Daily Art Fixx

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Earth Day 2011:
Environmental Artists Making a Difference

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It’s Earth Day everyone – a day established to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth and our environment. Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, Earth day is now celebrated on April 22nd in almost every country around the globe.

In celebration of Earth Day 2011, DAF presents five artists whose work raises awareness about our relationship with the earth and/or use materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create their art.

First, what is environmental art? According to GreenMuseum.org, eco-art is “in a general sense, it is art that helps improve our relationship with the natural world. Some environmental art:

  • Informs and interprets nature and its processes, or educates us about environmental problems.
  • Is concerned with environmental forces and materials, creating artworks affected or powered by wind, water, lightning, even  earthquakes.
  • Re-envisions our relationship to nature, proposing new ways for us to co-exist with our environment.
  • Reclaims and remediates damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and often aesthetic ways.

And now the artists:

Lynne Hull has pioneered “trans-species” art, creating sculpture installations as wildlife habitat enhancement, eco-atonement for human impact. She works from the belief that artist creativity can be effectively applied to the urgent situations we face today. Her sculpture and installations provide shelter, food, water or space for wildlife, as eco-atonement for their loss of habitat to human encroachment. Hull’s current projects link communities from Canada to South America through our shared wildlife.

Most of Hull’s artworks function in the temporal gap between the time reclamation of damaged sites begins and the time nature recovers.Her client list includes hawks, eagles, pine martin, osprey, owls, spider monkeys, salmon, butterflies, bees, frogs, toads, newts, bats, beaver, songbirds, otter, rock hyrax, small desert species, waterfowl and occasional humans.  Visit Eco-Art.org to learn more.

Scott Marr uses natural pigments collected from the bush and farmlands including ochres, bark, charcoal, sap, flowers, berries, and the medium of fire to burn drawings (pyrography) onto paper and wood.  Based on a love for drawing, Marr’s artwork looks into the world of  what he calls “bio metamorphics”  symbiosis, energy, or the “alchemy of nature”.

In 2008, Marr won a Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize for his work “We Eat What We Are”. “We eat what we are reveals a creature that is made up of elements of its environment – it is both dependent on and crucial to its ecosystem. The title also alludes to the human tendency to diminish ourselves by eating away at the very environments we depend upon.”

To see more of Scott Marr’s work, visit ScottMarr.blogspot.com.  You can also watch videos of his process on his YouTube channel.

Jason deCaires Taylor gained international recognition for creating the world’s first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies. His underwater sculptures, designed to create artificial reefs for marine life to colonise and inhabit, embrace the transformations wrought by ecological processes. The works engage with a vision of the possibilities of a sustainable future, portraying human intervention as positive and affirmative. Drawing on the tradition of figurative imagery, the aim of Jason de Caires Taylor’s work is to address a wide-ranging audience crucial for highlighting environmental issues beyond the confines of the art world. However, fundamental to understanding his work is that it embodies the hope and optimism of a regenerative, transformative Nature.

The sculptures are sited in clear shallow waters to afford easy access by divers, snorkellers and those in glass-bottomed boats. Viewers are invited to discover the beauty of our underwater planet and to appreciate the processes of reef evolution.  To see more, visit UnderwaterSculpture.com.

Jean-Paul Ganem’s agricultural compositions are found where art is least expected. One of his notable pieces transformed a dumping ground into a field of dynamic wedges of color. The project site contained human waste, and was punctuated by emission pipes from a gas plant nearby. Together with an army of volunteers Ganem cleaned up the site and turned it into something else entirely.

“The colourful land markings and motifs overlap, with varying circular dimensions and shapes. ‘Le Jardin des Capteurs’ introduces the notion that sites for human waste, the detritus of our urban consumer society, can be recycled and beautified as sites, just as the goods and waste that end up there can be.”  To see more, visit JPGanem.com.

Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison: Among the leading pioneers of the eco-art movement, the collaborative team of Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison have worked for almost forty years with biologists, ecologists, architects, urban planners and other artists to initiate collaborative dialogues to uncover ideas and solutions which support biodiversity and community development. The Harrison’s concept of art embraces a breathtaking range of disciplines. They are historians, diplomats, ecologists, investigators, emissaries and art activists.

Past projects have focused on watershed restoration, urban renewal, agriculture and forestry issues among others. The Harrisons’ visionary projects have often led to changes in governmental policy and have expanded dialogue around previously unexplored issues leading to practical implementations throughout the United States and Europe.  To see more, visit TheHarrisonStudio.net.

For more information about environmental art, visit GreenMuseum.org. For more about Earth Day, visit Earth Day Network.

Dan Bentley: Assemblage Art

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Born in an army hospital in Shirley, Massachusetts, Dan Bentley learned to walk and talk in Mineral Wells, Texas, and has lived in Rochester, New York since about 1978.

Dan’s  “build it himself” style of education landed him at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he studied a mix of Engineering and Fine Arts, resulting in a 35 year career as a product designer.

“Since I was a child I have been fascinated by mechanical bits and pieces and how they go together to create things. My parents came to accept that I would disassemble my toys to see how they worked (and reassemble them). I outgrew my Tinker Toys early and spent lots of time building my own toys from “scratch,” putting various found and scrounged objects together to create the next go-cart or rocket. I grew up during the 1960’s when kids still had wood and metal shop classes in school; that’s where I learned the basics of how things are made and the tools used to manufacture them.  My sculptures are the manifestation of the appreciation i have for the products i collect, a labor of love. My mission is to feature the aesthetics of manufactured products in unique sculpture. I collect products that have outlived their original use and recycle them as elements of my art. I strive for my art to pay homage to all product designers by continued appreciation of their talents.”

To see more of Dan Bentley’s work, visit DBentley.com or check out his photostream on Flickr.

James Corbett: Car Part Sculptor

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Queensland Australia artist James Corbett began making sculptures from old car parts in 1999 while running an auto recycling business in Brisbane. A year and a half later, he turned to sculpting full time.

Corbett does not bend any of the parts into shape so the unique integrity of each car part is maintained. “The parts themselves are often interesting, some are as much as eighty years old”, says James.

Corbett’s sculptures are in private collections in Australia,  England, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.A.. For more information about James, visit JamesCorbettArt.com.

Stefan Thompson: Mixed Media

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ums__by_stefan thompson

Canadian artist Stefan Thompson studied environmental science at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

“Since studying environmental science, I have become increasingly aware of our impact on the environment. Realizing that as a painter I was still a part of the ecological problem was very difficult. After much experimentation and research I finally phased out the use of all toxic paints by May of 2007, though I still have much to learn. I cannot truly feel at peace if by creating my art I am also harming the environment.”

To see more of Thompson’s work and learn more about non-toxic painting,  visit StefanThompson.com or check out his profile on Deviant Art.

Justin Gignac: NYC Garbage Art

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justin-gignac-garbage-art

“One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. But New York City’s garbage, well that’s art.” Justin Gignac’s garbage art began as an experiment in package design. Today, NYC Garbage can be found on desks and bookshelves and mantles around the world.

Since around 2002, Gignac has been hand picking trash and arranging it in small plastic cubes that are signed, numbered, and dated. Typical cubes include items such as soda cans, candy wrappers, receipts, event tickets, cigarette butts, coffee cups, newspapers, and parking tickets. In the beginning, Gignac’s cubes sold for $10 to a few intrigued tourists. These days, he has sold over 1,300 cubes in 29 countries for $50 and up.

Found art is not a new idea. Marcel Duchamp coined the term “readymade” to describe his found art in 1915. Since then, found object art has been prevalent in the Dada, Surrealist, and Pop Art movements to name a few. The meaning of found art has expanded over time and now, numerous categories have been defined including assemblage, appropriation, collage, and even Internet based found images that are reworked with computer graphic tools to form new works of art. ⑴

In addition to typical New York City Garbage, Gignac has also produced special edition cubes including opening day at Yankee Stadium, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, Obama’s inauguration, and more.

For more about Justin Gignac, visit  NYCgarbage.com.

Scott Marr: Natural Pigment Pyrography

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the-arsonist-scott-marr

Born in 1976 in St Leonards, Sydney, Australia, Scott Marr uses natural pigments collected from the bush and farmlands including ochres, bark, charcoal, sap, flowers, berries, and the medium of fire to burn drawings (pyrography) onto paper and wood.  Based on a love for drawing, Marr’s artwork looks into the world of  what he calls “bio metamorphics”  symbiosis, energy, or the “alchemy of nature”.

In 2008, Marr won a Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize for his work “We Eat What We Are”.

“We eat what we are reveals a creature that is made up of elements of its environment – it is both dependent on and crucial to its ecosystem. The title also alludes to the human tendency to diminish ourselves by eating away at the very environments we depend upon.”

To see more of Scott Marr’s work, visit ScottMarr.blogspot.com.  You can also watch videos of his process on his YouTube channel.

Sources: Satchi Gallery, National Archives of Australia

Damon Drummond aka Ultrajunk: Found Object Art

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even-robots-get-the-blues-ultrajunk

Damon Drummond aka Ultrajunk is a found object metal artist from Akron, Ohio, USA.  His passions are robots, rayguns, lamps, and anything with a vintage science fiction or future Victoran style. From kitchen stove burners, bicycle headlights, old table legs,  and other odds and ends, Drummond’s creations depend entirely on his daily finds at the scrap yard.

“I am lucky to live very close to 2 salvage scrap yards which I visit every day and scrounge through piles of salvaged metal and rusty goodness. You would not believe what gets scrapped. There is new junk every day so I never get tired of going there.”

To see more Ultrajunk, visit Damon’s photostream on Flickr.

Related Books:
Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques and Projects
Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art
Found Object Art II

Sources: Junk Market Style

Art-E-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts XII

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1. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as pokerwork  or wood burning. Pyrography means “writing with fire” and is the traditional art of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood, leather, paper, etc. The process has been practiced by a number of cultures including the Egyptians and some African tribes since the dawn of recorded time. Pyrography is also a traditional folk art in many European countries, including Romania, Hungary, as well as countries such as Argentina in South America.

2. Fabergé Eggs are a symbol of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller’s art. The House of Fabergé made thousands of jeweled eggs  from 1885 through 1917. The most famous eggs  were the larger Imperial Easter Eggs made for Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia. Fabergé was given complete creative freedom in creating the eggs.  The only stipulations were that each egg must be unique and must contain a surprise. The eggs were made with precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones.

3. Environmental Art is art that helps improve and create awareness about our relationship with the natural world. It may include the use of  recycled/ reclaimed materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create art. It may also interpret nature and its processes, educate us about environmental problems, and show concern about environmental forces and materials.  Artists may create artwork that is powered by wind, water, lightning, earthquakes etc. that  re-envisions or  propose new ways for us to co-exist with our environment. It may reclaim and remediate damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and aesthetic ways.

4. Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso. He was named after various saints and relatives. The “Picasso” is actually from his mother, Maria Picasso y Lopez. His father is named Jose Ruiz Blasco.

5. Early Art Education teaches children: to be more tolerant and open, promotes individuality, and self-confidence, improves academic performance, helps develop basic mental and physical capabilities, and improves interpersonal communications.  Young people who participate in the arts every week are more likely to participate and be recognized in academic activities such as math and science.

Related Books:
The Art Lover’s Almanac : Serious Trivia for the Novice and the Connoisseur
Facts On File Encyclopedia Of Art ( 5 vol. set)

Sources: Wikipedia (pyrography), DAF (Faberge), DAF (Environmental Art), Neatorama (Picasso), Olney Elementary Visual Arts

Earth Day 2010:
5 Eco-Artists Making a Difference

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Own World © Jerico Santander

It’s Earth Day everyone – a day established to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth and our environment. Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970, Earth day is now celebrated on April 22nd in almost every country around the globe.

In celebration of Earth Day 2010, I present five artists whose work raises awareness about our relationship with the earth and/or use materials and resources in an eco-friendly way to create their art.

First, what is environmental art? According to GreenMuseum.org, eco-art is “in a general sense, it is art that helps improve our relationship with the natural world. Some environmental art:

  • Informs and interprets nature and its processes, or educates us about environmental problems.
  • Is concerned with environmental forces and materials, creating artworks affected or powered by wind, water, lightning, even  earthquakes.
  • Re-envisions our relationship to nature, proposing new ways for us to co-exist with our environment.
  • Reclaims and remediates damaged environments, restoring ecosystems in artistic and often aesthetic ways.

And now the artists:

1. Sara Hall: Glass Artist – Hall’s recent work  in architectural glass focuses on the integration of art and solar technology.  Energy that is gathered through the solar cells is used to illuminate both the artwork and its surroundings at night.  Hall says, “By forging an image with a source of renewable energy, we create a powerful story about how we can live in this world:  It gives us a chance to dream about who we can be.”  See more at SaraHallStudio.com.

2. Chris Jordan: Photography/Digital Art – Jordan’s photographs and digital photo compilations depict images of western culture’s consumerism revealing the startling statistics of our daily consumption. He transforms the data about everyday items such as paper cups, cell phones, plastic bottles, and other mass produced goods, and makes large-format, long-zoom artwork.  “Collectively we are committing a vast and unsustainable act of taking, but we each are anonymous and no one is in charge or accountable for the consequences. I fear that in this process we are doing irreparable harm to our planet and to our individual spirits.” See more at Chris Jordan.com. An inspiring TED talk is featured on Daily Art Fixx here.

3. John Dahlsen: Environmental Assemblage Art – Australian artist Dahlsen creates works of art  from the vast quantities of plastic and litter washed up along the Victorian coastline. Dahlsen says, “Making this art has been a way of sharing my messages for the need to care for our environment with a broad audience. I feel that even if just a fraction of the viewing audience were to experience a shift in their awareness and consciousness about the environment and art, through being exposed to this artwork then it would be worth it.” See more at JohnDahlsen.com.

4. Laurie Chetwood: Architecture – Chetwood’s “Urban Oasis” opened on 19th June 2006 as a temporary structure on Clerkenwell Green and is a demonstration of sustainability and renewable energy working. The 12 metre high kinetic structure mimics the design of a growing flower: its photovoltaic “petals” open and close in response to the sun and the moon utilizing daylight to generate power. This is supplemented by a hydrogen fuel cell and wind turbine to make it self-sufficient. It even uses rainwater it has collected for irrigation and cooling. At the base, the Oasis has five “pods” inside which people are secluded from the noisy and polluted city surroundings, enjoying cleaner cooled air and relaxing sounds.  See more at Chetwoods.com.  See the Oasis in action here on YouTube.

5. Aurora Robson: Sculpture – New York based artist Robson uses everyday waste such as discarded plastic bottles and junk mail to create intricate sculptures, installations, and collages. In the past year, Robson has intercepted about 30,000 bottles, saving them from their ultimate destination at the landfill or costly recycling plants. The fate of her junk mail follows a similar path and have now become part of her stunning ink collages. Robson’s environmentally conscious works grew out of her love and appreciation for nature and from the nightmares she had as a child. Her goal is to “take something inherently negative and transform it into something positive.” Her art is “ultimately about recognizing and embracing new possibilities while encouraging others to do the same.” See more at AuroraRobson.com.

For more information about eco-art, visit GreenMuseum.org. For more about Earth Day, visit Earth Day Network.

Related Books:
Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist
Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle
Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids (Bright Ideas for Learning)