Over The Carnage Rose A Prophetic Voice

Here is my second effort from the online workshop with Michael deMeng called Zoo-Illogicals. The basic idea here is to combine a human form with an animal to create some new creature through assemblage vivisection. 

The Substrate

Sprayed outside, drying inside

Two toys provide the vivisection victims

Thus we have Over The Carnage Rose A Prophetic Voice. The title is from the poet Walt Whitman. This piece, as it evolved, became a protest on my part against all the evil people, throughout mankind's history, who propagandize us into things like war, racial strife, religious domination and general hatred. My hope is always that the next catchy phrase fails to lead us into the terrors we create.

This piece is 14" H X 10" W X 7" D. It consists of a Toy Fighter, Wrestler Doll, Dragon Head, 3 Metal Finds, and some Muslin.

Pilot Valve 105

Pilot Valve 105

19" H X 5" W X 2" D

Shadow Box

Cabinet Cards (2)

Bottle

Animal Tag

Pilot Valve Tag

Metal Rounds (2)

Wood Round

Tacks (10)

Papers

Now You Invent The Boat Of Your Own Flesh And Set It Upon The Waters (Updated)

I have a lot of things in my basement. A lot. However we made a trip recently to a St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and I came home with a board and two candleholders.

Off we go.

Thus we have Now You Invent The Boat Of Your Own Flesh And Set It Upon The Waters. 

The title comes from the poem, "Where Are The Waters Of Childhood?" by Mark Strand. It is 36"H X 12"W X 11"D. It consists of a Wood Board, Boat Candleholder, Sun Candleholder, Doll Hand, HO Figures (20), Numbered Nails (19) and a Shell. 

UPDATE

When I went to put this piece of art away after photographing it, something bugged me. After sleeping

on it I decided to do some revisions to satisfy what I thought was lacking in the first version.

A small detail but I painted this flag red

To help the boat stand out on the sea, I added a wake

To the mast I added a flag and some rigging

The view when it is hung on the wall

Thus, again, we have Now You Invent The Boat Of Your Own Flesh And Set It Upon The Waters.

The Dream Of Light Would Continue With Me

 

One of the advantages of taking on-line courses with Michael deMeng is that once enrolled you have permission to download all the course instruction and save it in your computer. That means, if the mood takes you, one can re-take the class any time you want.

I decided this spring to re-take the Orna-deMentia: Rise of the Burn-Outs class, originally release as a Christmas class for 2014. I decided to apply the principles of the class to an assemblage project, ignoring the Holiday aspect. 

I decided to start with a cool old box, probably from a hardware or workshop collection, and create a shrine.

The main part of the deMeng class is creating a scene within the bulb, sort of like a ship in a bottle.

By the time the shrine was done and I knew what my theme was going to be, so I made a book to fill the bottom of the shrine trying to make it look like waves on a beach. The book is made from my own hand made paper (fern and abaca) with a Japanese stab binding.

Thus we have The Dream of Light Would Continue With Me. The piece is 11"H X 7"W X 5"D. The title of the piece come from a poem by Mark Strand called Seven Days.

2022 03 Spring Break, Round Three

Monday, March 25, 2022

With barely enough time at home to gather my thoughts, Denice and I packed our bags and loaded the van for some more miles. Our destination is Kansas City, MO, to deliver "He Made War Like A Man Anointing Himself" for the 15th Annual "The Figure In Contemporary Art Show" at the Hilliard Gallery in Kansas City, MO, which runs from April 1 - May 25, 2022. 

Because we did not get out the door until the afternoon we ended up pulling off the road when we reached Iowa City, IA, as the sun set.

Total miles for the day: 256.

Total miles for the trip: 2091.

Tuesday, March 26, 2022

Tuesday morning we were up and on the road with the goal of getting to Kansas City before 5:00 p.m. As it turned out, we got to the Hilliard Gallery at 2:00 p.m. The gallery director, Bob Swearengin, was there to accept delivery. I did have one little magical moment as I set the piece against a wall in the near empty gallery. I heard Bob sigh behind me and then say, "I really love your work." Yup, that made my day.

Denice and I decided to do a little exploring in the Crossroads Arts District where the gallery is located. Here is the results:

...which was actually true as we were in Missouri. As we were intending to be in Mineral Point, WI, by tomorrow for a Make What Ya Brung gathering at Shake Rag Alley, we head east and north on non-Federal Highways. That night we made it to Quincy, IL, and checked into a hotel there for the night. 

Total miles for the day: 310.

Total miles for the trip: 2401.

Wednesday, March 27, 2022

Today we drove on some more backwoods roads with the intention of going rummaging in Cuba City, WI, before getting to Mineral Point.

Foreshadowing: Although I had a sore throat and a little bit of a sniffle, this was the point in the trip where things started to get serious.

I was too tired to rummage (that should have been an indicator of how ill I was right there) so we drove straight to our lodging in Mineral Point. We had plans to eat out with our art buddy Lynn but I did feel like I needed to warn her about how I felt. We ate together anyway (as of the time of this post, Lynn is fine and negative). 

That night in our lodging I could not breathe. So at 12:30 a.m., before a predicted snowstorm was to hit Mineral Point, we packed up everything and headed home.

We got home about 3:30 a.m. and our Spring Break came to an abrupt end. 

Total miles for the day: 631.

Total miles for the trip: 3032.

Thursday, March 28, 2022

To make this long story short, I was diagnosed with Covid. Denice tested negative and got her second booster to boot. 

As of the time of this post, I have virtually no symptoms but will be quarantined until April 7th. I guess the moral of this story is get your shots and the pandemic is not over. Be safe, be healthy and my best thoughts to everyone who has suffered a loss or an illness in these terrible times.