WHAT: I construct dioramas and some larger works using found objects, clay, wood, paint, wire and other materials, particularly a lot of bling.
WHY: My goal, beyond the selfish fun of creating, is for viewers to be surprised and entertained and perhaps find a different way of looking at every day articles and occurrences.
MORE WHY and some HOW: I very much enjoy incorporating found objects into amusing pieces. A small princess toy sticking out of mud near my morning walk features in Poisson Chat, an underwater adventure. A bag of Mardi Gras decorations in the supermarket clearance bin inspired Jollification, a Mardi Gras parade with party-minded aliens.
I also have fun highlighting what I find captivating or humorous in others’ art and design. Evviva il Palio steals a Florentine couture shop’s great logo to celebrate Siena’s biennial horse race, the Palio. Meteor Monk recreates “The Blessed Ranieri Frees the Poor from a Prison in Florence” – a painting in the Louvre by Stefano di Giovanni circa 1440. I just love how the Blessed Ranieri levitates!
HOW: I often come across an item, see others’ art or read something and say “I know I can make something amusing using that.” Weeks may go by before an image pops in my head; sometimes a thought crystalizes right away. Next comes figuring out construction. For Betty Cracker I knew as soon as I saw the 1950s cookbook that I wanted to collage it onto a giant saltine. Measuring saltines provided the size and placement of holes to drill into plywood. Foam in various shapes and sizes, covered by a bedsheet and duct taped in place, made for the proper bubbly surface. Large sheets of paper mache finalized the surface for gluing on all the funky food images. Finally, literally pouring on oil-based polyurethane produced a faded, almost sepia finish.
SUMMARY: Once an offbeat idea pops into my head I have a great time creating “amusements” that make people chuckle, ask “what?” and ideally think “weird.”
