Found Objects

 


Featured image: Intersections II

I have begun working with found objects. They are often very different in their usage from their prior life—like rusted metal gears, old parts and gears, screws and washers that I have found in boxes that were abandoned long ago. A real treasure I found once—and I didn’t even know it at the time—was a wooden gear about 4” in diameter. I haven’t found a use for it yet, but I will. It just needs to be imagined. That’s the hard part.

The other day, during my opening reception, someone asked me where I got all my birds, and I told him I bought them. Most of the things I am working with sell themselves to me. They know I think they are treasures and that I will make something special out of them.

Some of the small birds I don’t do anything to, and others I cover with different materials, like plaster of Paris, concrete, and papier-mâché. I try not to use anything toxic, as I used a lot of materials like that in my earlier years as an artist, and I thought I would give my body and lungs a rest.

I like putting these things together, juxtaposing them, listening and looking to see what they tell me. Sometimes they don’t tell me much, but other times there are so many stories I hear and imagine—especially the toys. I always hear laughter with the toys.

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