Erika Allison's Artastic Blog

“Downsize”

Found objects. What are they? I guess you could say that they are anything that you find! They can be interesting to add to your artwork. It’s not a new concept. Many artists have included found objects in their work. I use them sometimes. Not every painting calls for their use. I don’t want to overdo the practice. I don’t want to be known as the woman who ALWAYS includes found objects in her work! If they add something to the work I like them.

Finding found objects can be fun…or frustrating. I always have my eyes open looking for them. You have to know a good found object when you see it. It can be anything and it can be anywhere. I happen to appreciate old, very used and textural objects. I also appreciate “weird” objects, things one wouldn’t even think of using. Those are the best! One needs to be continuously collecting these found objects. They may not get used for quite some time…or maybe never. But, a good collection is needed. All you neat, tidy, organized people will be cringing about now. But, a good trash pile is like manna! When a work “needs something” you go to your collection of found objects and pick through it, looking for just the right thing.

Sometimes these found objects serve more than one purpose. I have a couple of great finds that have ended up being used for printing textures onto painting surfaces rather than being added to the work. I also have a great piece that I use for a “stencil” of sorts. It has lots of round holes that I use to spray paint through. I also have found objects that I use both for texture on a painting surface and as a stencil. You just need to keep your eyes and your mind open. One of my favorite finds is the plastic netting used on the outside of a Butterball turkey. It’s the perfect example of a find that I’ve used on my surface as texture…AND as a stencil to spray paint through.

It’s time to go on a treasure hunt. I happen to have two paintings in progress that I feel need found objects to complete them. And, sadly, I don’t seem to have the right thing in my treasure pile. It seems like I’m trying too hard to find the perfect found object. The better way is to have found great stuff and have it waiting for the perfect opportunity.

The painting I’m showing, “Downsize” is an example of using found objects. The painting surface itself is a found object: a small pallet. And, there are several found objects added to it at the end.

“Zoning Permit Required”

I love titles! Titles may give me a clue as to what a painting is about, or, at least, the artist’s thoughts on the work. I hate to see untitled w

orks. When I see a painting that really intrigues me and I look for the title I am SO disappointed when I see “untitled’. I feel like the artist hasn’t finished his/her job when it’s left untitled. True, each viewer finds his/her own vision. But, it’s nice to get a clue about the artist’s vision as well. Don’t you wonder WHY an artist created a work of art – or what he/she was thinking while making it?

I work in the abstract so “what it’s about” is really up for grabs! I feel like most of my work is about whatever the viewer thinks it’s about. And, what I think it’s about can often be more than one thing. I actu

ally enjoy coming up with titles. Sometimes they come easy. And, sometimes I really labor over them. I may study the finished work for days on end before I come up with something that I like, that seems to fit, that could work. Usually, when I finally come up with it, it seems to be perfect…for me, anyway. I enjoy titles that make the viewer wonder. It seems to me that if the viewer wonders what the title means, he/she must be thinking about it. That’s great! I like to think I made someone think!

So – what do YOU think? Do you like titles? Or, are they not that important to you?

I’m a great believer in flexibility. Too many opportunities can be missed if one is too rigid in their thinking and planning. Some people need major amounts of time to plan and get everything in place. I’m not against planning. It’s a good thing. It pays to put in the time to make sure everything is in place, and, hopefully, everything goes perfectly. However, there are times when there is no time. Opportunity knocks. Are you going to open the door…or close the door because you don’t have time?

Opportunity knocked at my studio door last week. I had to think about it – for about a minute. The Arts Factory had some space available for First Friday (which is tonight) and the next two weeks. I had to scramble to put it together. But, it was an opportunity to show my work that I wouldn’t have normally had. I was just taking a show down at LeMur in the Arts Factory that had run all of February. I didn’t have anything lined up for March. So, I gathered up some paintings from my studio and added them to the paintings already at the Arts Factory. I spent a morning hanging them. I had to fit this into my already tight schedule. But, I think it was worth the effort. I could have said, “Sorry, I just don’t have the time.” And, my work would be sitting stacked against my studio walls.

I’m a spontaneous person by nature. So, maybe this was easier for me than someone who is less spontaneous and more comfortable with lots of planning. But, next time opportunity knocks for you, think about it. You might not want to close a door that has opened for you!