Seven New Constructions
The Constructions in this Gallery have just been completed in 2021
Flighthouse — 5.625” x 29” x 3.5”
At least 10 years ago, I put this tall box on my counter and placed the tall sneering man inside. Then I added the tiny blue figure. They stayed this way until this year (2021) when I decided to pull the tall man out and make him part of the frame. I found in my scrap collection a page of lighthouses from the 1800s which I scanned and distorted. I added birds mounted on mica and very tiny blue glass balls. A step by step video of the making of Flighthouse will be available soon.
Configuration — 18” x 28.5” x 3.5”
Configuration is the first of a series using Crayon Portraits from the late 1800s. The process required to produce a crayon portrait started by enlarging a photograph onto drawing paper with a weak photographic emulsion producing a faint image. The artist then drew over the picture with charcoal or pastels, trying to duplicate the photograph while making it look hand drawn. The quality of the picture was entirely dependent on the artist’s skill.
Sunlit — 4” x 6” x 2”
Sunlit is a tiny construction that combines Cary Wolinsky’s photograph of shadows and reflections of our front door with my construction—the simple addition of an electronic part.
Dark Event — 11.25” x 11.25” x 9.5”
I found a fabulous green ‘tramp art’ box for Dark Event. The construction started with a tiny ivory elephant in a circus carriage, another elephant holding an umbrella standing on a tower of balls and the plastic man. I searched my collection for any ivory colored figures and found the donkey. After creating the woven background of green and aqua tulle ribbons and the floor of circles and dots, I removed the elephants but left the donkey and man staring into a hole.
This Time, Please — 10.5” x 14.875” x 4.5”
This Time, Please has been waiting a long time to be completed. I had the box, the oil portrait of a boy, the dog squeaky toy and a nest of cedar bark and silver beech leaves. It finally came together when I added the gold branches and iridescent blue feathers.
City Club — 9.25” x 11.125” x 11.5”
The City Club construction started with this display box for tobacco. It is the perfect stage for selecting a women “tailored to your taste.”
Corona Bloom — 11.25” x 14.5” x 4.5”
Corona Bloom is my solemn homage to 2020. Two people—one old, one young—sit and wait as Corona hangs in the air above them. I used encaustic wax to adhere the flowers to the arched background.
