The art community was saddened this week by the loss of Robert Rauschenberg, a true pioneer in the mixed-media art world. The New York Times offers a substantial grouping of Rauschenberg-related links by way of tribute here, including two slideshows. Be sure not to miss this wonderful opportunity to read more about Rauschenberg and his work. To quote from his NYT obituary, "...Mr. Rauschenberg defied the traditional idea that an artist stick to one medium or style. He pushed, prodded and sometimes reconceived all the mediums in which he worked."
For a moving tribute by the talented Michael deMeng, visit his Assemblog. We all join him in tipping our brushes to this master of mixed media.
Hi! Christine here. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I had the great fortune to attend MakerFaire in San Francisco earlier this month. And the even greater fortune of meeting one of their featured crafters, Moxie. I attended her demo on making monsters and loved her carefree yet caring approach to them. Her work is featured in the book Plush You! by Kristen Rask and well as in volume 6 of Craft: magazine, so check them out yourself!
Happy Friday, everyone! Jessica, here. As you all know, the winner of this month’s challenge will receive a copy of Secrets of Rusty Things by Michael deMeng (click here if you're in the UK), and it couldn’t be a more fitting prize. A self-proclaimed alchemist, Michael is truly the master of reinventing the discarded, the aged, the distressed, the forgotten and the just plain ordinary in his art. He doesn’t just use found objects in his work. He transforms them completely into intricately constructed pieces laden with meaning and even mythology. Students of Michael’s workshops always rave about the experience, and it’s no wonder. By the very nature of the work, every piece is an adventure that you begin without knowing exactly where you might end up. They leave with a piece that is unlike anything they’ve ever created, and with the contagious enthusiasm that comes from working side-by-side with a truly talented individual.
I've had a few adventures of my own with Mr. deMeng. I’d been fascinated with his work ever since reading his book during its production, but I didn’t have the good fortune to meet Michael in person until a trade show in New York just as Secrets of Rusty Things was first hitting the shelves. His demonstration was the last one scheduled at our booth that day, so as he wrapped up, I introduced myself and we decided to share a cab—we both were headed to a North Light dinner that night. Unfortunately, as everyone poured out of the convention center at once, we were unable to find an unoccupied cab. More unfortunately, I had been walking the floor all day carrying bags of catalogues and wearing high heels that, in retrospect, were not the wisest choice (but ladies, how can one not strive to wear fabulous shoes in New York City, land of Sarah Jessica Parker?). Most unfortunately, it began to rain. I was a bit embarrassed (to put it mildly) when Michael noticed that I was about to crumble onto the sidewalk (the fact that I was, shall we say, having a hard time keeping up, um, might have tipped him off). After some arguing (oh, no, I’d be fine, he should just walk on ahead and leave me there on the sidewalk with my pile of catalogues—I’d be fine! Really! I heart NY!), he insisted on carrying my bags, and we decided with mutual fake reluctance that the best option was to grab a drink and wait out the crowds and the clouds. I quickly learned that Michael is a stand-up kind of guy. I don’t even mind when now he greets me with, “Jess! I see you are wearing sensible shoes!”
In support of this month’s challenge, Michael agreed to answer a few questions exclusively for MyCraftivity. How lucky are we? And now, before I change my mind about posting the above story, without further ado, my latest conversation with Michael deMeng.
What (and when) was your very first assemblage? How did it come about? My first assemblage … hmmmm. That would probably be my pinecone and glitter Xmas ornament. Or was it my toothpick log cabin? Well, I suppose if I had to nail down a particular instance where I first made an “educated” assemblage piece, it would have been a large 5x4 piece of plywood in which I jumbled a random bunch of mannequin parts together, then covered it in plaster and then painted it. This was in college. It came about because it was what I had come across and decided to mess with it. Interestingly I did not go back to assemblage for ten years after that … in the form of a shovel shrine.
Transforming found objects is at the heart of your process. Was there ever a consciousness that you were being aware of being earth-friendly with your art, or is that just a happy natural extension of assemblage by its very nature? As much as I would love to say I was interested in the concept assemblage because of its association with recycling, I just wouldn’t be true. The earth friendly part was a happy bi-product. Perhaps there is something subliminal going on. I will say this, though: What ultimately lead to my shovel shrine was seeing the glass of burnt-out lightbulbs being used as plant vases in Mexico. I was so struck with how nothing seems to be wasted (i.e. broken bottles in concrete in place of barbed wire for security) that it made rethink the discarded.
Missoula is a beautiful place. How does it influence your work? Missoula…is that where I live? I travel so much these days it doesn’t seem like I have a home. Missoula in an inspirational place, not so much in the environment or the setting (at least for my style) but because it has a very vibrant arts community that promotes edgy and new ideas.
Your travels to Mexico have also had a deep impact on your art. What is it about the Mexican culture that you most hope to capture or convey in the work that results from your experiences there? I would say that Mexico is a perfect spectrum from the earthy, kitschy and banal to the spiritual, sacred and beautiful. Everything in Mexico seems to gradiate from these extremes. The most everyday item is often exalted and the converse is true. Fascinating.
While we’re on the subject, I have to ask: What’s your ideal meal to order in Mexico? Well, you start off with an order of with a Sol cerveza con limones (lime) and some cacajuates (peanuts dried garlic with a salty chile seasoning). From there we move to nice order of cerviche (shrimp or fish cooked by the acids in lime juice) for a main I’ll order a chicken or pork mol’e (a Oaxaca chocolate based sauce), sometimes this dish in the form of a banana leaf tamale. Delish. For dessert…anything chocolate….Oaxaca is chocolate city or perhaps plantanos flameados (fried bananas in orange, cinnamon, etc. and mescal). To finish the evening I most definitely will have a nice mescal (similar to tequila but specific to Oaxaca and better). I’ll usually order it “con sangrita” meaning you get a side shot of a tomato/citris, chile drink, that you sip after each sip of mescal. Also delish.
This year you spent time living in Australia. What was your favorite artistic experience there? Well, I have been spending a fair amount of time at the auctions…kind of a fun experience. The best buys are in the big lots. You can really get caught up in the excitement and spend too much. Also getting to see what sort of goodies they have at the flea markets and antique stores. Each culture’s goodies are little different.
Is it difficult for you to work when you’re not in your studio at home? What key things do you need to have? Paint!!!!!! Glue!!!!!! Dremel!!!!!! Junk!!!!!! The rest is luxury items, but if I have that stuff I can get by.
What advice do you have for artists currently working in other mediums who would like to experiment with assemblage? Don’t be afraid of the Third Dimension. For those 2D’ers, try sticking some stuff to a canvas and start painting like you normally would. It’s a fun experiment.
