more on inspiration (not "moron inspiration")

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

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!

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!

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Edgey

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"?

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

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

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

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)

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

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

 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"

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

WAY too long!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!