Finished Mail Art. Sending off to Australia, France, South Africa, USA, Canada and Portugal.
“Earth Works” series.
Gocco screen print. Distress inks. Stencil. Thread. Collage. Coloured pencil on vintage graph paper and found cardboard packaging.
Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art.
September 2014 – March 2015
I am excited to announce my environmental art object I created for the Landfillart project in 2009, has just been selected to be part of an environmental installation at the The Museum of Shenandoah Valley in Virginia USA later this year. I will send more info. closer to the opening.
“I chose to be part of this project because I believe in the power of art to move… to encourage change. For me ‘This’ project demonstrates ‘The Power of Art’ to pass on important concerns about our fragile ecological state whilst giving examples of how we can recycle and reuse in creative ways.”Jenny Davis
Dear Landfillart Artist:
Today, World Environment Day of the United Nations—an annual celebration to encourage positive environmental action—is the perfect time to inform you that the artwork you created and donated to the Landfillart Project will be included in the exhibition Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art.
The exhibition will open September 7, 2014, at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV), in Winchester, Virginia, USA, and be on exhibit through March 1, 2015. Yours is one of 287 objects selected out of more than 1,000 artworks now in the Landfillart Collection. The exhibition presents work from artists in every U.S. state and 35 other countries. The dense, visually exciting installation has a strong environmental message and will incorporate WASTE NOT from the Green Revolution “eco-zibit,” which is based on an exhibition originally created by the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, and its Black Creativity Council and made available by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
Congratulations on your inclusion in Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art. We hope to see you in Winchester to celebrate this exciting exhibition with us.
Dana Hand Evans
Executive Director, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
Ken Marquis
Founder, The Landfillart Project
In Transit.
Using trickery and lies, Australian Navy and Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a boat carrying asylum seekers in December 2012. They were told they would be taken to Christmas island and transferred onto a small lifeboat and handed a document that said: “You only have enough fuel to reach land in Indonesia. You do not have enough fuel to continue your voyage to Australia … if you continue on your journey, the master and crew of your boat will face harsh penalties, which may include a jail term.
The United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone: “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”All refugees have been asylum seekers. People who arrive in countries that are signatory to the 1951 Convention, regardless of their method of arrival, are entitled to seek refugee protection. Refugee status determination does not discriminate between how a person arrived in a country and lodged their application.
A series of little collages “In Transit” on canvas made from vintage papers, wallpaper, found street litter F.G, Washi tape, pen and ink .
Size 10.2 x 10. 2 each
I love to recycle packaging, junk mail and advertising materials into books
I like the freedom of designing my books as I make them, discovering ideas along the the way
Its amazing how much packaging can be saved over time
For this book I used cereal packaging with a peephole and pasta boxes with acetate windows for the interior pages
and sealed the pages with white Gesso
only on one side because I liked the dark look of the cardboard ( later I painted them with Parisian essence to age )
On the cover I used double sided tape to stick down the tabs
to make it more sturdy
The little window will have something inside
Taking a load of baguette bags I bought back from France
I scrunched them up into balls and wrinkled them
opened them up and stuck them to the cover packaging with pva glue
This gave the cover an oldish feel with a lovely rough texture.French text shows through the window
I covered the inside with some French text from a 1900’s magazine, stamping and my hand drawn doodle drawings.
I didn’t like the brightness of the gessoed pages so aged them with washes of Parisian essence
When dry I cut off some of side flaps from the inside pages saving them for tags and pockets later
I didn’t have an awl to make the holes for binding the book, instead I used a hammer and nail. It worked fine
I punched 3 rows of holes weaving in and out with cotton mop thread
leaving a tail inside I then plaited the threads and added a piece cardboard for a bead thing
The extra holes seen were a mistake and can be covered up with more baguette paper and glue later
Side flaps on some of the pages hold piles of water colour papers for collage and drawing
They are tied with cotton mop thread
The loose water colour papers are white and hand dyed with Parisian essence
See through windows add more interest
Pockets and string hold found papers and tags. The book is still not finished and I will probably add more tags and pockets
Toggles were sewn on the front with a string to close
This book has a Japanese feel to it and measures 24 x19cm. 5 pockets hold 40 pieces of water colour paper with another 12 pages. Some have windows.
I try to keep on top of my collecting by making something with the packaging every few weeks.
What do you make from your junk?
Wherever I go I like to have all my art materials in one place encase I need to jot down an idea, or for when I get that creative burst.
So, when I found this old case I knew exactly what I would do with it. I made myself a personal art kit for when I go out and about. I keep this case in my car and it goes everywhere with me. I also have a smaller kit for when I travel overseas. This kit is much lighter so I can collect art materials along the way
It has everything I need for drawing, painting, collage, photo transfer, stamping and writing
In Transit series of collages
Acrylic paints and ink in a pouch my daughter gave me
Chalk in a vintage medical tin
Water colour paints, coloured pencils and double sided tape
Brushes for painting, pens for drawing and writing, felt pens, graphite pencils, knife, scissors and glue stick for collage
Paint swatches
Collage papers in a plastic pouch. Mixed lot of vintage and newer papers
Hand- dyed coffee filters, vintage wallpaper, labels and book pages
Stained printed matter and newer papers
Old music prayer book
1932 school book full of hand drawn world maps
1960s New Idea magazine for cutting
Old advertising
Vintage encyclopeadia pages sealed with a layer of translucent gesso paint
A book of hand-made French paper
Small canvas boards and palette, matt and gloss medium for collage, painting & transfers
Mini stamping kit in old cigar tin
Stamp pad, tiny rubber text stamps in matchbox, stamp holder and tweezers
I also carry a selection of my hand made artist books in progress to work in.
My books are made from found papers, junk mail, advertising
used envelopes, cereal boxes and food packaging
Embellished with used clothing labels, tags, stamps, stickers, pen ,ink and found fabric scraps
sewn with thread or wire and filled with whatever else I find in my travels
It’s amazing how much I can fit into the case
Do you have a portable art kit ? Whats in your art kit ?
See Jenny’s portfolio here
Back to “Free Tutorials”
Vintage metal drill tin, broken ultra marine glass from an old bottle and a little cherub. All spray painted black.
Old Japanese music box, plastic toy cowboy, American flag on laser cut metal.
Plastic music box ballerina, rock, metal gear, wire on laser-cut metal
All sculptures are works in progress and unfinished….
Warm Collage – Lafayette Pink
( Please see all my other collages from “30 Days of Collage” at Cottontail Art Design and Vintage)
Thinking of my daughter today, living in Paris France. Last time I was there I experienced my first ever white Xmas. It snowed and snowed. We went to Galleries Lafayette but didn’t buy anything as it just too expensive but I did grab samples, advertising papers and junk for my art.
The colours that Winter were hot pinks with oranges. In this collage I wanted to capture the feeling of extravagance and contemporary Paris.
I painted the background of the canvas board with warm acrylic paint in yellow ochre , next , paper scraps from Galleries Lafayette in gold flourish, then orange and red velvet fabrics, squares of hand painted paper in hot pink, orange piece of French packaging and a little snow flake in hot pink created with a little punch I bought in Asnieres. Topped off with a little perfume bottle cut-out from Lafayette advertising. I also added some gold glitter paint in areas for sparkle.
( Please see all my other collages from “30 Days of Collage” at Cottontail Art Design and Vintage)
Black and white study for the collage course I’m doing. We were asked to create a collage using only black and white materials. I loved this exercise and found myself wanting to add some colour…I couldn’t resist and made 2 collages.
I collected 2 canvas boards, black and white vintage papers, wallpaper and newer paper
As in abstract painting, I like to work quickly and not worry too much about leaving marks and splotches as I’m doing. In some areas I made marks with felt pens and white gesso paint trying to blend the different textures and areas.
I also explored Stephanie’s idea and used some glitter paint mixing it with gesso so it became a greyish colour. I like the end result but may go further and sand back the whole lot, giving it a worn-out appearance.
My favourite artist of the month is Anselm Kiefer. A German artist who creates paintings and monumental installations with crusted surfaces, incorporating, lead, concrete, ash, acid, earth, glass and gold, broken glass, oil, emulsion, shellac, acrylic and raw materials from nature.
I particularly like Kiefer’s ambitious project of transforming an old derilict silk factory in La Ribaute France into a monumental studio art complex where he created his monumental works. He dug out underground chambers, tunnels, to create living and working spaces set amongst strange, reinforced, concrete towers and bunkers, woods and caves. There was even a crypt, an amphitheatre and underground pool.
A trailer from the movie “Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow” about Kiefer’s last days at the studio.
Robert Hughes on Anselm Kiefer
A record of an assistant’s time with Anselm Kiefer from his studio in Barjac. This was in 1999 -2000.
POCKET ART SERIES
Small one of a kind transportable patches of Abstraction ready to go…Compact pieces of art for people on the move. My pocket art pieces came about when I needed to transport artwork from country to country. They are small mixed media textile pieces connected to my love of abstraction textiles, text and street art.
Walking my way across the surface I use coloured wools and wires as I would my paintbrush or charcoal, adding, whatever interests me at the time including, advertising papers, cards and packaging from Paris
RUE PIERRE
OOH LA LA
HEARTS IN PARIS
TOURISTS
Each one is a tiny 3.5″x2.5″ – 9x7cm and they come snuggly displayed in a clear acrylic card holder
MATERIALS
Indigo blue denim
canvas cloth
wire
press stud
button
paris clothing label
originalParis stamp
Colored wools
found fonts
Acrylic sealer and more….
SIGNED and DATED by the artist
I really had fun creating these pieces and were created with a lot of care
A new series of paintings from the studio…
“Silent Momento – Paris Venice & Spain” Links to found surfaces from the streets of Paris, Venice and Spain. Weathered, worn surfaces, old peeling papers with glimpses of the past, slashed with scrapings of whitewash.
Passages in time, forgotten marks and scribble usually left, unseen & silent.
Detail of my entry into Landfillart Project
Excitement is mounting in the Landfillart Project
You may remember a couple of years ago I wrote a post ‘Letters from the Border” about my entry into Landfillart Project where I had to create art on a car hubcap . Below is the latest update video I received about the project.
“Hubcaps Become Canvas for Strange Art”
On June 1, 2011 The Associated Press released a wonderful wire service news story about our international Landfillart Project.Our story was featured in hundreds of newspapers and many broadcast television news stories.
The Artists are taking over…If you are heading to the Yarra Valley in Victoria, Australia to check out The Archibald Prize at Tarra Warra Museum of Art , don’t forget to pop into the thriving township of Healesville.
Healesville is full of many quaint little cafes, restaurants, bakeries’ hotels, specialist delis, selling local gourmet foods and wines, second-hand /antique shops and eateries.
Recently the artists have taken over the town with the opening of many new spaces and galleries showcasing local artists and artisan’s wares.
One such space is “Artists Lounge” This shop is a real treat. A new corner gallery that has a Contemporary/Industrial feel to it. My favourite thing at “Artist’s Lounge” is the long black chalk wall running right along one side of the building, where you can make your mark amongst the contemporary artworks on display.
Friendly, Ali and Billy who run the space, have jam packed it with unique Contemporary art from the local Yarra Valley artists. You can browse the paintings and sculpture, but there is also an eclectic array of affordable, artsy items created by the artists.
I saw some lovely pieces of wearable art with handmade books, badges, cards, recycled arts, pottery, textile pieces, silk scarves, felting, and jewellery.
For the creative, they also sell high quality artist supplies and gorgeous papers to die for. If they don’t have what you are looking for they will order it for you.
So, grab yourself a cup of Billy’s delicious coffee and soak up the atmosphere and gorgeous things at “Artist’s Lounge” in Healesville
“Artist’s Lounge”
222 Maroondah Highway, Healesville.
Open Wednesday to-Sunday 10.30am -4.30pm
Phone 59625150
Email artistslounge.com.au
Show Map
WATCH my…
Gleaning Paris for Art Materials video. From the streets of Paris I collect stuff,junk to create with, plus other inspirations behind my ideas. Works in progress from my studio’s in Paris, Spain and Australia. Photos taken in Paris, Spain and Australia.
All artwork copyright to Jenny Davis
Latest news!
I’ve just been featured at Artsy Shark. Thank you! Carolyn Edlund for all your hard work and for doing such a great job promoting artists and getting their work seen.
Featured Artist Jenny Davis
Artsy Shark presents Australian artist Jenny Davis. Her mixed media work uses recycled and reclaimed materials. Enjoy her portfolio and see more about Jenny here.
Jenny Davis is an Australian artist, working from studios in Victoria, Australia and Paris, France, where she sometimes lives. As an artist, she enjoys working in many disciplines including: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, collage, recycled design, sound and virtual worlds. Jenny has shown her work in many countries, including Australia, Germany, Spain, France and USA. Her work is in private and public collections across Australia, UK, Europe and the U.S.A.
Starting out primarily as an abstract painter and sculptor, Jenny’s arts practice has evolved and crosses over into many areas and disciplines. Recycling and reusing items in her work is very important. Stuff that usually goes into landfills and gleaned from the streets of Melbourne and Paris, or wherever she travels. Street litter, food packaging, advertising materials, advertising materials and all kind of paper ephemera are collected and saved for this purpose.
“All this wonderful stuff I reclaim and use in my collage and sculpture.”
“My source of creativity is spontaneous. It can mean spending days even weeks in the studio and strange places contemplating and “collecting energy”. Once I focus and sit with that energy it can take off in all areas. I then definitely need to put down a feeling or emotion, with colour, marks, words, assembled objects, or digital images still and moving. Whatever it takes to get it out! I use various techniques, materials and tools to realize my ideas.
The same goes with my photography. It’s spontaneous and unrehearsed. I like to tell strange stories with my photography and will put myself in uncomfortable spaces to achieve this. I have a wonderful space I found in Paris, I call the dungeon. I can spend hours down there waiting for something to take off. “
At the moment, I am fascinated by the narrative we tell ourselves, when placed in unfamiliar situations. Our mind seems to fly into “spontaneous imagination” and not focus in the moment. I want to seize those imaginary stories and create something with it.
I love spaces underground. There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living, I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments. I’m inspired by many things: Creative minds, Science as art, varies art movements and artists, Ernst, Miro, Tapies, Surrealism, Dada, Abstract Expressionists’, Natural history, Psychology, de-construction , Chaos theory, collecting found- objects and street litter, graffiti, street art, books, vintage and antique, travel and more.
My French son-in-law can be so much fun. When I go over to Paris we both go out and glean stuff off the streets. We do it on foot as we don’t have a car. Usually we leave my daughter at home as she is not as keen as us, to collect what we like. Once we are back at the apartment with our stash, I sift through it and set aside a little to play with and then I send the rest back home to Australia.
I haven’t been to France for over a year now and today I received a mysterious brown box in the post from Paris.I wasn’t expecting anything so, I was very excited to open it.
I eagerly opened the box and inside was a gorgeous pile of stuff. When I say stuff, I don’t mean glamorous things from Paris, like Loreal , Chanel or Louis Vuitton hand bags. I mean, the box was a treasure trove of French ‘detritus” litter, junk, rubbish. Stuff that usually goes into landfill, stuff gleaned from the streets of Paris. Food packaging, pretty boxes, champagne bottle tops, clothing tags, fabric scraps, glow in the dark bits of plastic, advertising and all kind of paper ephemera plus a replenish supply of baguette bags for my handmade books ….
All this wonderful stuff I reclaim and use in my collage and sculpture.
Merci, Merci , Merci ! Davidx
View my video on “Gleaning Paris for Art Materials”
“Handmade Urban Trash book + Bag of Bits” 100% Recycled
*Recycle
*Reuse
*Remake
I don’t like to waste anything, so,recently I made a series of wire-bound books made from materials I recycled.The books are inspired by the 3 R’s and my interest into underground spaces, tunnels, derelict warehouses, city apartment storage areas, dilapidated factories & industrial spaces in Melbourne and Paris. I collect the debris left behind in the streets,consumer packaging,found objects, postcards, clothing tags, wires, bottle tops and more. All these things I like to incorporate into my pieces.
About my Books
A series of wire and hand punched, bound books decorated with wires and junk from France, plastic sheep tags and other found items. The front and back covers are glossy images from my original artworks created using street litter found from the suburbs of Melbourne Australia. Throughout the books you will discover, recycled papers, white with vintage graph papers, envelope patterned papers with hand – dyed tags and baguette bags from Paris made into pockets.Under the “Best Friends” rubber band you will find a bag of bits to embellish.
If you would like to buy a book for yourself or as a gift you can buy them here
