This week's IF prompt, WIDE, immediately had me humming Tom Petty's Into the Great Wide Open. I also spent Monday at the Museum of Fine Arts taking part two of The Grand Tour: Sharing the Museum with Children class. While there I looked at a fabulous collage that was by an artist named Catherine McCartney (I think--I'll have to go back and check it out) The piece was a statement about being anything you want to be. It was just fabulous! Fabulous! Fabulous!
This piece is in an old Crystallized Ginger tin that was "packed for the S.S. Pierce Company" which happens to be a local Brookline name. Hence the reason I originally bought the tin. I wanted to make a piece with a door opening and at first I was going to try and actually build a door with dollhouse components but I didn't want to wait until I could get to the store. The tin is gessoed in black and the left side (the lid) is written on in a few different pens and inks and then was embossed to give some dimension and depth to the writing. The right side is a doorway to the future. I want my girls to aim for that opening as I have. The buildings are both city and country dwelings. I feel we can only make good decisions and choices when we are presented with all (or many) of the options. If we never see what we might become--can we ever know to try?
I love the idea of an assemblage illustration like this and I'm thinking of exploring this further. What are your thoughts??
8 comments:
I really like the textures and almost hidden text...pieces like this aren't done justice by pics because you want to sneak a feel!!! And artists always appreciate people having their grubby hands all over their work...I liked your idea with incorporating more 3D elements. I think this would serve well as a backdrop...but rather than going to a store and buying items it seems like it would fit more with your theme if you went to a junkyard and 'made' your house (or whatever 3D element you would be representing) out of found items...
And you were right about the artist hole...It is a losing battle at times trying to get artists to see that they need to be able to do different styles and push themselves to grow. Public Ed art classes usually see gifted students and then shove them in a corner because 'they are going to be okay'. I've tried to go the opposite direction with that...my biggest fight has been with students that come into the class thinking it is any easy grade and they don't like being held accountable for growing. If a student comes in and stinks and they don't make an effort to grow they don't make it...if a student comes in with solid 'talent' they get pushed to actually become something other than the guy or gal that only wants to draw fuzzy kittens....and let me tell you what a fight that is...
I agree with Brine. I wish I could hold it to really enjoy the work you've put into this.
I love the juxtaposition of city vs. country dwellings, having lived in both and appreciating the differences.
I was lucky to have had a couple of wonderful art teachers as a kid. One of them ( a Massachusetts guy :) ) knew I'd go on to do something with my art. One day my husband mentioned he was writing a story about a Brockton art school teacher and I jumped for joy because it was him! My husband told him what a wonderful influence he had on me. Sometimes teachers need to hear those exact words. We all do :)
Very nice entry!
Jenn, congratulations, your work have such a strong impact. really nice composition and interpretation!
I really enjoyed stopping by your blog! This is fantastic work you do!!! Very talented with a fresh approach!
Thanks Brine--keep up the good fight. I think, even as a public ed art student, I could realize the value of your comments. My teacher, Mr. H, definitely had his hands full with 75% of the class who were taking the easy grade. But he also encourage the handful of us who wanted to do more. We did some lost-wax process jewelry, tons of drawing and painting, etc. I also had a great junior high teacher who taught us the art of etching metal and making jewelry.
Lolo, would love the name of the book you mentioned...was it fiction or non-fiction?
Thanks also for your comments Rui and Ellen. I love doing IF if for no other reason than interacting with others like you! (It gets so "creatively" lonely in my studio)
Wonderful detail. You are so right, we must show our children (and grandchildren) where they could go and what they could be and present choices so that they can explore and define themselves in many different ways. I love how you took the IF theme and made it your own and presented it in a unique format. Now where did My door go? I think I'll take a stroll and look for it!
Tess
Your lovely and thoughtful work deserves all the attention given to it by your fellow artists. As a beginner, it makes me want to run out and do nothing but mixed media from now on. I do love making things, so I think we can say you've inspired me. Also thanks to the others for the tutorials!
The home-grown aspect of this piece is what is especially exciting to me about this piece (though it is lovely anyhow). Would love to know where the company was in town! Your ties to home and now to this town probably help you from deep within when creating something like this...it shows!
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