Saturday, August 16, 2008

recycled art

I had to cancel a workshop planned for today due to low registration. Everyone is busy in the summer! It's a shame because it's a really fun day! The workshop involves watching a presentation on assemblage (to situate its place in art history and for inspiration) and then receiving a package with $3, a map of local garage sales, and some scavenging guidelines. We go out to garage sales and find our treasures (within our $3 budget) and then come back to the studio to create assemblages. I did a trial run with my friend Carole a few months ago and here is what I purchased: a collapsible vegetable steamer and a string of IKEA lights with colourful candy-like disks. The items cost me $2.50 and I made two pieces with them! I took the steamer apart and used the base for my piece above, my favourite of the two pieces I made. I used an X-acto knife to strip away the plastic and expose the fine wires from the string of lights (a very tedious and tricky business) and attached them to form a nest-like structure (surprise, surprise). Eventually, when I have some extra time, I will add more of these wires to plump up my nest, but in the meantime it just sits on my work table catching the light and making me smile. Below is another piece I made using the the other components of the vegetable steamer and one of the colourful disks and a wire piece from the string of lights. It's mounted on a scrap piece of wood painted black. I'll keep them around as examples of what you can do with a few garage sale buys!

16 comments:

jo horswill said...

Kate, I love the concept of recycled art...it's something I have been thinking alot about lately.
Your post has inspired me to do less 'thinking' and more 'doing'!
This art is wonderful. I love the way the wires catch the light.
Wonderful workshop idea...I would love to do one with you:)
We have garage sales here, but not many around in Winter...we have oppurtunity shops (op shops)though...my favorite type of shop. Hmmm $3.00...I might give it a go next week:)

notmassproduced said...

i love the way you see the world. Your workshop sounds like great fun - those people were mad not to book and i love your assemblages.

ArtPropelled said...

How disappointing! I would love to do a workshop like that....if I had the time. That top photograph has started the cogs turning in my brain.

Ronna said...

Kate: would love to take a workshop like that. How clever and it gets the wheels rolling in one's brain, eh?

lynne h said...

hi kate, if i lived near you, i'd take this workshop for sure!! i love the creation you've made... it's so elegant...

Maya Sara Matthew said...

hello kate thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, its given me the opportunity to discover yours.Recycling is one of my pet interests and making art the way you have described it needs to be replicated to see what I can come up with.Shall visit again to be inspired.

kate said...

Thanks all, for your comments. If you do try this at home (not dangerous at all!) share your results. I'd love to see what you come up with!

embellisher...thanks for visiting. I love your blog. My post today is inspired by one of yours. Take a look!

mansuetude said...

i was looking at Tingley's art today. I love a lot of what he does with old objects to make a visual poetry. Your workshop sounds great.

kate said...

mansuetude...yes, those kinetic sculptures of Tinguely's are quite ingenious. Poetry in motion!

Ian France said...

What I like about your art is that you do not just take two chunks of metal, glue them together, and call it a masterpiece. Instead, you get right down to the core of the metal, wire, or plastic. You tear it apart and I'm sure discover plenty along the way. Your artwork is beautiful, and I love recycled art (I'm very pro-green).

Gwen Buchanan said...

What an inspiration of What you can make with nothing... so inventive..

that is what it takes.. no preconceived ideas... just imagination and freedom ... you have an amazing mind, Kate.. I'm glad I found you!!

kate said...

arnold...thanks for stopping by my blog and for your kind comments. And you are right about learning stuff as I am tearing into the wire. I learn lots! Look forward to seeing more of your lovely black and white photographs.

gwen...interesting, I've done this kind of thing a few times and I find the less material I have, the more I have to stretch my mind and the more interesting the result. I'm a true believer in "less is more!" Thanks so much for your sweet words. I'm glad I found you too, you renaissance woman you!

Ursula Achten said...

oh, I would have played with you!!
I love this concept so much!

kate said...

uschi...I KNOW you would have played with me! No doubt at all! :)

Anonymous said...

Kate, I checked into your wildly fertile blog while on vacation. I've known you for a while, been in your studio and know about your scavenger hunt workshops. What really touches me is the juicy enthusiasm popping out of the internet art world while the balloon remains flacid in Hudson. Can I ever relate. Isn't it always so that we are not acknowledged in our home town Hey, it even happened to Jesus Christ!! as I recently heard at a church service held at the beach here on Cape Cod. I love the way you can keep your spirit glowing. Truly inspiring!! Marlana

kate said...

marlana...thanks, as always, for your support! Describing Hudson as a flaccid balloon really made me laugh! Sad, but true in the case of art vein studio local participation! Maybe in the Fall things will pick up! Hope you are having a great holiday!