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.

 





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.

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!

 

Arts and Crafts are Alive In Mexico!

I'm still smiling from a lovely week in La Paz, Mexico. Be sure to get there soon, while it's still relatively unspoiled. I stayed in a wonderful inn near the beach, and loved the basin in my room.

A work of art and fine craftsmanship!

Along the Malecon I saw this giant sculpture made entirely of discarded plastic bottles. What a great visual to remind us of the importance of reusable water bottles.

Shark Sculpture

I took a day trip to Todos Santos, where I found this marvelous wooden shutter made of twigs, below.

Weathered twig assemblage.          

Fell in love with  a ceramic mask, below,
and could not resist a Day of the
Dead magnet!                               

It's made of bread dough!

Ceramic mask purchased in a Todos Santos gallery.

Inside the Todos Santos Church

New Altered Art Assemblage or Shrine

Freedom Flight

11 X 15"



Construction within a frame.



Collage (in part), as well as acrylic paint, glues, bird's wings, a dried root, ceramic birds, and more. See the rusty metal trowel "arch" behind the figure?

              
           Here are links to other assemblages using altered art: http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-create-altered-art-doll.html  and
http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2012/07/altered-art-assemblage-contest-winner.html and
http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2012/05/assemblage-in-memorial-to-mom.html

Assemblage in Memorial to Mom

My mother was amazing. She could do anything she set her mind to, it seemed to me. I created this shrine to honor her. 
It's about 15" high.

Thanks for viewing this post on Mixed Media Manic!