DisCo DisCovery

In January of this year I put a call out on my blog to other artists to join an online project called the Disintegration Collaboration (DisCo). The idea was simple: create an artistic bundle made from materials of their own choosing and “hang, bury, submerge, or just place” the bundle in the elements. This collaboration was to be with the ultimate partner…Mother Nature herself!

A little background for you. The impact of time on both nature (think the budding and blooming of a plant) and man-made objects (think the rusting of a metal washer dropped in the street) has always been fascinating for me. In my mind, there is intrinsic beauty in evolution, in change, and even in decay. I am far from the first person to do something like this, but I thought it would be interesting to apply this natural process to art.

Symbolically, I feel that aging, disintegration, and decay are natural parts of evolution which create something of value and are not necessarily endings, or things to be discarded or dismissed. To me this relates to our own aging, to the value of recycling and repurposing, and to the recognition of the beauty of weathered and distressed objects – be they a rusty fence, a wall with peeling paint, or ourselves!

PART ONE
123 artists answered the original call and posted photographs of their bundles on their blogs. You can click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here to be taken to previous posts on my blog that showcase many of the bundles.

Here are just a few examples:




PART TWO
Bundles of every imaginable material, shape, and color were hung, tied, buried, and submerged all around the world. Nature worked her magic with snow, rain, hail, sun, wind, earth, fire, and water - interacting with and disintegrating bundles of bundles. We all watched and waited. On May 1, participating artists began to retrieve their bundles to see the impact of nature. For some it was subtle. For some it was dramatic. And for some, their bundle was gone, either through nature's hands of human hands. In the end, 96 artists posted their "after" pictures. The links to each one can be found on the sidebar of my blog under the Disintegration icon.

Here are just a few examples:




PART THREE
But there was more. As a means of symbolically reflecting the re-creation that often follows dis-integration in nature, all artists were asked to create a new artwork using some or all of the disintegrated materials from their bundles. And today is the start of the reveal! Their ultimate creations are as varied and exciting as their original bundles.

As artists post their artwork, I will add links below. Click on each link to be taken to their post and feel free to leave a comment so they know you visited. If you are a blogger who has posted their artwork and you do not find your name on the list, please email me so I can add your link. Please note that soon these links will be transferred to the sidebar of my blog and will always be easily accessible!

Sun Soul Art Thoughts 08/01/09
LaWendeltreppe 08/01/09
Debrina's Diary 08/01/09
opening connecting 08/01/09
Lani Puppetmaker's Blog Spot 08/01/09
Jazzgoil Ink 08/01/09
Memories of Mine to Thine 08/01/09
Second Nature 08/01/09
Art Propelled 08/01/09
Ink Haven 08/01/09
Just a Note 08/01/09
Cinnamon Studio 08/01/09
Altered Book Lover - Part 1 08/01/09
Altered Book Lover - Part 2 08/01/09
Marianne's Art Blog 08/01/09
Lucky Dip 08/01/09
4 Rooms and the Moon 08/01/09
Truly Spacious 08/01/09
Caroline at Coastcard 08/01/09
theresa mARTin 08/01/09
BT - The Crafty Gardener 08/01/09
Fran Meneley 08/01/09
Christine Marie Art 08/01/09
Found Memories Art 08/01/09
Papieren Avonturen 08/01/09
n2theblue 08/01/09
Expression Studio 08/01/09
Pentamento 08/01/09
Fully Flummoxed - Part 1 08/01/09
The Land of Lost Luggage 08/01/09
The Weaver of Grass 08/01/09
Where I talk about Art 08/01/09
Gillian McMurray 08/01/09
Art in Redwagons 08/01/09
POGA Art 08/01/09
Mick Mathers Art Blog 08/01/09
Beelieve 08/01/09
Lynn - Getting my Feet Wet 08/01/09
Corrine's Altered Art 08/01/09
Magpie's Nest 08/01/09
Primfixins 08/01/09
One Day at a Time 08/01/09
JazWorks 08/01/09
Creative Rebel Gal 08/01/09
Rodrigvitz Style 08/01/09
Hermine's Place 08/01/09
This I Didn't Know 08/01/09

Be...Dream...Play... 08/02/09
Ruth Rae/Judy Wilkenfeld 08/02/09
River Garden Studio 08/02/09
Rosa & Josie's 08/02/09

Artisticaneum 08/03/09
Altered Bits 08/03/09
Creatively Anew 08/03/09
Fully Flummoxed - Part 2 08/03/09

Dryadart's Weblog 08/05/09

In the Name of Art 08/06/09

Two Dresses Studio 08/07/09
Art-ticulation 08/07/09

Artfully Ooglebloops 08/10/09

World of Joy 08/14/09

Stamping Rika 08/15/09

The Artful Eye 08/17/09

Bohemian Caravan 08/24/09

Artsortments 08/26/09

Writing from Life 08/27/09

Ro Bruhn 09/01/09

Mixed Media 09/08/09

While the initial plan was to have all artists post on August 1, many of the participants (including myself)will be posting later in the month instead. Please check back often to see the updated list. As you can see, I have included the date I added each link to the list so that it is easier to track which blogs you still need to visit.

Enjoy! And thank you to everybody involved!

Destination Disintegration

****************The Reveal - 08-01-09****************

What Inspires

Pat from The Weaver of Grass is hosting Inspiration Wednesday today. Paticipants are posting about what is inspiring to them. According to Pat "your inspiration can be picture or painter, poem or poet, animal or bird, book or author, teacher, relative, friend, statesman, absolutely anything that "turns you on" artistically or otherwise." Click here to be taken to the list of participants. Yes!! More blogs to visit!!

For me, inspiration comes in many forms. From objects. From experiences. From memories. From concepts. From people. From places.

I can be inspired by...

Light


Simplicity


Serendipity


Time


The Sea


The Sky


Nature's Wonders


Challenge


Color


New York City


Rust


Hope


Majesty


Graffiti


Texture


Mystery


Other Artists and Bloggers

The Missing Link(s)

Couldn't resist choosing this title for this post!! I want to thank everybody who made the Buried Treasure online collaboration such a success. I keep hearing that people are still trying to catch up with all the links. I think both the bloggers who posted and the readers who were treated to so many "best of posts" all got to take away something special from this project. So advance notice...come back next year when we will do it all again.

Meanwhile, a number of links were inadvertently left out of the original list. They have since been added but I want to highlight them here so everybody has a chance to see their favorites!



not all those who wander are lost
Marit's Scrapworld
Dog in the Hole Studio
Table by a Window
Coconutannies
A New York Magpie's Eye
Altered Attic
Linsart Creations in Clay
Altered Bits

Studio Tour

Okay. I know that two days of Buried Treasure in one week and over 140 posts to explore have kept a lot of people in their chairs, out of their studio, and maybe even out of the office! That being said and understood, I still feel compelled to tell you about another online collaborative project I happened upon that may mean you will not leave the computer until August, at the earliest!




I found out from Kathryn of KV Creative Designs that Karen Valentine from My Desert Cottage is sponsoring an event called Where Bloggers Create. Participants are posting videos, pictures, and/or descriptions of their studio spaces. And who doesn't want to be invited into the very places where the magic happens.




You can read more about it in this post here but you will really want to head to Karen's sidebar and click on the more than 135 links to see the posts. Just don't forget to eat! And have a good weekend.

Buried Treasure - Revisited

Digging for gold! Again! This post is my contribution to the second round of the Buried Treasure collaboration. Links to each and every participating artist can be found in the previous post on my blog.

It is all about layers. I wanted to Dig Deeper for my second Buried Treasure post. On the surface, my blog highlights my mixed media artwork. But if you look a little further, you will find posts spotlighting my photography, poetry, drawing, travel adventures, and the like. Look just a little bit deeper, and you will find posts about other artists, other blogs, and links I love. It is all about layers.

In my first Buried Treasure post, I focused on my mixed media artwork. In this "re=post" I have captured some of my favorite things from previous posts that focus on everything else! There are links to follow, videos to watch, and images to enlarge. Happy hunting!

Favorite Window:


Favorite Original Poem:

After the Storm

When the thunder ends and the rain stops falling
When the sea is calm and the birds start calling
The clouds will part like a curtain drawing
Promise of an open door

When the air is clear and the wind stops blowing
The sun reappears and the earth starts glowing
A light so strong as if all knowing
Sense of wonder to explore

In that window, in that time
A clearing of a cluttered mind
A ray of hope, it all takes form
In that moment, after the storm

Favorite Photography Series:

Coastal Waters
Shot in Tofino on Vancouver Island





Favorite Street Art:

Mixed media(!) graffiti from Greece


Favorite Drawing:

Drawn in my course with Danny Gregory on the first day of class



Favorite You Tube Video:
Bouncy Balls - all real, no special effects


Favorite Book Project - no binding necessary:

Book Bundles





Thank you all for going on this treasure hunt with me!

Treasure Map

Welcome to Buried Treasure - Round 2: an online, collaborative project that invites art bloggers to go into the depths of their blogs and dig for buried treasure. Each participant was asked to repost one (or more) or their favorite posts from their own blog. There are so many brilliant artists out there but so little time to explore all their work fully. This gives us all an opportunity to see highlights from posts we may have missed along the way!

Click on the links below to go to the blogs of the participants. As I catch up with all the posts one by one, the links will be updated to take you directly to the repost. If you are a blogger who has gone digging for gold and you do not find your name on the list, please email me and I will add your link. Please note that soon these links will be transferred to the sidebar of my blog and will always be easily accessible!

Thanks go out to all the participants and to each and every person viewing these posts. Don't forget to leave your comments. And have the best time on your treasure hunt!!

Every Life Has a Story
Sun Soul Art Thoughts
3rd Eye Muse
Textures Shapes and Colors
Working Projects
Cetta Cheese Chatter
Merlin's Musings
This Disordered Life
Studio Sylvia
Art Propelled
Old Paper Art
Artful Adventures
Rosemoo's Blog
Artfully Ooglebloops
Mick Mathers Art Blog
Art at the Speed of Life
tiny gold crowns
Billie's Craft Room
heARTwork by Cecilia
Tumble Fish Studio
Remnants of Olde
Jennifer Lorton
Cinnamon Studio
Altered (T)art and Stuff
Expression Studio
Magpie's Nest
Lani Puppetmaker's Blog Spot
One Day at a Time
Queen of Arts
marilyn grad functional art blog
Swallowcliff's Art from the Kingdom of Sigh
Altered Book Lover
ragtags studio central
Jude's Art Blog
Collage Contessa
La Dolce Vita
Be...Dream...Play
Lost Coast Post
Beyond Words
Lumilyon
Of Stars and Hummingbirds
'Surfacing' Art Journal
Deb Did It - Post #1
Deb Did It - Post #2
Debbie Overton Designs
MMCA Marketplace
How Cool is That
Ruminations, Rambles, Reflexions
Joanna's Blog
Junky Trinkets
not all those who wander are lost
Marit's Scrapworld
Dog in the Hole Studio
Table by a Window
Coconutannies
A New York Magpie's Eye
Altered Attic
Linsart Creations in Clay
One Day at a Time
Altered Bits
The Altered Page

Leaps and Bounds

Bound (bound): 1. To leap!


Ingredients: watercolor paper, altered paper, found paper, handmade paper, vintage letter, vintage dictionary text, acrylic paint, pigment ink, dye ink, wax pastels, colored pencil. approximately 3 1/4" x 4 1/4". click to enlarge.

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Sold. Thank you!

Digging Deeper

I want to thank everybody who was a part of Buried Treasure: both the bloggers who re-posted their personal favorites and all those art lovers who continue to log on, link in, and leave comments.

The feedback I received so far has been so positive. The first group I heard from were blog readers who enjoyed both being introduced to new artists and seeing previously missed posts from their favorite bloggers. The second group I heard from were participating bloggers, many of whom found this process to be unexpectedly insightful and memorable. Many artists, including myself, said that the process of looking through their older posts helped them to recognize distinct changes in their artistic style, direction, and maturity. The third group I heard from were bloggers who had missed the original call for collaborative participants. They were not as happy. But to these people and to all others I say...

DIG DEEPER! I have decided to extend this collaboration for one more round. On Thursday July 23, there will be one more opportunity for you to re-post a favorite blog post as part of the Buried Treasure collaboration. Everybody is welcome to participate -- those who missed the first go round and those who have already re-posted but have just one more post they want to highlight. Please leave a comment on this post or email me by Tuesday July 21 if you would like to participate. Then on July 23, I will post a list of all participating artists and their links. Hope to see as many collaborators as possible!!

What Goes Around Comes Around

Digging for gold! This post is my contribution to the Buried Treasure collaboration. Links to each and every participating artist can be found in the previous post on my blog.




My post for the Buried Treasure collaboration is a modification of a blog post from early 2008. There are several reasons why I chose this particular artwork to highlight again. The text from my original blog post reads as follows:

"Revolution -- The act of revolving or turning round on an axis...a far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behavior...a cycle of events in time...the motion of an object round a fixed point or line. This revolution is complete. I have enjoyed the challenge of working on such small canvases (3 1/2" x 2 1/2") and in a way that is new for me -- quickly and with limited evaluation along the way. Art imitates life. Some of the pieces focused on very specific ideas, emotions, or issues. Some were not preplanned but rather were driven by the materials used and evolved in the making. All represent a personal revolution in my thinking about art in general and my own personal process of creating in particular. Each is a piece of me."






Now that some time has passed since I created Revolution, I do see this artwork as the start of a significant change in my approach to art and in my own view of myself as an artist. More layered. More textured. More intuitive. More personal. And this project was about experimentation. And play. And stretching myself. And exploring. And expressing. And isn't that what art is all about!






























"You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right"