Collaborative glimpses and ations

So far 2008 has been all about collaboration. I have been busy working on a number of collaborative projects that I have recently started and have plans to embark on additional ones later in the year. To me these projects bring about a sense of excitation...there is always anticipation when waiting to receive the most recent work that your partner has completed and to see how the project has evolved...there is constant creation going on as the project changes and evolves with each mailing...there is hesitation when working on someone else's artwork, not always being sure if they will appreciate your addition...there is motivation to do your best work since you are contributing to your partner's vision...there is constant visual stimulation to be had in being able to repeatedly see and touch another artist's creations...and there are always high expectations regarding the outcome of the project and the completed piece.

So now for the presentation. Here are a few glimpses of some of the work I have recently completed in several different collaborative projects. As always, click to enlarge.













Here are some glimpses of the amazing pages started or added to by Sarah in my nature journal:

Billboard Two

Second page and detail from Billboard, my mixed media book inspired by old, distressed, and layered billboards.





Ingredients: altered paper, ephemera, acrylic paint, altered photograph, dry transfer, pigment and dye ink, pen. 6 1/2" x 3 1/4". Please click image to enlarge.

Billboard One

Now that I have completed Revolution, I have begun a new project: a book I am calling Billboard. It is loosely inspired by both the shape and the visuals of discarded billboards...with layers of old advertising, overlapping colors and papers, bits of text popping through, etc. Here is page one and a detail:






Ingredients: altered paper, ephemera, acrylic paint,dry transfer, pigment and dye ink, electrical tape, pen, sharpie. 6 1/2" x 3 1/4". Please click image to enlarge.

New York City Art Tour - Part 5

Sometimes the stores in New York City rival the city's museums and galleries for artistic inspiration. One in particular, ABC Carpet & Home, is a place I visit repeatedly...not for shopping but for visual stimulation, creative ideas, and photo opportunities. Click images to enlarge and see for yourself...

New York City Art Tour - Part 4

The Museum of Modern Art has several current exhibitions cutting across multiple media, including painting, drawing, photography, film, installation art, and so much more. Here are photos from a few pieces from the collections that inspired me:

Jack Whitten
Kappa, 1
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas










Tacita Dean
Crowhurst
Gouache on gelatin silver print







Rodney Graham
Rheinmetall/Victoria 8
Still image from 35mm silent film






Marcel Duchamp
Rotary Demisphere, 1925
Painted papier mache demisphere fitted on velvet-covered disk, copper collar with plexiglass dome, motor, pulley, metal stand







Olafur Eliasson
Ventilator
Suspended in the Museum's atrium, this electric fan continuously swings above head level in ever-changing arcs

New York City Art Tour - Part 3

The Museum of Modern Art is currently featuring an exhibit called Book/Shelf which presents works that seek to expand the notion of what constitutes a book. Pieces include traditional book forms, video, prints, installations, assemblages, and other formats. Below are some works that intrigued me:







This piece by Lenore Tawney, an amazing mixed media artist, is composed of ink on cork and seeds on book pages.









Richard Long created this artist's book by staining the pages with water and mud from the River Avon.








Brian Belott created a piece made up of 66 illustrated books with collaged additions. The books were exhibited on a table and included this book, with pages overflowing and thick with altered additions.





Dieter Roth created this book with pages selected from over 6,000 collages, photographs, and drawings he made while at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. I would have loved to flip through all the pages but it is presented under plexiglas.




John Latham took all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica and transferred them first to 16mm black and white film in 1971 and later to video. He created this 6 minute 33 second silent film projecting one page per frame in a continuous loop. This still shot does not begin to capture the mesmerizing result.

New York City Art Tour - Part 2

In New York City, there is art and inspiration everywhere you look. And not just in the galleries and museums, but on the street too. You are likely to find some wonderful examples of street art around every corner in every neighborhood. Here are just a few examples I have spyed:

New York City Art Tour - Part 1

There are so many art-related experiences to be had in New York City. There are constantly changing exhibitions at the museums, shows of both new and old work of emerging and established artists at the galleries, street art everywhere you look, store window displays to rival what is in the galleries, and so much more. I thought it would be fun to take you on a tour of some select New York City art venues in a series of upcoming posts.

My first post focuses on a recent visit to Sotheby's, the auction house, and their exhibition for their upcoming contemporary art auction. These auction exhibitions are like taking an art class with the masters or walking through your own private museum. No matter the auction, the works are varied, inspired, exciting, and often exhibited publicly one time only. With so many pieces to see at this exhibition, I have chosen to post below just a few details from select artworks from some of my favorite artists:


John Chamberlain - detail












Robert Rauschenberg-detail








Christo - detail












Wang Qingsong- detail








Jean-Michel Basquiat - detail












Joseph Cornell - detail









Robert Rauschenberg-detail