up off the paper and closer to the viewer.

Highly recommended!

2011-01-10T11:04:00.001-08:00

Steven Specht here...
I forward here a message that I received from Jonathan Talbot regarding his up-coming workshops. I attended two of these workshops and they were AWESOME! These will be held in his studio in Warwick, NY (in the Catskill region of New York State):

"Four workshop opportunities have just been posted on my website at www.talbot1.com/workshop. Two are collage-focused, one is about image transfer, and one allows each participant to select the medium of his or her choice.

At www.talbot1.com/workshop you will find additional information, links to comments of and works by past workshop participants, and links to both online and mail-in registration forms. You can also call me at 845-258-4620 for answers to your questions or to register by phone.

I hope one of these workshops will fit your schedule.

Cordially,

Jonathan Talbot"

The wings this all that is

2011-01-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's difficult to see in this scan, but the buildings protrude from the paper. Such a strange color combination in this one. The pink is purposeful, due to the subject nature of the upcoming video work.

Building UP!!

2011-01-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Obsessively I finished up this piece.
For today it's finished, anyhow. I have some doubts about a section of it which I may change, but I figured I would share my thoughts. I need to rest on it and then make decisions.

She hitched a silver sled to the sky

This was a difficult piece for me since I can't find anything in my studio! I was forcing myself to keep it as much "mine" as possible so even my regular ephemera pathways are closed. After sticking that vintage ribbon in the tree, I wanted the girl to appear even closer to you. And the idea of building up off the paper took root.

First the background trees were embroidered with silver thread. The was an excellent effect. I will use it again...It's a bit tedious! Since I felt like I was painting texture in with thread, I kept having to go back over and over to perfect it.

The girl and sled were next. I really struggled with her. I did about 6 heads on a separate piece of paper with watercolor and then chose the best of the crowd. I have an aversion to doing faces, so even getting one I could use felt like an achievement. I tried blowing her up on a couple of laser prints because I wanted a glossy texture on her, to contrast nicely with the matte watercolor paper in the background. But it looked weird and I ended up going with the original. Scary! I had to touch her up on the white cut edges so she actually stood out from the background more, and I held my breath like I did when I played the flute in school. Damn, it was not the time for an ink blob!

Struggling all the way, like a beginner-clutzy and yet somewhat liberated. I built her body with vintage lace scrap and greeting card foils. I have a love for garter belts and I have wanted to use these little groovy pieces of hardware again. It sure looked like sled hardware to me.

Next, the tree in the background grew some irridescent sequins hanging like large winter ice globes and shining just the right kind of color scheme I was looking for. Karmic collage. Cool.

I attached a piece of corrugated cardboard to the back of her upper body/head.. This makes her appear to stand out from the paper. The scan is lame for showing this strange effect and the shadow that occurs as you look at this piece from an angle. Sweet.

The part I am not too sure about are the 4 wires that lead from the garter to the tree....I am not sure if you get the idea that she is harnessing energy upwards....It almost looks like she hitched some balloons. I can remove these wires. I thought about having her sled driven by a rusty fox. ...I am trying to force myself to stick to my original mental idea rather than changing my idea for the sake of the art. But that part disturbs me. I may have to ....????
This piece was challenging as hell since I am out of my comfort zone. And rusty to boot!

This piece also feels critical for me. When constrained with less to work with, I chose to build up off the paper. I am loving the idea. I am infatuated with it. The natural progression is for me to do some of my Mohawk valley pieces in this 3d fashion. It seems ideal for buildings to build UP out of the paper, like a popup.
Pressing on in my silver sled....

Jimmy Descant: Severe Re-Constructivist

2011-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Vato and Jimm, Denver

I have been looking around the web this morning at some collagists work that I have not reviewed in awhile. Currently, I am enthralled with the fantastic Tony Fitzpatrick's blog. He has such a lively color palette! His work is so graphic. I love it. The stories he spins on his blog has got me thinking and exploring. I took a look at his link list and found some new artists that I have not heard of. Such as Jimmy Descant. What fab stuff!!!

This work of Jimmy Descant >>...who now lives and creates in Colorado but hes "ALWAYS a New Orleanian.">>is just outstanding. He uses such a crazy myriad of objects and I am so inspired by that. It's collage on steroids!!!
Such Superb work. Extremely detailed and eccentric. Rural. Raw. Beautiful. Inspiring.


Jah, Hepmysef, Hepmemuch (Sioux)

The idea of an Indian headress made of irons just kicks me. I love this piece. I love it. Very Much. It's a good inspiration for my Mohawk Valley project which has some (mohawk) indian attitude to it.
I just adore his masculine handling of metals. So industrial.
I was loving his artwork and then I read his bio. Now I LOVE his work.
His philosophy speaks to me:
"My work contains nor depicts any form of guns, bullets, or bombs. They are for the peaceful exploration of time, space, ideas, and cultures."
What a terrific mantra. Imagine the beautiful world that would result should we all follow it.


Deluxe Rocketship: the color usage in this piece is just plain enviable. And it lights up!!! swoon.

In progress....

2011-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

watercolor: plain


first round of collage: added stencil and vintage ribbon, branches

This work is in S L O W progress. I did the watercolor last week. I am slowly doing a collage. In this piece, I am building up off of the paper and trying to take a more 3d sculptural approach. Take a look at the tree, where I put the ribbon down, and then added pieces of cut branches on top of it, attempting to add bulk to the tree's crown by building upwards.
The silver stencil is simulating wind.

more of an explanation! or confusion!

2011-01-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

Wow. I am posting some crazy stuff lately to this blog! And I apologize.
I need to elaborate on what I am attempting to achieve with a clearing out of works, since yesterdays post was kinda crazy and all over the place.
I am actually baring my soul and taking you through the thought process. Geez remember, for now, it's all about the process!! I know I could have waited until I hammered all this stuff out in my head, but I think I am trying to explain the thoughts to you and let it unravel publicly. Most blogs, you know, they show their work, maybe tell a little personal ditty about it....and then they move on. It's all been done!! It's starting to feel shallow. I am attempting to raise my own bar, by writing naked posts.

I want to share how an artist feels as they compile a huge quantity of work that they just don't have the time or inclination to market. I am giving you my honest brain stream. Straight up....unedited. Scary.

Steven wrote a comment yesterday on how this all seems quite sad. We artists tend to value our own artistic skill by how many pieces we sell and how much money we make. Or how many solo shows we had. Or what bienelle we participated in. I can understand why he would feel sadness about me taking such little profit. (I didn't ask him, but he has collected some of my work. Perhaps the sadness is over a loss of value of that work he purchased--it's something I mentioned yesterday in all that crazy banter--but knowing Steven, I doubt that this is his reason) But I personally am not sad about it, in fact I really am excited. I am very excited about sharing. WHY? Because I am a rebel. I hate our commercial culture. I hate the fact that artists seem stuck in the gallery system, and without it we flounder around like lost puppies. I want to break new trail. I have so much to give, it just seems appropriate.
I WANT to give art away! It seems liberating.
But it poses some serious problems, and these are the things I discussed yesterday.

I really want to remove money from the equation.
I want the price to be so low, that money is not the reason why you cannot have this work.
I don't think people should have to be rich to own fine works of art!
I want to give my art to people that will appreciate it and grow/learn/get inspired from it.
These objects do NO ONE any good sitting in a folder in my room for years on end. I want this art to go out into the world and inspire! Money? Is not the object. Sharing? Is. The way to go.
It does seem silly to think that we could just give our art to others and share. Certainly, this is not the way to make a living off of art! (Which, btw, I am not. I work 2 jobs already to support myself) I am not doing this for money. If it was all about the money, I would have chosen to do something else with my personal time 12 years ago! I do it for Love. I do art because i can't help myself.

I changed my idea on the commentary.
After discussing this at length with an artist friend, I see so many pitfalls on the commentary idea. I don't want an ego-stroking party. I was hoping for helpful commentary, but if I go this route, you as a user and possible customer now have to turn into an expert, in order to supply a useful comment. That seems bogus. We aren't all experts. We all have feelings, that's different than everyone having art commentary!
I was thinking about putting a $25 price tag on the work....and if you want to buy it, you would need to make a comment as to WHY you want this work. Maybe this would weed out the whole expert/ego thing, and leave the ball strictly in the customers' court. Only their feelings would matter, and that's kind of interesting to me. I could send you my work, knowing that you purposefully picked it out
...because it matched your kitchen color scheme
...because the girl in the artwork looks like your sister
...because you understand my message
...because you simply like it
...because ???

I thought about setting up a scenario whereby through your comment, the most deserved, or the most enthusiastic person would get to own the work. You would have to earn it.

This does seem contest-like. It's almost as tho you would have to convince me you were the one who deserved it the most. I don't like this aspect really, and I am still puzzling over this competitiveness...

This idea is the one I am still ruminating on.

Other things bothering me?
What if....no one wants the work? (that will be public, and I will look like a failure, or like my work isn't worth anything)
What if...3 people want the work, and I pick someone on the merit of their comment, and the other 2 folks get pissed off?
What if...this idea seriously flops. I will be sad, and stuck figuring out still how to distribute this art.

I want the distribution of this art to be a performance art project in itself.
Aaah. That's the root of my problem! I want the distribution of the art to also be creative. No wonder I am having such a tough time!!!

Please bear with me.

Turning the Clearinghouse into a Real Clearinghouse

2011-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

This blog's original goals were:
link sharing
The first reason I started this blog was because I kept finding fascinating webpages about collage and I wanted to keep track of them. I know that we all like surfing, and sharing the things I found seemed like the considerate thing to do. And so Collage Clearinghouse was born. 5 years/682 posts ago.

criticism
I am an inquisitive person, and I love conversation. I love learning. I was hoping to start some online dialogue about the Fine Art of Collage, about these artists and pieces that I profiled. I was interested in conversing with others. So we could grow. We all could grow into something even better. Something the world has never seen. Yet.

art sharing
I do a lot of work. I admit that I was also interested in promoting myself. I figured by starting a community of intellectual, like-minded collage artists, I could learn from others and also share my work. It seemed like a great formula!

I considered these original goals as I recently pondered how to disperse 100's of personal collage works.

How can I get this artwork into the hands of others?
Without making money the objective. Because truly, money ain't everything. Honest.

My first idea was to just give art away. You like it? You can have it. Why not?
This idea has some pitfalls. If I give my art away, this will affect the value of ALL of my work, not just these pieces. I am still an active collagist...and I am still selling work, both online and offline. I don't want to wreak havoc with my own market. Imagine how my friend Janet will feel when she finds out I am giving away pieces almost equal in size and quality to the piece she paid $175 for? It could cause hard feelings. It could also de-value everything I do. Why pay for my work now, when you can wait 10 years till I am sick of storing it and giving it away! My antique dealer fiancé tells me that you set the bar, and then you have to live with it. I don't want people to think my artwork, creativity and time is worth a big zero. Giving it away seems to have inherent issues.
And then there's the shipping! Certainly I can't pay for shipping to give away art. Now that's a serious losing formula.

How about I give away the art? But You pay the shipping?
Well, this does help me a bit! I won't lose cash by being generous.
But it still leaves me with value problems like I mentioned above. My personal market could be seriously affected.

How about Raffles? Contests?
Nope. I am not into using my time to hold contests or raffles. It's too gimmicky. I usually lose on lottery tickets and raffles.

What if I reduce prices so much that just about anyone could afford my art?
(Like a half price deal or something?) And you pay the shipping?
Now I feel I am getting somewhere. I would at least be getting some meager compensation for the work, and not losing money to ship it to you. I like this idea. It's like the fashion designers that are signing up with Target and providing the common man with couture design. I would be selling quality art to the common man, affordably.

How about making this process a bit more interesting? Just putting things up for sale is freaking boring. I would like to get more than just money. I am interested in feedback, remember? Dialogue. Sharing.
And not the "it's beautiful, i love it!" kind of dialogue.
Real dialogue. Real Criticism. Honesty. Feelings.
It's more like "Why did you do this piece in duotone colors? I think a complimentary scheme would lend more feeling." or "I just don't get this piece. wtf were you thinking?" or "I loved this from the first time I saw it. But I don't get it."
How can I reap some other benefits from dispersing this artwork...~~besides just plain old boring cash?~~

How about I put a super cheap price on the art? AND I put it up for sale to one and all thru this very blog? And you comment about it. Write me a paragraph or two of your personal truth. Tell me WHY you want this piece. Tell me the feelings it invokes. Does it remind you of something, someone? Tell me something I don't already know. Earn it. Earn it by participating in dialogue.
In this case, I would get some money for the art, and therefore I am not just giving it away. It might be more like we are trading art for commentary about the art. I wouldn't lose money for shipping. We all would get the conversation, the criticism, the dialogue. It's like a bonus. We all would benefit, especially if even those that didn't want to purchase the piece participated in the dialogue.

Would this work?
I just don't know. I could spend hours posting pieces and get zero response. Or I might be pleasantly surprised. It's a crap shoot.

Am I dreaming?
Probably. But I really have this goal to disperse 100+ works of art. Cheaply. And Soon.

Am I going to do something like this?
Yes. I really am.

It sure would turn Collage Clearinghouse into a literal Clearinghouse!
Things may change just a bit on this blog. I just have to figure out a way to implement this plan.

Ya got any ideas?
We can start this conversation Right Now.

Now What?

2011-01-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Now what?

As you know, I just went thru a huge cleanout of my ephemera and studio. It was a clean sweep! At first I was gingerly picking up each piece of paper and making that decision...keep or throw away. This was insanely tiresome and if I performed this action for every single piece of paper in my vast collection, I would still be sorting the first box. Well, I had about 10 boxes, and 4 bookshelves...so this process might have ended when I was like maybe 90?

This desk has been moved out. but some of the stuff on it remains...

After the first 2 boxes, I got quicker about it. It began to feel like flipping thru magazines. I tore out/kept a few pages, and the rest of the box got dumped. By the time I got to the 6th box, it got ruthless. A quick glance thru the stuff and in the trash it went. I am certain little precious pieces of paper that I have hoarded for maybe a dozen years went in the trash. If we had the time or notion to look thru what I threw away, we would probably have decided to save 1/3 of it and cried over losing the rest of it! What's done is done! I had to get thru it and by the end I was tired of caring about what to keep. Moving on...

After the huge purge, I found myself left with only 2 boxes of stuff to use for future work. In addition to the meager portions I left myself, there's this finished PILE O' WORK that I have done over the last 12 years. And man, it's a HUGE pile! I have been prolific! I have done a lot of growing and experimenting over these years and it's all there in piles of art, in folders, in portfolios, in books and sketchbooks, it's freakin' everywhere! And I am choking on it.

I tend to be a serious freak about saving my art stuff too which doesn't help the situation. I have sketches I did in my 20's. I have watercolors I did in my 30s. I have collages up the wazoo from my 40's. I used to think I was a really talented person, gifted even, but undiscovered. I imagined the days after my death, collectors wanting all my stuff, the good the bad the ugly. I thought about my kids looking thru these folders and filing cabinets and having to decide the value, Or what to do with it all...Crazy? Probably. I am my own art hoarder! It probably isn't healthy and I am a dreamer, tee hee...but my new concern is that my art should be shared, viewed, loved. These pieces are living in the land of misphit toys/art, like in the Rudolph story. It's not fair to them. It's not fair to the world!

I don't have the room for all this art. It may be difficult for you to understand. Imagine 40+ framed works of art in various sizes and shapes, some larger than 30 x 20 inches..... Some are from my first solo show. Some are from the second solo show....or from the craft type fairs I tried earlier in my career. There's a bunch of them. I never felt it made sense to UN-frame them. And so, they are in piles...HUGE piles, protected with old sheets and bubble wrap. It's really quite an ugly pile at this point, since the beautiful imagery is completely covered up with packaging materials and hidden from public view. These things take up a large area, and seriously, it's a dead area. I don't go looking thru this stuff, I don't have another show till this spring...and besides, when I do, I want to show newer work, not stuff I did 10 years ago. What a waste of art! To have these things sitting there collecting woodstove dust.

Then there's the pile of work that never got framed!!! Holy shit! Talk about art....there's an AMAZING amount of work that I hold onto that really I need to deal with. It's out of control. And kinda sad really. Sad that they are sitting unloved. Some pieces are not my favorites, or my best work, and may better be described as experiments. Others are treasures that I seriously loved making and even now when I look at them I swoon, however they just escaped framing. Some are just plain old BIG and never made it to be framed. There's a bit of everything. And it's all bothering me....and taking up space. AND not serving any purpose....like changing someone's opinion, or inspiring someone, or simply pleasing someone by hanging on their wall.

a former mess.....I have these "before" pix. I need an "after" pic!

A lot of it is money. $$$. People are broke! We live in America! It's hard to justify spending money on pretty art to hang on a wall when you have a car payment due, a mortgage, out of control credit cards etc...... I personally don't believe MONEY should ever be a reason that we do without beauty, creativity and inspiration. Honest. Money shouldn't matter. But of course, it seems to drive the bus.

What to do. What to do???
I would love to get these little art pieces, my little children, my creative spawn, out into the world and in the hands of those who may appreciate it, or be inspired by it. It's a problem! I have been thinking of creative ways to do this and I have an idea..... and that's for the next post!

Japanese influence

2011-01-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Steven Specht here...
My good friends Anthony Morgan and Lindsay Bretz came up from Pennsylvania to visit for New Year's. One of their goals was to create a couple of collages from some of the materials they collected while on vacation in Japan last year. In fact, Anthony proposed to Lindsay while they were there!!! They will be using collages to create invitations for their wedding in May (cool idea!). Here are the products of Tony and Lindsay's efforts yesterday. I think they did a GREAT job! Enjoy!

Locust hedgerow-Canajoharie, NY

2011-01-04T05:47:00.001-08:00

Locust hedgerow-Canajoharie, NY
Originally uploaded by misphit

I hate all this text lately on this blog!
We are artists and this text just makes me want to scream. I don't have any collage work yet finished, altho I am in the process of working on a new piece, as I have mentioned previously. Certainly, this mode of operation has slowed down production!!! At least for now, until I figure out where I am headed next.
Meanwhile, until I get something concrete to share visually, feast your eyes on my latest watercolor....which will be the basis of some new collage work, as time permits.
This is the view to the west, from my studio window.

A new Year, A new Attitude

2010-12-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

The studio cleanout is over.
FINALLY!!!
It took forever to go thru boxes and bookshelves of cut up paper! But it is done and at last I sit in a studio with some breathing room. The desktops are even visible.....Okay I lie. 2 of the desktops are visible. I think everything from both of those desks landed on the third one! C'mon! At least I have some surface to work with...
It's a lot like cleaning the kitchen. As soon as I get the dishes done, the counters clean, the floor swept I sit back and look at this gleaming area like a predator. Almost immediately I will want to bake bread, make cookies, or make a crazy intense spaghetti sauce or anything messy! I think my internal sense just can't stand empty areas. (right Steven? remember the encaustic class, with all that bark and stuff all over my table and surrounding tables and floor?)
In the studio it's the same deal! Whhooppee!! Beautiful empty Table tops just begging to be messed up.
Here comes larger pieces of paper and all the watercolor gear! I can tell you the table is NOT clear this morning....
It's all good. It's a catalyst for big new work. I am excited again about my craft.

I am also dumbfounded.
After the watercolor gear came out, I attempted a collage work that has been wallowing in my brain for 2 weeks. I was surprised to find myself quite paralyzed! Where IS everything? My normal mode has been discontinued, disrupted and it's extinct.
I decided to do collage on top of the previously mentioned watercolor. I picked up some of the remaining ephemera I did keep and found a ladies face...I imagined her riding a glorious ice sled across the frozen creek in my watercolor. Cool, lets collage this. I cut out the lady and placed her on the watercolor.
Snarl.
Time for change. I said to myself. I really want to raise the bar. I don't want to just cut out heads to paste. This is work.

Search Fearlessly: collage graffiti from the Dusty Loft, my former studio

I grabbed the watercolors again and began painting 4 little faces, modeling them on the ephemera lady I just found. One of them came out decent. I will cut and paste her and use her instead.
I have a problem with this tho. The texture of the watercolor paper for the background is the exact same texture as the lady face I just painted. When I cut her out and put her into the picture, well...she....just looks weird to me. I am a texture head!! I need to see a contrast. I think the answer is to laser copy and/or inkjet print these things of mine and use the duplicates. The laser will give me a sheen, and paper with no grain. The inkjet will allow me to fade it , or bleed it. Texture! I need texture!

This is one of the new problems I face as I try to generate more of my ephemera on my own and work to a new level. I really am a master of texture. With all this painting, it just seems lacking.

For now at least. In time, I may find new work flows, new techniques! How about monoprints? or silk screen patterns? or transfers.....?
Search Fearlessly.

I am ready to put 2010 and it's workflow to rest. What are you going to do this year?
Happy New Year, dear reader! I wish you a year of creativity. A year of new ideas, new techniques, new inspiration!
Let us ALL take our art to a new level and give the future some history to crow about!

Pietmond

2010-12-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

ME/Stefanija....looking like I want to sit down on this couch in front of my work.
I just had to figure out how to do it first....

There's a lot of info here and I shall share as best as I can!

Ya wanna check it out? First place to stop?
Mark's blog! He has a couple of posts that explain the gallery.
Post 1 and Post 2

The gallery wall!

Crazy right? My art all framed and huge on the walls!

Mark has also sent me this info about the gallery and his philosophy:

The Pietmond Art Crawl galleries — Norum, SoSo West, SoSo East, Something To CHRO About, and the Tower of TILE — are small, closely packed exhibit spaces within the Second Life mainland village of Pietmond, a burg of my own creation. Featured art focuses on collage media, but also includes photography and non-collage abstraction. The village itself is a type of collage of various buildings and objects I’ve accumulated and then fiddled around with over my 3 years of existence within that virtual reality. Most are also freebie objects/structure.
I do not charge artists for exhibit space, and all of Pietmond’s current exhibitors, myself excluded, are not that familiar with Second Life. So I set up the space, create the virtually physical artwork, and do some limited inworld promotion through various, established art groups such as Art and Artist’s Network and SL Art Collectors.
Good website on how to set up your own SL art gallery is here:
http://www.squidoo.com/SecondLifeArtists
Each of the art pieces found in the Pietmond Art Crawl galleries can be purchased inworld for approx. 200-300 Linden dollars, which may sound like a lot but is really the equivalent of 1 or 2 “Real Life” US dollars. The artwork is created by, first, uploading earmarked picture textures to SL for the cost of a few cents apiece (and, of course, with permission from the creating artists), then mounting them on building blocks known as prims, short for primitives. In my own galleries a picture is usually made up of a single prim, but Second Life artworks can be composed of several and perhaps many such building blocks, sometimes imbedded with complex programming scripts as well. A great blog archive on the enormous potential of virtual art, geared specifically toward Second Life, is here:
Not Possible in Real Life:

http://npirl.blogspot.com/

He writes:: "I’m not a newbie in SL, but neither am I that old either, virtually speaking, in comparison to some. Second Life has been around since 2003, with perhaps a peak interest in it, from an outside world perspective, coming in 2007."

Thanks thanx txxxx Mark for all this cool stuff!! Happy holidays!

My second trip into Second Life

2010-12-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

How can I even begin to explain my latest news? It's like a puzzle, these thoughts of mine. These events.

Awhile back, I did a post about a swarthy Second Life collagist named Mark Brittain. He was doing collage in the virtual world and I was fascinated by the concept. I was also far removed from the idea, as I stuck to my studio table like glue (no pun intended!). Over this busy last month and even longer, Mark has silently been behind the scenes working on a Second Life gallery. He saw my work here on the blog and liked it, and wanted to feature me in his virtual gallery. And recently he sent me screen shots of what was to be my first gallery opening>> online. In Second Life.
How exciting! He sent me links to the gallery as he worked on it and I am really quite tickled. It is an overwhelming experience to see your work on the walls of a gallery, pasted there larger than life (literally!), even digitally.

Have you ever read The Secret? or seen the movie, or perhaps saw the Oprah show that featured it? I watched the movie and it brings forth the concept that our mental thoughts are the catalyst for real things to occur. I have always believed strongly in the strength of our thoughts, and if you need more proof that our thoughts rule the world, just read up on quantum physics for awhile! In seeing these images on a virtual wall, my mind is capable of experiencing in a microcosm the feeling of what it would be like in the macrocosm of reality. I see my work on the wall, I beam with pride. It doesn't seem to affect my inner excitement much whether these images are on my computer screen and shown on a gallery wall within it, or on a real wall. Since lately I am moving towards some digital work, this all seem so appropriate. It's like a sort of digital initiation. It's so full of karma. Experiencing things in ones mind is the first step to experiencing in reality. I believe this is true.

I enter the world of Pietmond, the village that the virtual gallery is located in on Second Life. My clutziness within the SL environment was really hysterical. Upon finding my way to the gallery, I was unable to negotiate the different floors, and I used all sorts of key commands that had me quite literally falling on the digital floor! I was compelled to see the work that Mark did, live within Second Life. I am still seriously unfamiliar with the program's environment and the nuances of having a character. But yet, I found myself standing there in the gallery, attempting to purchase my own work!! I need Lindens...which it seems you must pay for. It's cheap to buy these lindens, and my art is uber cheap so I will be going back in the game to attempt this again. It's really quite upside down!!

To Marks' credit, he has worked very hard on several of these galleries and I am really amazed at the dedication and the creativity required to do this. He has written me many times and sent me progress reports, info on how to play Second Life, links, blog posts, pictures...he's been really enthusiastic, and I thrive on that. I am not certain what is ahead for me as far as Second Life is concerned. I am certain that for me it's another road sign on the path that I am taking my collage work.

In my next post, I will share some of this cool stuff with you!

Happy Cleaned Out Holiday!

2010-12-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

I've been quiet the past two weeks here on the clearinghouse. It's holiday time, and I am not exempt from the heapload of elf work that must be done. Buying gifts, wrapping gifts, sending gifts....it's a CHORE that cuts into my creative time. My SUNY class just ended and I have a month off from the second job, along with some days off from the day job. This will help me find time for those creative moments.

Although I have not been at the studio table, there's been a lot of really cool things going on. I'm STILL going thru the grueling process of going thru the ephemera in my studio. UGH and double ugh. how long will this process last!!!??? I finally went thru my laser copies (which I have been hoarding for at least 7 years). Most of this stuff is imagery that I culled before I met Chris and fell in love with an antique dealer who supplies me with endless vintage stuff. I don't use copies anymore, and there was an entire trunkfuI had to go through. Any copies of my own photos I kept, which came to probably 15 pieces of paper. The rest? Woodstove fodder!! I moved the huge 1950's graphic table out and it's off for sale at the antique store. I emptied 2 bookcases and they are just waiting to be filled with new stuff! My piano keyboard is set up, synthesizer program loaded on the laptop, and I have a nice clean desk to use for my computer exploits.
I was explaining to Chris how my work HAS to change. I have thrown away a good portion of material. This will force me to find new things to use...and therefore my work will change. It's logic. The new space also affords me a place to paint, something which I am trying to engage more in my new work. I don't know where it all leads, but this cleanout seemed appropriate and most timely. I am ready for the New Mode.
And I am happy about it. I am glad I chose this time of year to do this massive cleanout, since i am already busy doing Christmas stuff, and personal time is hard to find anyhow.

Wherever you may find yourself this holiday, whether it be in the middle of your own personal art studio mess, or in the living room with only a pad and pencil, may you find a creative moment this season!
Happy Holidays everyone!

old stencil on barn door: it's gone now, but my happy memory remains!

"Nothing left to do"

2010-12-14T15:04:00.001-08:00

Steve Specht here...
This is my latest piece. I have a bit to say about it; but not right now. I want to post this and will "discuss" it in an upcoming post soon. Enjoy!

Limestone Art Gallery (Fayetteville, NY)

2010-12-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
The opening of the exhibit at the Limestone Gallery in Fayetteville was really nice last night. We went to see the assemblage/box works of Jim Ridlon specifically, but were very pleased to be introduced to the intriguing works of Darryl Furtkamp from New Hampshire. And both artists are really nice to converse with too! So here are some nice examples of the works that can be seen there. Enjoy!

the upheaval

2010-12-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

I can't explain what is happening. you know, I am just documenting it. I have been busy with all that holiday prep crap that has to go down this time of year, but in the background there is a huge upheaval going on that I thought I should share with you.

I started throwing everything away.
Well, actually first it started with a new computer. I replaced my desktop computer with a laptop. I have not copied my usual 200+ GB of files to it. Instead, I started purging and emptying trash. Made some CDs and DVDs. Archived.
I began with computer scans of art. Art that literally already sits in boxes and folders on the perimeter of my studio. I have the art. Do I need the scans? no. Empty trash.
Then came my boxes of ephemera. I was judicious. I was relentless. I managed to turn 7 boxes of pre-cut, already sampled imagery into 2. Hello garbage bags.
Then it was the bookshelf. Out of 5 shelves of resource books that I used for collage, only 1 remains....and it's full of empty journals. The rest, off to the recycling trailer at my day job. I was ruthless. It felt good.

It's all symbolic you know. In order to do NEW Work, I need to start fresh. I have to. I never did understand artists that destroyed their work, but I need to change the habitual way I do art and maybe they had a point. It spills over into my "other" life> as I clean thru closets and drawers of memories and sentiment. Clothes, jewelry....it's like a disease.

I still have pockets of art hoarding that I am removing....like the email box!! And the bookshelf packed with umpteen The Conservationist past issues. And the trunk that is completely stuffed with laser prints of images that I HAD to have over the past 12 years, images that now sit forgotten in that very trunk for 4 years without being touched. They are like a boat anchor. They need to go.
Also, The filing cabinet, with all kinds of previous correspondence and such>> that project I save for after the holidays. And all that art. This finished art is another project for the coming year. Distribution. I need to get this art into art lovers' hands....and clear the way for this BIG THING that seems to be brewing inside of me.
I have thrown away no tools. No paints, no pencils. This is where shall I begin. again.

brain fabric art

2010-12-03T05:25:00.001-08:00

Wow... if you're interested in fabric art, be sure to check out this site: http://harbaugh.uoregon.edu/Brain/index.htm

inadvertent high tech "find"

2010-12-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
I went to an opening reception of a great exhibit at Utica College of Dick Morrill's artwork. The gallery is experimenting with some high-tech system using bar-code technology as information portals to the web. By each piece of artwork is a two-dimensional bar code like the one show here. You "aim" your iPhone or Droid at the barcode (with the relevant free app of course) and viola, it takes you to a website with more information about the painting. So I spoke with one of our computer science faculty who had been involved with the project and he set me up with my own barcode. If you have a high-tech phone, point at this bar code and see what comes up ;-) Are you interested in one Julie?

"You may be our only chance"

2010-11-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

Steve Specht here...
I forgot that I wanted to entitle this piece "You may be our only hope"... I like "hope" better than "chance". Regardless, this piece will be on exhibit at Sculpture Space for their holiday show beginning next Monday (Dec. 6th) at 5:30. Enjoy!