Working in acrylic paint to print with recycled plastic bags onto standard 110gm cartridge paper – not bad for a first effort. I want texture and line in my work, that’s a given, so this pleases me, but it’s only a start. The process can be frustrating, but hey, it’s a learning.
A Day with the Beeart Man
Recently we took a short road trip to visit Ron Hall – ronhall.co.nz who assembles composite 3D art pieces out of recycled beehives. Such time- consuming and dirty work, and skill involved to produce the mostly abstract assemblages, which are a celebration of “the unexpected beauty and cultural traces, that are found in industrial waste.”
Ron gave us several hours of his time. Our visit coincided with him having finished a large number of pieces for an upcoming one-man exhibition in Wellington New Zealand. We toured his large workspace, which ranged over two levels. Lots of room, plenty of light and untold areas filled with machinery for grinding, cutting and welding. A gloriously dirty place where highly structured objects are made.
I do enjoy the look of plenty of texture which in this case is a natural by product of the many layers of repaint that have occurred over time.
Thank you Ron for an informative, enjoyable and fun day out.
Looking for Inspiration in a New Year
a hot, muggy afternoon, doodling in the “studio” wanting to find some inspiration for my next series. On the floor, canvases and boards which have already had a life, waiting there for a new one. My inner artists says “paint what YOU want”, but my sensible voice is saying ” what do you have to say”.
there’s two lines of thought at play here. Do I carry on making new pieces on fresh supports (canvas or board), or do I remake the old ones, cover over what is not pleasing, and carry on. It’s a while since I sold anything, but then again I don’t have my work on show in many places. Last year 2018, I had two serious showings which I worked towards by making pieces for a new series called Waste Not Wanted. These were mainly smallish abstract works on canvas, with a 3 dimensional effect from recycled cardboard.
There are not many opportunities to put work in front of the public unless you go down the facebook or instagram path. I will be taking part in a showing at the end of January when there are 5 artists from Unlimited Palette, in 3 studios, open to friends and family. I have made a couple of new small works for this event, and expect to make a few more. Mainly I am hoping to find the inspiration to carry on making the art that pleases me and also the people who get to see it.
my toolkit is open and ready…………………….