FOUND OBJECT ASSEMBLAGE ECO-ART

If you feel as strongly as I do about protecting

our world, please leave a comment about

saving our lands, our waters, our national parks. 

MIS-MANAGED, 2020, 18" tall

Hazard symbols painted in acrylic

Doll body encrusted with bits of rusty metal.

A different doll head adhered, painted, and altered.

Wood, metal, nails
(Free-standing or wall-hung)

 

Thanks for looking, and do come back again!

                                                               Paula

NOT A PAINTING: EX VOTO ASSEMBLAGE

YOU CAN BUILD AN ASSEMBLAGE WITH HEART

I'm happy to take you through my process, especially since this shrine or construction is very dear to me. I knew and loved a young man who was on the wrong path, wild and a bit rowdy sometimes. He nearly died in a car crash, and was left with head injuries. (He's much better now, many years later, thankfully.)

Here you can see a toy car and small head in the upper part of the photo.

I based this new  assemblage roughly on a
votive offering placed in a church or shrine
as thankfulness for a miracle received.

Mexican retalblos are small oil paintings, generally made
on tin. An ex voto is a votive offering to
a divinity, usually Christian. Read more  about them here:
(click on this link)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-voto

  Materials I used:

Strong, clear adhesive 

Wooden shelf, picture frame, and small box
Found objects (many are pictured below)
Discarded beads
Acrylic paints: Diox. purple, Quin. red and Quin. gold,
    Mars black, Titanium white, and Ultramarine blue. 

Copper patina

I decided against some of these objects and altered others.

  Traditionally written (usually at the bottom) are inscriptions, names, dates, and stories of miraculous recoveries and escapes. I chose not to do that.
For more history on ex votos and info on modern, current ones, click here:
http://www.mariolinasalvatori.com/understanding-ex-votos/

This might have been where my friend had gone if he had died years ago.

Here's a close-up, below, of the broken, burnt glass that sits below the devil.

I also put rusty barbed wire just below 

that (not too visible, sorry), and again 

where "Hell" ends, just below the car and boy.

Here you can see the beads and the costume jewelry pin.

My recent assemblages might seem a little sinister

to some of you...I mean, Medusa? Now this!

But I have always loved icons and myths.

Have I gone to the dark side? 

What's your opinion? I'd love to know.

Below is a link to a much sillier assemblage

that I created quite a long while ago.

Circus and clown!

BELOW, A FULL VIEW OF THE FINISHED PIECE!

Do you think this is appropriated art? 

I'd love to hear your comments! This was a love project for me, and

I feel I've put my own, original stamp on the artwork. And I didn't include any inscription or a saint although I do have religious elements in the top half of the piece.  (There is also an image you can't see of a saintly figure, in the dark, under the hand.) 
Do you find it too depressing or ominous, with the devil and horns?  

I do need a title for this piece, so if you have a good idea, 

please let me know!

Thanks for viewing this post. I appreciate you.   ---  Paula

                                        

 

ASSEMBLAGE, FOUND ART OBJECTS, SCULPTURE, STEP-BY-STEP

I've been a fan of myths and legends since I was a child. Medusa, especially, caught my fancy.

She was a Gorgon, but before that she was a beauty. Raped by Poseidon, cursed by Athena, she was said to have wings. One of her sons was the winged Pegasus.

I always have a concept in mind before I begin.

I also prefer to build upon a structure or support.

Below I've pictured a few of the materials I

gathered ahead of time. Didn't use them all!

 

The costume pin reminded me of snakes!

I often change my plans as I go. Materials not shown are an old rubber ball and a metal ball-chain necklace that "fancied up" the edges later. Of course I also used paints (acrylics) & adhesives.

I cut the doll's rubber "hair" off and

affixed the ball to the face, to serve

as forehead and top of head. When

dry & secure, I punched holes in the

"scalp" and glued in the toy snakes.

The baby-doll face was waaaay too

cute, so I created her unsightly nose

and mouth from molding paste.

 

I adhered the lovely face image looking down at Medusa, and placed her in a bubble of glass (slightly domed, from a small picture frame).

 Below is a detail of the topmost part. Note the blue eyes on either side of the "turned-to-stone" figure--because, you know, MEDUSA!

The horse's wings came from a composite angel.



Another close-up, below, of the 2 key-chain "snakes."  

On the two outer sides, I made marks: ancient Greek symbols.
They seemed too obvious until I partially obscured them.

This "junk art" can be either a tabletop piece or wall-hung.     

Most of the materials were either discards or thrift-shop finds.

  

In need of more assemblage art inspiration? There are many more examples on this site.

 





Assemblage, The Legend of Theseus

The myth of the Minotaur always fascinated me, and I had this boy doll, see. Found a single bookend (not a pair, mind you!) with a bull on it, and then a wooden shelf-hanging thing at the thrift shop. I had to take out one of the shelves, then add my very own "grotto" or cave from the labyrinth. Foam insulation from a can did the trick.
Some cutting, glueing, and painting ensued, as well as a few Halloween decorations and yes, those tiny swords that spear olives in a bar! Not that I drink or anything, heh heh.


Lots of texture!

This can be wall-hung or free-standing. Why not try your own interpretation of a myth or legend? Pick one that really inspires you!

Rainy Day Blues: Other Kind Artists' (work that I love!)

Blue has always been one of my fave colors...you gals out there will understand when I speak of a vivid blue dress I had as a kid. Loved that dress to pieces!

This is titled Ignorance. Isn't it great?!

The mixed media piece above is by Meera Rao, a very talented artist. See her blog at http://artbymeera.blogspot.com/search?q=ignorance

This fantastic collage, below, is by Lynn Edwards. Find more of her well-designed work at https://lynnedwardsart.blogspot.com/


One of Lynn's Boho series (all terrific!)

The sculpture is by Empress Wu, a gifted gal by the name of Wilma Simmons, and is part of a series. This one is Perseverance. The exterior  "walls" are gesso painted fabric, with layered gauze, newspaper, and tea bag paper, amongst other media and techniques. I admire her work very much!

http://empresswu.blogspot.com/

My gratitude to the wonderful artists who allowed me to show some of their "blue" works! You women are the greatest! (I almost said girls, but, you know.)


Original Sin: The Theme for a New Assemblage

The title is Eve, naturally!

I'll start with some of the materials and how I begin most of my assemblages or shrines. Then I'll show you how I actually start (Hint: It's with the support! No surprise there.) Finally, I'll explain my planning process and, at last, display several views of the finished piece.

I've begun painting the inside of this wooden box.

If you've been longing to assemble a found-object sculpture, you will likely choose to build it 

Possible containers to hold an assemblage.

in or on a support of some kind. It's my choice to use adhesives rather than power tools or welding. (I'd probably burn the house down or cut off a body part that I'm rather attached to!) 

Do you have an idea, a theme, even a motif that you'd like to use? It's easy to come up with inspirational concepts if you are passionate about particular ideals. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but (ugh, a cliche) follow your heart! What are your obsessions?

It helps to pull out some of the junk you've been saving--some of it might spark an idea.

 

I gather objects and materials that may fit my theme, trying to use what I already have (but a trip to the thrift shop might be necessary).



I didn't use the butterflies shown here.

Next, I plan on paper, a rough idea of what goes where, but I advise to stay flexible and change your plans as needed. With Eve, I altered the box, the figure, the Garden elements, even the snake with acrylic paint and/or modeling paste. A sharp little hand saw and a pair of pliers were also necessary. 

Stucco, metal & plastic leaves, & pa

Notice that I added another boxy element on the top to balance, hold the viewer's eye, and unify. The piece was inexpensive to create, and it can even be wall-hung if desired.

Can you find the eye of God?

 

Here's the back view:



Major texture.

 

 

 

 

                                         



NEW ASSEMBLAGE CREATED WITH FOUND OBJECTS

I'm so very pleased that Lynn Edwards is featuring this in-the-round sculpture on her blog right now! See more about the piece there, and don't miss her stunning work, at http://lynnedwardsart.blogspot.com/ (Lynn also has a professional site at http://www.lynnedwardsart.com/home.)



 Time, Where Have You Gone was motivated by thoughts of how quickly
the years pass...too quickly!







One side view.





Back view.

DOLL DRESS & DOLL PARTS = COLLAGE / PAINTING

This artwork, in pinks and greens, uses a complementary color scheme.


Notice the arms and legs are from different dolls!

The dress, while adhered very well with acrylic medium, adds texture to the piece.

ASSEMBLAGE w/ PLASTER OF PARIS FLOWERS

A SHRINE ENTITLED 
LOOSE IS THE GRASP

 

This found-object sculpture is not really a shadowbox, exactly, but I would call it an altered art assemblage.

 

I dipped fabric flowers in plaster to create the petals.

The top arch (behind the flowers) is a metal soap dish. I applied a 

patina to it.

Yes, plaster flowers are quite fragile, but I painted and sealed them.

 

The housing was a clock at one time. Now it has a crackle finish. The doll hands did not go with the doll head.


The neck "ruffle" was a metal cog of some kind. Below that, 2 brownie or girl scout pins and a

coin, again with patina.

I repeated the arch, sort of, inside the box and behind

the big doll head, with another metal arch (latticed) and a painted porcelain medallion (the small head).

 

Thanks for viewing this post!

 

CIRCUS CLOWN ASSEMBLAGE

Found objects include doll parts, rubber balls, and felt stars.


The "happy" side, a close-up of the assemblage.

   The sad side, below. This was a hoot to make!

The feet of this assemblage are doll shoes!



I blended the joint with acrylic paint so they'd match up better.



Can you think of a good title for this work?
Something about being two-faced

seems a bit too obvious to me.

 

Thanks for viewing this post!   

 



 

 

Three Assemblages with Found Objects & Recycled Materials

I used doll hands for his gloves.

I want to preserve the earth's resources as much as you do, and (like you) I try to save money and re-use things. These three sculptures may not be your cup of tea, but they're each different and I hope you find them interesting!

The first is a papier mache superhero. Doesn't he
look like he knows what he's doing? His bandy legs
make me laugh.
When the paste was dry, I painted him with acrylics
and then collaged on a few bright magazine pieces.
I sealed the piece with acrylic medium.

 

The next altered art sculpture is terribly weird!        

An old duck decoy, some plastic dinosaur legs,

a doll head, and part of a toy with wheels.

Hell On Wheels, by Paula Guhin

The last assemblage or altered art sculpture today is simply a plastic
 jug, cut and reassembled with other plastic jug parts added.

An altered art project that's easy to make.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 





CREATE LIGHTCATCHERS with TRANSPARENCIES

Hang these sun catchers in a window for maximum effect!

Materials:

        1.  A photograph printed on a transparency

          2.  Assorted beads, feathers, charms, etc.

          3. Jewelry findings and tools

          4. Ornate picture frame of your choice
 

Note the leaves, star, moons, and color choices!

 
 

How To:

         1. Select an image that's not too dark over-all. The two photos shown here were my own, original pictures. Print the transparency sized with your frame in mind, if you already have one. I bought both metal frames shown here at a thrift shop for pennies.

          2. I add my enhancements (bits of old costume jewelry, etc.) to the frame before I go on to the next step. TIP: I choose bead colors and bits and bobs that fit my theme!

          3. Be sure you have a hanging device, too. Above, the gold tassel works.

          4. Cut the image to fit and glue it into the frame with the shiny side of the transparency to the front.

Even a heritage image works! See the tiny clock?

Buy it here!

These projects and many more appear in the Kindle edition of the very reasonably-priced book, Adventures in Photo Artistry!