Cabinet of Dreams and Found Curiosities
I am fascinated with the phenomenon of synchronicity. For as my hand moves to pick up an object and my eyes pick up visual clues, there is something mysterious and unseen accompanying me in the process of making my art. That certain "chance" factor is usually at play, in the way an object will show up surprisingly or someone will give me the exact found treasure I needed to finish a piece. I like to pay attention to these coincidental happenings.
The things that inspire me are old, weathered pieces of wood, rusty wire or an old tin can, old photographs, vintage knick-knacks, shards of worn glass and obscure ephemera. To find these time-tested treasures, I scavenge at garage sales, antique stores and thrift shops. I will also pick up interesting trash on the city streets or wherever I happen to be -there is always something to be found. Friends, knowing my interests, give me things they find, giving yet another dimension to my process- that of a sort of collaboration, and as I like to say, they are "keeping my art habit alive." The titles of my pieces are sometimes "found" as well. I collect phrases and words that show up on the sides of trucks or on signs and apply them to the appropriate piece. However, sometimes the titles present themselves as I'm working. I love when that happens.
So why is it that these found objects speak to me so strongly? I think it is all about the passage of time. There is a resonance inherent in these cast-offs that reminds me of another place and era. Contained within these discarded items are memories, dreams, worldly experiences and the mystery of those lives that went before mine. By intuitively building each of my pieces and letting chance or synchronicity guide me I am open to receiving what the artist and teacher Robert Henri called the art spirit. Listening to what each piece is saying to me and following that path to completion, these disparate elements take on a new purpose, very different from their original use.
They are transformed into a new reality, and quite often that reality is something I could never have expected.
The more technologically the world advances, the more I am appreciating the simplicity of the "found" object. I love to adopt the stray trash and forgotten products of our society's overindulgences, take them back to the studio and get down to the business of hammering, nailing, gluing and simply playing until that piece starts to sing. I prefer a hands-on approach and beyond that I leave it all to chance.