Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Dug For A Dream


Beck is by far one of my favourite recording artists.  I love his lyrics and wanted to include some in an art piece.  "These withered hands have dug for a dream, sifted through sand and leftover nightmares" is from his song  Dead Melodies off his Mutations album.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

In The Red



I just finished this piece last night... 
It's a  bit of a response to the current economic climate, along with the added stress and financial strain of the holiday season; albeit a very extreme response.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Focus


I created this piece in 2009, but since it's 6 x 6, I thought it would be perfect to add to the project.

I acquired a shoebox full of vintage photographs a few years ago and this little guy was in there.  I think of it as a box of lost souls, I don't know who they are or what their stories are, but I hope to make it to the bottom of the box someday, having assigned a little piece of memory or story to them all.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Headline In A Can


I'm a big fan of street art, specifically awesome stencil art from the likes of Jef AĆ©rosol, VHILS, Shepard Fairey and Banksy.  I've always wanted to try my hand at using stencils and spray paint, so this was a bit of an experiment.  I found the gun image online and cut out a stencil onto acetate. 
I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not quite done...although I'm not sure what else it needs...something.  I might go back to it in a month or two...but for now I'll set it to the side near the done pile.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Complicated Man



This gentleman was another great flea market find.  Dig that beard...pretty serious!
Some of the other elements are from an old 'American Electrician's Handbook' circa 1953 and a book of 'Standard Mathematical Tables' from 1964.  Also some scraps from a Russian newspaper that came as cushioning for an ebay purchase.   I love collecting random things and combining them.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Manufactured Affection


We seem to have two visual ideas of the heart; the anatomical and the classic heart symbol.  I've always preferred the anatomical, but I wanted to have both represented in this piece.

Friday, November 5, 2010

One Down, A Million To Go

Today I completed my first 6 x 6 panel:


I love this little guy.  I came across an old photograph of him at a flea market and I seem to use him in a lot of pieces.  He's my vintage go-to-guy.  I wish I knew who he was... but I guess part of the fun of looking at him is that I don't know.  He's a clean slate...you can apply your own opinion about where he's from, what he's thinking and what his story is.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Getting Started

Instead of buying a bunch of 6 x 6 canvases I decided to go the panel route.  I purchased a piece of MDF for under $8 and was able to cut out 25-30 panels.  Not only are panels extremely economical, but I love how sturdy and durable they are.


I'm excited to begin...so many possibilities. 
Sometimes I have a hard time getting started.  A big blank canvas can be intimidating...but these small panels seem more manageable;  like I can try anything and just experiment. 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

New York City In 6 x 6 Inches

On a recent trip to New York City, I found my latest inspiration.  While exploring Greenwich Village, I wandered across the Charmingwall Gallery (http://store.6x6gallery.com/) and witnessed their  6 x 6 Project.  They had the brilliant idea to each month, exhibit a new collection of original art; each and every piece on a six inch square canvas.

"This small and consistent size allows the gallery to show the works of a large and diverse group of artists every month.  It also allows collectors the opportunity to curate their own selection of artwork at an identical size that will look great when hung together."
The site of the gallery's white wall covered in a myriad of 6 x 6 works really captured my imagination.  The canvas size was the only thing they had in common; each had it's own style and technique; but were united as an overall work of art.  Every time I would look at the wall I focused on a different piece and saw something different.




For $20 you can buy one of their 6 x 6 canvases and when you've completed your masterpiece, submit it, set the price and have it hang in the gallery for 1 month.  I absolutely love this idea!  I wish I had known about it before my trip and could have participated, hand delivering a few pieces to the gallery.  Unfortunately their 6x6 project wraps up at the end of this month.

I think the 6 x 6 project would make an awesome community art project.  I would love to gather works from all different artists in my area (or all over the world for that matter) and display them.  Alas, I have no gallery.
What I can do is take the same idea onto a wall in my home....a huge art piece made up of 6 x 6 canvases, one that can constantly change and stay interesting.

So I've started working on my own 6 x 6 project.  Hopefully in the future I can add other artists and do something larger with it, but in the meantime, I'll start producing my own collection.  And I'll post my progress here.....