would like crit on work, 1of3, transcribed

[Moz]

lonewolf 06-27-2007, 05:31 PM
Hi.. new here and new to assemblage stuff.(ive only done the three pieces posted). would like to know what you all think.. (i have rhino hide, so dont feel like you have to be nice!)

[Moz]

~M 06-27-2007, 09:25 PM
It's great to have an artist without "WhinyBaby" sensitivity! That said, though, there's nothing "bad" to say about these...and from me, that is quite a compliment, indeed...Just ask anyone familiar with Madster...

You are the first artist I have met, who is able to incorporate the "Mattel Madonna" into their works without her screaming, "Hi! I'm Barbie!" from instant visual recognition. That alone deserves kudos in my book.

I personally like that you incorporate metal, wood, fabic and paper in your works, as I, too, try to have multiple "media" components in my assemblages. That, to me, is part of the allure of assemblage, the incorporation of various items, textures, shapes and colors into a cohesive whole. Is that a wee bit of Birch bark in the "Dispair Anger Madness" piece? I just saw my first Birch tree last week, having read about them my entire Life, and I was intrigued by the true paper quality of Birch bark...

You have a good eye for composition, and this is evident in ALL your works, assemblage, fabric, and photography. Your creations all possess a natural "flow" of visual movement and balance. I find it quite interesting that you do not use the color blue in your works, which is usually the color for depression, but have a strong use of red, which is generally perceived as the color of fire, passion, and anger. These pieces are very powerful statements, bet they do not "broadcast" their statments, as much as they present them, and visually invite the viewer to look closer, look deeper, and discover the myriad of subtle influences that contribute to the statement as a whole. Being an assemblage artist myself, I KNOW that this type of "depth layering" does not just happen. It takes a communication between the artist and the assemblage. On good days, the "pieces-parts" almost jump into my hand for some works, crying, "Use ME!" How I LOVE those moments. Sometimes, I spend a great deal of time "searching" for just the right piece to add to an assemblage, and if not successful, I must put it aside for another day...

I also notice that you, like I, "compartmentalize" your works. Although the sentiments may extend past the confines of the boxes, the main story is within...

For your first forays into the medium, I think you are off to a roaring start. Knowing from my experiences that it only gets better the more you create, I can promise you that although you are already good, you will get even better.

I LIKE these pieces. I like them a LOT. So much so, that I cannot pick a favorite of these three. Each one grabs my eye, and my mind, in such a way, that I think, "Oh! I like this one best!" Until I look at the next one, then I think, "Wait, maybe I like this one the best." And on it goes, to where after having this internal dialogue 5 or 6 times, I have to admit that I simply like them all. A LOT.

Again, thank you. Seeing these makes me even more inspired to delve back into photographing all the pieces I haven't posted, and shaping up the Assemblage forums. You are the visual kick in the butt that I needed!

Bob Rooney 06-28-2007, 03:19 AM
What I know about assemblage art would fit into a thimble, so I can only give you my gut reactions.

First of all they are all interesting to look at which I guess would be a first priority in this type of art. The messages they send seems to be a representational psychological statement leaning more towards mania and addiction than depression, as noted by Madster by the lack of blue.

The third one I get mixed messages. The nailed on the cross position leads me to believe there is some kind of religious message but I'm not sure. Is it even the job of assemblage art to contain a message? I simply don't know. I don't think paintings always need to contain profound messages and perhaps the same it true of assemblage art.

Anyway, I find them interesting, thanks for posting.

Annieo 06-28-2007, 05:25 AM
Hi Karylee, welcome to Omac. Glad to have you join our gang.
I'm with Bob on my knowlege of assemblages...not much at all. I do know that I own three that Maddy kindly gave to me, and I love them. I like unique art, and each assemblage piece is unique in itself.
Yours are very interesting pieces. I find assemblage art wonderful to look at, but sometimes my imagination just doesn't work in telling me the story to them. How I'd love to have an explanation to each one, plus an idea of the size of these.
Maybe it's my crappy old eyes or my monitor, but I'm disappointed that I can't read the writing on the first one. Can you provide a closer up shot, or write out what they say? An explanation would be great too, if they do indeed have a story to tell.
Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to seeing more.

jannek 06-28-2007, 06:37 AM
I admit as Bob and Ann have that I have little or no understanding of assemblage art, and can only give a personal opinion.

I found #1 and 3 emotionally disturbing, almost repulsive to look at, having said this I will quantify this by saying I think that makes them extremely successful pieces. They certainly got their message across and it is was like looking a car crash, or a murder scene on TV, you don't want to look but are completely compelled to. The more you look the more you see and the deeper you think... I find them spellbinding.

# 2 however I couldnt understand it at all, dont take it personally it is probably me and my ignorance and my lack of assemblage knowledge, but I would love more info on this piece.

Keep posting your stuff, its exciting to have some great and different art to enjoy and to learn about it and from it.

Thanks for sharing.

~M 06-28-2007, 08:35 AM
Karylee, as Assemblage artists, we have a wee bit of an advantage over posting our images on the web, in that "Art theft" is less of a problem. It is hard to duplicate an assemblage image and then hawk it on e-bay...

The posting size limits here at OMAC are 1200 px by 1500 px, with a total file size of 256 Kb.

So, if you would like to post a bit larger version for viewability, you have the ability to do so (and believe me, Annieo is on dial-up Internet access, so for her to WANT to see a larger image, means it truly is "something worth waiting for," in the most literal sense of the word! For dial-up members, the thumbnails are a godsend...).

fLASH 06-28-2007, 03:56 PM
Like, heck, love your art work.

If this is the first time you've ventured into the world of assemblage art I believe that you've found a path you can readily travel.

lonewolf 07-01-2007, 04:39 PM
Thanks all for the postive feedback. I have enjoyed making these and have one in progress right now. I think i enjoy them because they take a bit shorter time then quilting, I feel like i accomplish something in a short time (and i say short in contrast to a quilt that might take months to years to finish). I dont like to say much about any of my work, i like to see what others see, without my input. Im still very shy about my work and most sits in my studio unseen. I would like to get enough stuff together to have a gallery show on of these days (ok might be years down the road.. but ya know what i mean) then maybe ill feel like a real artist. I have a vague direction when i started these pieces.. but they didnt end up exactally as i orginally thougth (infact the last piece was originally all white) they are around 15-17 inches. The first piece started with a mangled barbie and grew around her. I have fun "fixing" barbie. the fourth piece also has a barbie that i have painted brown and taken off her legs that will become the trunk of a tree. My children hide their toys from me!

As for what the first one reads.. "I cannot except the life that is mine" "no one gets a free ride" "in the end we all get black and blue" "anything to dull the pain"

why red and not blue.. I do tend to use that color which is odd to me, since when i started art quilting many years ago, i organized all my fabrics and found that i didnt own a single piece or red or orange. almost all was blue/green. Blue is very calming and i dont see any of these pieces in a calming view. maybe that will be one i make next, just to see if i can use the color blue succesfully.

Thank you again for the encouragement to move forward. I have a few quilty things to work out in the next month or so, but i hope to have at least one more piece done in the next few weeks.

ok.. question (i know this is getting long). im triing to make the trunk for barbie.. im thinking the best way would be to use fimo (i would have to remove barbie before cooking it.. ). another thing i thought of would be using patching plaster, but that might be crack to easy. anythoughts?

well i have a few more things to attend to before the kids go to bed and i get some "ME" time!

[Moz]

~M 07-01-2007, 08:44 PM
I think (but am not sure) that there is a type of "air dry" fimo-type clay that you can use. Perhaps paper mache? Plaster of paris shouldn't crack if you mix it properly, apply it thick enough, and give it time to cure.

Oooh! I remember reading about someone who used that plaster gauze like they use for casts when you break your arm...you could dip fabric in plaster of paris, and then mold it...How about fabric saturated with clear acrylic gel paint? There's also auto body putty, which is air cured. You'll probably want to make a small "experimental" trunk, whatever you choose, just to give things a "trial run."
You have lots of options available to you. I'm sorry I can't be much more help than that, though, because since I embed everything in epoxy resin, my only concern is to seal all organic materials, because they expel gas bubbles as the epoxy heats up to cure...

I can relate to having a bunch of pieces in progress. I think I'm at about 18-20 at the present. I'm hoping to do a resin pour this week (the weather is supposed to be hot and dry, the best conditions).

lonewolf 07-02-2007, 06:03 PM
Thanks for the great ideas, i guess this will require me to take a ride to the art/craft store (twist my arm! lol). Now if i only have money to buy stuff! working in the school system is great for hours and vacations with my small kids, but not so good in the summer... no work, no pay! ugh.

well, maybe some weekend garage sales or some dumpster diving will cheer me up! lol

[Moz]

lonewolf 06-27-2007, 05:31 PM
[see 1of3 for post and replies]

[Moz]

lonewolf 06-27-2007, 05:31 PM
[see 1of3 for post and replies]