"Shared Dreams," one of my large scale (80x96 inches) photoencaustic paintings is showing in Atlanta at the Gallery Walk at Terminus, from June, 20 through September 9, 2014.
Special thanks to the art installers who came to pick up my work and then waited patiently in the hot sun for the locksmith to arrive at my studio. And thanks to Decatur Lock and Key for extracting the broken (and useless) key from my impenetrable studio door and saving the day!
Based on my (slightly larger) photo-encaustic painting, "Time Stops," this two-sided installation piece was created in 2011 for a month long exhibition at The Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
It was an experimental process for me that was designed to withstand the wet, harsh (for art) conditions in the Fuqua Conservatory. After the exhibition, I have been testing the limits of the piece by subjecting it to continual rain, sun, and abuse.
Today, the piece is officially retired.
The structure of the piece was created with modified hollow core doors. The water proofing was multiple layers of UV stabilized epoxy made for boats. Ultimately, water got in through the hinges that held the panels together and the piece began deteriorating from the inside out. The image itself was well preserved; I couldn't detect any fading.
My next test piece will hang rather than sit an the ground. I'll try some minimal yearly maintenance; a clear silicone spray around the edges and on the hanging hardware. Hopefully that will be enough to extend the piece's life to at least 5 years.
NUMBERS is a 12x12 inch mixed media painting made with recycled wood tiles and rare earth magnets. Each tile can be flipped, rotated and/or and moved to anywhere on the painting.
There are millions of possible configurations.
I love the tactile quality of art.
This piece and others like it are my attempt at expanding the physical experience of art. I made this body of work to be touched and handled by the viewer. The tiles are irregular and smooth from multiple sandings; they have a depth and a weight to them. The reclaimed wood that they are made of has a history of it own.
Artists always get to touch their own work, for me it is one of the great joys of making art. I hope that by creating work that is made to be handled, I am able to pass on that same joy to others.
I am also interested in shifting the role of the artist.
I have embedded a small rare earth magnet in each tile. This allows the tiles to be moved around endlessly within the piece, neatly holding themselves wherever they are placed. With each repositioning of the tile, the look and feel and meaning of the piece shifts.
I have attempted to make what I think of as the ingredients for a piece of art. With my videos I offer possible configurations, but ultimately I have left it to the viewer. Whoever is standing in front of the physical piece can change and rearrange the tiles based on their mood, tastes, whims, and desires. With this work, I the artist, am happy to step aside.
For a short while longer this and other "tile pieces" are available to be viewed, touched, and manipulated at Gallery One in Nashville.
.jpg "\"Time Stops\" installation at The Atlanta Botanical Gardens by Maggie Hasbrouck")
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