Niels Kongsbak & Kay Sarver, acrylic, oil, graphite on paper
Niels Kongsbak, acrylic on paper I have been playing with a couple of different projects since my recent show at Lawndale Art Center. One of my favorites is the retablo show, also at Lawndale – Dia de los Muertos, which coincides with the Mexican tradition of honoring and visiting the dead. The exhibit, which runs from October 19th – November 7th, is a yearly fund-raiser for the non-profit art space, and it always proves to be well worth viewing the nearly 300 artists' donated creations.
An 8”x 10” piece of tin is issued to each artist, as they must use it in some way to create their final piece. I have cut them up, painted them, hammered, sanded, shined and adorned them with various materials, including wire and wood, all for the satisfying pursuit to come up with something unique each year. This kind of project often inspires other ideas that could flourish into a new series, if I am lucky. That would be a happy accident, because after producing a series like Studio Junkies, I am not really certain what direction I will take next.
The other piece I have worked on is for a Danish/American collaboration titled RØRPOST, which has been mostly put together by a couple of members in my art critique group – Art Chatter. They would be Donna E. Perkins and Renata Lucia, thank you both very much! This has been an interesting challenge for me, to say the least. I have collaborated with other artists in the past, but we have always done our own separate piece, either in response to each others work, or we each created around a chosen theme.
An 8”x 10” piece of tin is issued to each artist, as they must use it in some way to create their final piece. I have cut them up, painted them, hammered, sanded, shined and adorned them with various materials, including wire and wood, all for the satisfying pursuit to come up with something unique each year. This kind of project often inspires other ideas that could flourish into a new series, if I am lucky. That would be a happy accident, because after producing a series like Studio Junkies, I am not really certain what direction I will take next.
The other piece I have worked on is for a Danish/American collaboration titled RØRPOST, which has been mostly put together by a couple of members in my art critique group – Art Chatter. They would be Donna E. Perkins and Renata Lucia, thank you both very much! This has been an interesting challenge for me, to say the least. I have collaborated with other artists in the past, but we have always done our own separate piece, either in response to each others work, or we each created around a chosen theme.
Kay Sarver, graphite on paper Working on the same piece with another artist poses a few new challenges. One is knowing how much to do if you are the artist starting the piece. There really are no rules here, and that happily coincides with the nature of an artist, so it follows that this has been more than interesting to see what others have created to send to their collaborative partner.
Some pieces looked rather finished to me, and others, like the one I did (right), may have been too sparse or simple? I guess this is all part of what makes this a good exercise in learning to stretch ourselves as artists. It has not been without a few bumps in the road, and a tiny moment or two out of my comfort zone, but thus far, I am actually pleased with the idea that we chose to take on this project. I really look forward to seeing the finished works!
Some pieces looked rather finished to me, and others, like the one I did (right), may have been too sparse or simple? I guess this is all part of what makes this a good exercise in learning to stretch ourselves as artists. It has not been without a few bumps in the road, and a tiny moment or two out of my comfort zone, but thus far, I am actually pleased with the idea that we chose to take on this project. I really look forward to seeing the finished works!
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