Assemblages and Functional Art
A collection of artworks that feature painting, combined with antique ephemera, found object, and modified objects. Each one is very unique, and all come ready to hang, with a history of the objects included.
"Lady Blue", 2020
Nature as commodity and convenience.
The cubes in the top left corner are removable, and are covered on each side with words, that can be moved and placed anywhere.
1936 Monopoly card, vintage and antique cards, dried flowers, brass clam and whale, metal warship, old watch faces, all set to 11:55 pm., and other shiny, and not so shiny things.
The Queen of Hearts has really lost her head.
Alice in Wonderland. We are down a rabbit hole, and we have the key, we just don't want to use it.
There are bingo numbers, as so much is based on luck, and the ability to see it fast enough.
A Megalodon sharks tooth and vertebrae, a hanging brass lantern, a Wade jumping fish, and so much more. It's a long game, we are new to the table, might as well have something to look at.
The vintage 'submarine topography map of the world', is surrounded by shells, coral, sea urchin fragments, marbles, matchbooks, Players cards, stamps, Art Deco illustration, bullet casings and so much more. Everything is interrelated, and it's more than can be described.
It's more interesting to look at the work, and the world, and come to your own conclusions.
The flash bulb, the fish tail, the brass face, the stamp, and the Queen of Hearts still has one of her heads. Handmade paper from OCADU, and a very old map......
The theme of time and direction is reinforced in many of the boxes, but there is always a hint of hope.
We can break apart the laws of antiquity.
The clock faces in this piece are from from Hy's in Baltimore, a multi-generational hardware store.
It is not just fish and mermaids who depend on the seas and oceans.
Humans, birds, turtles, shellfish, plants and coral, and so much more, are at stake. The maps of oceans, seas, and lakes, are overlapped and blended, as are we.
Alice in Wonderland is a metaphor for how far we have fallen down the rabbit hole, and that we cannot agree on what is actually happening with our climate and our lives.
There are always locks and keys, we just need to know when we are locked in, and when we are locked out.
A close up, upper left side. Lost cities, a skull, a bullet casing, and sand and fossils.
"Tangled Destinies", 2020
Everything is connected.
This piece started with an antique box I found in the basement of preachers house, at an auction. The age and patina were beautiful, and the spaces were large enough for some extraordinary objects. The woman on top was collected over a dozen years ago at an estate sale, and was just waiting for the right place to live.
The image inside are all about the history of humankind, and the icons and causes that seem to drive us. All ephemera and objects are authentic, they are not reproductions or craft accessories.
With each assemblage, there is a history of the objects contained within, and they are put together with archival materials
Vintage milk caps, vanilla extract, tin and metal soldiers from various cultures, Belgian domino piece, eagle, antique dice, and much more.
Vintage clock parts, metal typewriter pencil sharpener (works), tin soldiers, washers, antique children's books, and much more.
Antique soldier doll, whose eyes open and close, vintage bingo pieces, shells, and more.
Vintage Monopoly pieces, match covers, tin donkey from a nativity scene, ceramic doll hand, and much more.
"Off to the Races", 2019
We all like to play games at some point.
This piece is comprised of a variety of found objects, including vintage and antique ephemera, paint tubes, seashells, glass pearls, keys, milk caps, liquor labels, birch bark and much more.
Since much of the material that found its way into the piece had the essence of movement, time passage, and sports and leisure, the title seemed to fit.
Baby head, crayfish, coral, Monkey Shoulder Scotch, labels, antique keys, rulers, birch bark, vintage terrier, bolts, old oil paint, game dice, metal warrior and more.
Metal tank, roses, glass pearls, vintage domino, bingo and horse game pieces, coral, crayfish, antique compass, ride tickets and more.
Budgie, skull, saxophone, Decca record label, bolt, fighter jet and metal war ship, glass pearls, 1937 horoscope and 1937 penny, vintage ruler, oil paint and more.
"Soldier Boy", 2019
We all fight for something
This piece is in a very old letterpress type tray, and contains a huge variety of antique and vintage ephemera, objects, and paint.
The piece overall is about the randomness of life, duty, and the paths we take. The two very old dolls close their eyes when the work is flat (the piece is named after the soldier boy), and the wooden matches are removable and functional.
Antique photo, baby doll, washer, vintage labels, game cards, tickets, and rulers, handmade paper and more.
Baby hand, measuring tape, oil paint, wooden matches, sheet music, milk cap, labels and more.
Antique soldier doll, cannon, dogs, domino piece, spool, metal ad plats, quartz, stamps, handmade paper and more.
Vintage monopoly tophat, Lincoln and stamps, orchid, bingo card and piece, vintage tobacco cards and Tetley figure of Old King Cole, and more.
Black Diamond
This piece is comprised of a variety of nautical, musical, and gaming objects and ephemera. There are vintage match covers, shells, tin ad plates, an iron mermaid, and much more. The stag at the top is from a Dalmore Scotch bottle, and the mermaid is from Fells Point, on the shores of Chesapeake bay.
The work is evokes fun and adventure, as well as human activities, progress, and travel. It is an adventure in looking, and each piece is the original, not a reproduction. The compass is functional, and the Monopoly card is from 1936.
As each piece begins, there are countless options and ideas. Once it has started, the work often dictates the direction, and the end result is a narrative that has come together to tell the story of the objects.
This old milk cap, mandolin string cover, compass, metal jet game piece, stamps and more.
Bobby Orr's head, tin ad piece, vintage dice, milk cap, dictionary entries, and NYC rail tickets.
Winston Churchill stamp, 1936 Monopoly card, ceramic bird and tree, coral, match covers, metal soldiers, and much more.