Archive for the ‘Reclaimed art’ Category

Art & Recycling. Textiles & Mixed media.

Friday, January 18th, 2019

Art and recycling goes hand-in-hand in the textile and mixed- media side of my arts practice.

My artworks are often created from old, discarded clothing, vintage and antique textiles, papers and found objects. I enjoy making use of stuff that has had a life already; a life that is often purely functional and as far removed from ‘art’ as you can imagine.

I’ve been recycling all my life to make art. As a child, I pulled apart, old clothing and nylon stockings “I used to collect fabric waste from mum’s sewing and knitting basket, making wall hangings out of that.” Nowadays, I cut up my own clothing and others, antique quilts, vintage linens, fancywork and men’s suits.

The process of searching and collecting materials, is also, a very important part of my art’s making. It may take weeks, months, even years, to find a piece that talks to me. Most of the time though, a fragment of fabric, clothing or object, will trigger off the idea. I collect and document many of the pieces I find, by labeling or remembering, its history of when & where it was found. This gives me another layer to work with.

The search for materials has taken me to many weird and wonderful places over the years.

The sometimes, dodgy, back streets of cities, in Barcelona, Italy and France. Markets and charity shops in Australia, France and England. Underground spaces, abandoned buildings, coast lines and vacant beaches. Friends, family and strangers, have also, donated materials to use in my work.

By transforming old, recycled and reused materials, it enriches the stories I like to tell in my contemporary art and gives a new life, to materials destined to be wasted and thrown away.

Second Time Around.

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art

The gallery video from “Second time Around The Hubcap as Art ” environmental installation, I was invited to participate in at the “Museum of the Shenandoah Valley” in Winchester, VA. USA

The exhibition opened on the 6th. September and runs through to March 1, 2015.

Video produced by Larry Carroll

In support of the opening of Second Time Around, the MSV will concurrently present WASTE NOT, a version of the exhibition Green Revolution which is made available by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service based on an exhibition originally created by the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, and its Black Creativity Council. WASTE NOT uses family-friendly, interactive activities and reused or re-purposed materials to focus on the environmental need to rethink, reuse, recycle, and reduce.

 

The Hubcap as Art.

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

UPDATE!

Details about the environmental installation I am participating in at The Museum of Shenandoah Valley in Virginia USA!

 

Second Time Around

 

  

MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY
901 Amherst Street, Winchester, VA, 22601 USA
888-556-57997th. September 2014  – March 1st. 2015Opening Saturday, September 06, 2014 at 7:00 PM – 9:00 pm

Finally, be sure to register for the opening party on September 6 if you plan to attend!
If you have any questions, please contact Marge Lee at mlee@museumword.comArts Project Creator

Ken Marquis Founder, The Landfillart Project

“Second Time Around. The Hubcap as Art”

Artist list 

 

Image credits on exhibition logotype: Pasta Maker Machine, 2010, Kathy Rebek, New Jersey, and Untitled 2009 by Linda Leviton, Ohio. Courtesy of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. 

My artwork selected for the “Second Time Around. The Hubcap as Art” exhibition.

 

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Letters from the Border. Jenny Davis. 2009.

This piece is a collage of images taken from my collection.

It includes 2003 emails I received from a US soldier

when he was on the border in Kuwait, waiting to invade Iraq.

He described the constant multiple bombings,

the daily life of his troops and photos of what he saw around him.

One photo, the little flower, represented the hope in the dusty dry dessert.

After several months of correspondence,

I never heard from him again and have been unable to locate him.

 

 

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One-minute video trailer by Los Angeles film and TV director Larry Carroll.

Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art!

 

 Underwriters and Partners:

 

 

 


 

 

Mail Art. Nomad Art. Transportable Art.

Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

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.

Selected Artist. Museum of Shenandoah Valley

Friday, June 6th, 2014

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.

 

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“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

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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.

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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.

 

Jenny Davis_ Letters from the border_ Landfillart Project

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

Black & White Study

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013

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. Anselm Kiefer.

Saturday, March 9th, 2013

 

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.

 

1_e_overyourcities1016-Anselm-Kiefer-Himmelsschlucht-2011-20123324kiefer_toilespages and planesh2_1995.14.4100066473a1fd3a2469753d346be80982_1kiefer 6Painting    Anselm Kiefer, The Wave - detailnational-art03

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.

 

Recycled Aceo. Paris Packaging

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

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

Update Landfillart Project

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

 

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.

Gleaning Paris for Art Materials

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

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

Featured Artist at “Artsy Shark”

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

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.