About c l
started out as a painter and gravitated toward sculpture. found the materials thought of as trash fascinating , more so than pristine new material. my goal is to find the core essence of any of the detritus i am working with - stripping down motors, air conditioners, - anything really to get to the pure shapes so i can get to work combining items and make a new whole.
i feel very strongly about reusing, frugality,making do- not in a tightfisted, stingy way but in a curated,… more
i feel very strongly about reusing, frugality,making do- not in a tightfisted, stingy way but in a curated,… more
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making new from old
i use cast off materials and detritus in my work. disassembling the old then reassembling to make new.
not always pretty but i hope interesting and thought provoking.
not always pretty but i hope interesting and thought provoking.
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drowningmarching on the wall
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close up of drowning pieceswim lane line discs - painted black- 1092 discs
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construction4.jpg
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construction-3.jpg
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cheap shirtsempty wooden spools of thread representing the women/men. they all start out unsullied and fresh- fire does terrible things to materials including humans. do we as a culture need our clothing so cheap that we accept the deaths of people to achieve it? the partial list is of some of the biggest factory fires in the last 100+ years
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construction #2repurposed spools,computer keys, metal
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construction #1repurposed dvd holders, everyday objects
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drowningin the western culture black is the colour of mourning -drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury/death worldwide -highest rate amongst children under 14 -everyday in the u.s. approx 10 people drown/2 are children under 14 -fatal drowning for african american children 5-14 is almost 3x that of white children -males drown approx 4xs the rate of females -drowning is silent -if you call yell you are not drowning materials- swimming pool lane line discs in 52 wooden boxes-1 for each week of the year
construction of drowning piece
a snapshot of the construction process to make the installation piece 'drowning'
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donetaking over the studio floor
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img_0357.jpg
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final cuts
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discs paintedready to install
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painted and dryingjust the start
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painting boxes
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gluingfrench cleat attachment
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assembledprototype assembled with the bare new boxes waiting to be filled
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box partsafter cutting all the plywood for boxes- 52 boxes total
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concept boardvarious orientations for boxes
nests
how far can i push the concept of a bird nest with various sizes and materials.
when is it not a nest anymore and just a jumble of 'stuff'.
how can i still honour the nest making concept and the materials without it becoming 'kitchy'. these nest are not cute, soft , cozy or safe. the materials must be shown.
when is it not a nest anymore and just a jumble of 'stuff'.
how can i still honour the nest making concept and the materials without it becoming 'kitchy'. these nest are not cute, soft , cozy or safe. the materials must be shown.
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steel nestanother view of the same 25"x25"x15"
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steel nesthow much steel can be woven and manipulated in the nest form and stay true as a nest and as steel. conduit,rods, rebar, barbed wire,fencing,electrical cords.....
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another teeny nestside
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another teeny nestagain all copper but not manipulated colour wise small 4"x 3"x3.5"
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woman's workthings stereo-typically associated with women- knitting needles, sewing machine part, typewriter bits , brass scrubbing wool....... 15'x15"x7"
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a teeny nestall copper manipulated using vinegar , salt and heat to bump down colour 3"x7"x2.5"
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chaosusing as many springs as possible, clock springs, typewriter springs, tape measure springs, curtain rod springs.......
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copper nesttop view 26"x25"x15"
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copper nesthow big could i go and still have a coherent nest pipe,tubing,wire,door locks ...as much copper as i could find
assemblages
after a serious auto accident in the fall of 2014 i could not work in my usual manner for several months- i had to work though and i came up with the assemblage format - using a sewing machine and piecing paper /soft goods as i could not manipulate hard metal yet. this is the series i came up with. a very personal group of works.
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the accident:after3rd piece of triptych several months later - still nine squarish shapes, still nine buttons but the landscape and everything else is very different - as it is. materials- antique buttons, paper, thread
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the accident:during2nd part of triptych a representation of what the accident felt like at the moment it was happening materials- thread, paper
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the accident:before1st part of the triptych i made after my auto accident- 9 antique buttons, 9 squares tidy and neat- materials various papers, handmade,antique, machine made
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we do no authorizereading the booklets evidentially one was not supposed to do anything to the sewing machine or it would void the warranty . sounds like a current day computer product. materials- handmade paper, ribbon, instruction booklets book jacket........
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study in orangejust had so much fun seeing how much orange could i find and put together materials- painted paper, plastic envelope, origami paper, water barrier film.....
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reality vs advertisingi loved the 1930's sewing machine instruction booklet very strongly saying 'never oil your machine' one of the last pages very small states' add oil from time to time' materials- thread, handmade/painted paper, origami paper, tyvek, instruction booklet pages....
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how to use.....materials- sandpaper,instruction booklet, watch insides,thread, handmade paper.....
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helpful suggestionsi just loved the book spine and the rest fell into place materials- tyvek, plastic mailing envelope, instruction booklet from the 30's, handmade paper.....
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eco productthis was built around the eco product cup protector- i found on the ground - but hey it's an eco product so that's okay. materials- anitque paper, handmade paper , bark....
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do not destroymaterials include -sandpaper, handmade paper , japanese book cover,instruction booklet paper....
stupas
building reliquaries- using material that are circular to create a stupa.
using anything from the tires off the children's wagon- long since outgrown- , table top, sewing machine flywheel,to the gears out of a clock, i always include something very special in creating each stupa.
using anything from the tires off the children's wagon- long since outgrown- , table top, sewing machine flywheel,to the gears out of a clock, i always include something very special in creating each stupa.
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betty's stupa.JPGmaterials that came out of my late mentor's studio- this is a very special piece. she was a printmaker- her small wooden ink slab is included-the ink is still sticky,slide carousal,formica blanks,sewing machine flywheel, scale gauge,butter stamp,barbell,telephone earpiece.....
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jane's stupa.jpgheater cap,brake rotor,lamp base,tire,flywheel,wax can,door knob workings,gears,lightsocket......
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wooden stupa .jpgantique pie pan,cheery spinning wheel hub, CDs,tinker toys,silk bobbin,hand made glass beads........
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2bigelowstupa.jpgbrake rotor, wagon tire,xmas tree stand,saw blades,bobbins,telephone handset,gears......