Found Art, Assemblage, Christo and Mr. Morris...
For my first blog post I'd like to try and describe what kind of artist I am and what kind of art I make. I "specialize" in found object art and assemblage. Wait, what's found object art? Well, it's pretty self explanatory- it's art that is just... found. "Hey, I just found this neat thing! I think it should be art!" And then sometimes those neat things that are found are also assembled. "Hey, I just assembled some of these neat things I found! They should be art!" And then voila. You have art. Sounds kind of shady, huh? Too simple. Too easy. Like cheating. Who knew you could cheat at art? Kind of makes some people angry. Who gives artists the right to take something that is nothing and say it's art? The nerve! Oh boy, this is my kind of can of worms.
So, when I was in middle school I was in Art Plus, the awesomest class possible at my school, obviously. It was an elective made just for "advanced" art students. It was in Art Plus that I had the pleasure of learning WHAT ART REALLY IS. And it completely shaped the artist, no, PERSON, that I am today. See, back then in middle school I was a pre-teen and I knew it all. No one could tell me anything that I didn't already know... And then I was introduced to the art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Took me down a peg or two, for real. Do yourself a favor and do a quick Google search for Christo and Jeanne-Claude. One of the kinds of things they were known for is taking fabric, lots and lots of fabric, and wrapping it around objects. Like cars. And motorcycles. And trees. And buildings. And entire islands.
And this made me angry. Like legitimate, pre-teen, I-know-everything angry. I could not believe that they passed this off as art and people actually fell for it! I decided right there in class that I was going to make a stand. And you know what my teacher did? He just laughed a little and shook his head. Wonderful, beautiful, Mr. Morris. He was so patient. What a teacher. Maybe he'll be another blog post.
But what I learned that day was SO IMPORTANT. Not everyone has to like all art. Not everyone has to even understand it. You can like it, you can love it, you can hate it, you can wish you could tear it to shreds, but as long as it illicites any sort of emotional response from the viewer, it's done its job. It's got you thinking about it, doesn't it? It may even have you talking about it, huh? Loudly and heatedly and emotionally. That's what art is all about. And that's what I get from found object and assemblage art. It makes me and others think and wonder and ponder and discuss and even argue. But most importantly, it makes us ask questions.
So then, as far as questions go, do you have any for me? Send me an email- contact me with any artsy-type questions you might have. What's the difference between assemblage and collage? What's a readymade? What's my favorite color? Why do I paint certain things? What's up with my jewelry? I have lots more blog posts just waiting to get written and you may inspire me!
