Space for a Peacock?

A year ago, I participated in the Peacock Tour by painting a five foot peacock for my sponsor The Fresh Market in Coconut Grove, Florida. Using upcycled pie pans that were embossed and attached to the sculpture, I subtly included an environmental component. Many people who I had the opportunity to talk to had no idea, when they looked at the embossed attachments, that they were looking at something most people throw away or toss in the recycle bin.

When I began the Peacock Project, I had the intent to give back to the community in a way that I could through my art. Now after many months of being displayed in front of The Fresh Market, my peacock will continue to give to the community by benefiting Shake-A-Leg through its sale at this week's Auction Gala Wednesday, March 16 at Paragon Theatre 13 at 6:00pm.

Twenty-three other peacocks will be auctioned off by other local artists including Sauma, Lebo, Dan Bondroff, Pablo Cano, Ed King, Eileen Seitz, Fred Hunt, Britto, Meme Ferre and many more. Each peacock has a different charity that the funds from the sales will benefit which include: The Miami Heat Foundation, Casa Valentina, Coconut Grove Woman’s Club, and Boys and Girls Club of Miami.

I hope that you will join me this Wednesday night to celebrate a successful art in public places event spearheaded by Heather Bettner of Prince Media Development that not only gave life and creativity to Coconut Grove, but gave us a chance to pause and smile.

Tickets are $50 with opportunities to win hotel stays, spa packages and gift certificates to local restaurants. Seating is limited, but are still available at the Paragon Theatre box office or online at paragontheaters.com

The Everglades: where I go to recharge and refuel...

Last weekend I camped in the Everglades and woke up early Sunday morning to watch the sunrise over the alligator holes on Anhinga Trail. It was a perfectly tranquil morning. Alligators were lurking, quietly searching for food while black vultures soared so close above my head I could hear the wind lightly howl as the vultures flew past. It was amazing! I had never felt or heard that before.

The bromeliads were in bloom! As I walked around the corner with the sun behind me I saw this amazing Great Blue Heron on top of all the blooming bromeliads. The sun was rising behind me and lit the Heron in a warm glow of light. No photograph could ever capture what I really saw, nor could I paint the expression of complete peace and harmony.

Anhinga are plentiful on the trail and this anhinga allowed me to get about a foot away to take his photo.

When I returned, I tried to keep the same calmness with me that I felt in the Everglades as I painted. My new paintings (that I will post soon) are all in encaustics and are about the nature that surrounds me everyday.

My Art Basel Favorites...

After breakfast at the Rubell Family Collection last Thursday, I went to the Convention Center to see Art Basel. I went early so I could meet Michelangelo Pistoletto and hear him talk about his new book, The Third Paradise. He talked about his version of the infinity symbol that has a large circle in the center with two smaller circles connected parallel to each side. Where the Third Paradise consists of artificial needs and comforts leading to over consumption and corrosion of the natural planet. When asked, "What advise would you give young artists?" He simply replied, "change the world."

Michelangelo Pistoletto

There is so much to see at Art Basel, but here are a few of my favorites...

Favorite use of space...

I only wish they would have painted the floor as well. I have seen it done, but you have to bring in your own flooring to paint.

Favorite interactive art...

This was a huge heart like shape that was constructed out of wood with bench like seating inside. In the center there was a drum with a drumstick hanging from the ceiling on a bungie cord. While we sat inside we pulled on the bungie cord so that the drumstick would bounce down and repeatedly hit the drum like a heartbeat.

Reproductor, by Rochelle Costi

The instructions:

1. choose and take an image from the wall.

2. fit it to one of the tables (on the left of the glass if you are right handed, on the right if you are left handed)

3. copy the image using a pencil or a pen.

4. hang it back on the wall where you found it.

5. hang your drawing on the allocated walls.

The red plexiglass provided a reflection from the photograph that made it easy to copy. It worked like a light box. My favorite part about this exhibit is that it enabled everyone who participated an opportunity to say their art was displayed at Art Basel!

Favorite piece that people question, "Is that art?"

Favorite use of material...

The clothing on these men are all made from buttons.

This piece by Mondongo center panel is made from stickers and the two side panels are carved.

Close up of the stickers used in the center panel above.

I hated seeing his use of a bird, but the skull covered with iridescent beetles is quite unique.

Birdseed sculpture

Matchboxes

Favorite place to take a photo in front of...

Lastly, my favorite piece...

Al Anatui

Breakfast Basel Style at the Rubell Family Collection

Jennifer Rubell

Thursday was the second day of Jennifer Rubell's Goldilock's breakfast for which I arrived early hoping to meet Jennifer. As I predicted, most of the press had moved on to another Basel sighting so I got a chance to talk to Jennifer plus she had the time to pose for a photo for me... thanks Jennifer!

I really enjoyed Jennifer's work and love how she gets people to enjoy her art by seeing, touching and eating. The home that housed her exhibit will be torn down later this week, but Jennifer said she didn't know what they were going to do with the property yet. Fire rescue was standing looking very nervous because they had so many extension cords bringing electricity running from the Rubell Collection to heat the porridge and cool the refrigerators as well as for any injuries due to the arduous journey through the whole in the wall from the back wall of the Rubell Collection.

Judy Saylor, a local Miami artist, was on hand to help everyone through the hole in the wall, not so easy if you were wearing heals. I stood out here for a while watching the expressions of people as they carefully maneuvered through the hole. A discreetly placed video camera filming the crowd as they were entering the exhibit would have been a good idea.

First we walked in the gutted house and picked up a bowl.

Past the still standing bathroom there was a table full of spoons.

Turning right, were 36 bright white crockpots filled with porridge.

In the next room to the right were rasins.

And to the left, there was sugar.

In the back kitchen, they had two refrigerators filled with milk.

Lastly, we all gathered in the backyard to enjoy our porridge. Luckily, it was a cool morning for Miami: 55 degrees.

This is what I hope to see during Art Basel week. I love the unexpected and to be able to participate in the art. I only wish there were chairs outside of every shape and size to finish the concept of Golidlocks finding the right chair. It could have also been a reflection about finding the right art.

Art Basel: Wednesday 2010

"Harriet" by Matthew Day Jackson

Excitedly, I headed out this morning to see the Rubell Family Collection and the Margulies Collection. First on my list was the Rubell because I wanted to see Matthew Day Jackson's work. I was delighted to see that his work is very textured and detailed. He uses wood, shell and yarn.

The brown lines that you see on the face are done with a wood-burning tool and the white of the eyes are mother of pearl with green glass sphere irises all of which are hard to see in the photos.

"Another Man's Cloth" by El Anatsui (112" x 156")

The art above is my favorite piece at the Rubell Collection by El Anatsui. Anatsui is a West African artist who creates sculptures out of food tins, aluminum roofing, etc. who's work is a metaphorical commentary on modern consumerism. This piece is made from upcycled cans that are attached with copper wire.

After the Rubell Collection, I went over to see the Margulies Collection. At the door they were collecting donations for the Lotus House. The Lotus House is a resource center and residential facility serving homeless women and infants in Miami. The program seeks to improve the quality of life for women in need through programs like helping at art events.

From the front door, I immediately saw the exhibit featured above upstairs. I love the colors and the textures used by Dutch artist Folkert De Jong. However, I wish he would have chosen a different material to create the sculptures because they are made from styrofoam and polyurethane foam. The figures were inspired by the Harlequin characters from Picasso's Rose Period. When I was looking at the sculptures, I found myself taking to a curator from Rome standing next to me. I asked her if she liked the installation and I expected her to say something very profound and sophisticated, but all she said as she looked down her nose was, "they look creepy."

The next exhibit I loved so much and had so much fun looking at that somehow I didn't write down the artist's name nor the name of the installation. To see the Hulk shriveled up in a wheel chair with a green comb-over, Mr. Fantastic wrinkled and reading and a saggy Wonder Women checking in on an IV laid-out Captain America was enough to make my day! A must see...

Lastly, I met Hannes Kotch from London. Hannes was accompanied by Blair who insisted he take a photo of me under this fabulous light and Natalie, a curator from Canada. Hannes has an exhibit at Design Miami (in the tent located in the parking lot of the convention center) called "Swarm Light" that I hope to see later this week. He showed me a video on his phone of his lighting. The lights turn on in the same pattern that bees fly... so beautiful.

Guest Blogger: Alyson D'Amato

My name is Aly D'Amato and I am a junior at the University of Rhode Island studying English, Writing and Music Performance with the oboe. For one of my writing courses we were required to do a group project creating documents based on art. My group chose "Reduce Reuse Re-Invent" as the theme for our project, looking at art products that are less harmful, pieces with environmental themes and some artists who use them. During my research online I stumbled upon www.ecoartist.org where I found Nancy's web page and blog. I thought that her work was inspiring so I contacted her to see if she would be willing to participate in an interview so I could create an artist profile for my project. She was happy to oblige and I'm thrilled that I had the opportunity. I had been interested in recycled art but now I am more aware of what goes into these projects and I hope to bring this consciousness to other aspects of my life as well.

Nancy Martini: An Interview with an Eco Artist

-Aly D’Amato

Artists using environmentally safe materials and recycled materials are thriving. I had the opportunity to interview artist Nancy Martini of Miami, Florida through e-mail. Not only does she work with "upcycled" and natural art products but she creates pieces with themes that speak to environmentalists and citizens that care about the nature around them. In her work, Martini’s personal beliefs and love of nature come through.

Martini exhibits the emotions and motivations of an artist who is actively conscious about the negative effects of items thrown away as trash. Through this awareness, she knows she is one person in a collection of people who are making change. Not only does her artwork explore using "upcycled" materials, but Martini has also delved into the realm of "encaustic works" that feature working with beeswax and damar crystals. Using these and other recycled materials, Martini has been working on pieces with environmental themes.

Martini's focus in many of her "upcycled" pieces (including "Hope: An Ocean of Peace") is to use materials that would have otherwise been thrown away in an effort to eliminate trash while being aware of the health hazards that some materials will continue to create. Through experimentation, she created canvas out of plastic bags fused together. She was able to paint on her upcycled canvas and paired it with wire weavings.

Aly D: "Your website features a page on your "Upcylced Art." Could you explain "upcycled" and talk about some of the materials you used in these pieces?"

Nancy M: "Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials or products of better quality or higher environmental value. After being very frustrated by the amount of trash that Americans create, I realized that many of the materials in my recycle bin could be upcycled. I collected everyday food containers (soda bottles, plastic bags, plastic bottles, foil pie trays, etc.) and sorted them into jars of like objects. I didn't know what to do with them at first. I just stared at the huge piles collecting in my kitchen and thought a lot."

AD: "Another page on your website also briefly describes your exploration in working with beeswax and damar crystals. What got you interested in trying out "encaustic" works? What were the benefits of working with beeswax and damar crystals? Did they pose any issues?"

NM: "Fusing plastic bags and melting plastic is very hazardous, even with an approved respirator. In my search for natural mediums to create art, I found encaustics. Encaustics is a beautiful medium, but it is not without health hazards. When the wax is heated it can settle in your warm lungs. I work outside when I use encaustics and use a fan to blow the vapors away from me. The finished product is incredibly beautiful. The pigment is bright and the finish resembles pored resin only it smells wonderful!"

AD: Aside from the recycled objects you use, are your other art materials (sketch paper, paints, markers, etc) environmentally friendly?

NM: "It depends on the project. Most markers, paints, etc. are not environmentally friendly unless they are made for children. I use sketchbooks that have recycled paper. Mostly I try to upcycle cardboard from cereal boxes and food containers to use for projects and conceptual brainstorming."

AD: Why do you think it is important to use recycled/ upcylced materials in art?

NM: "In American we represent 5% of the world's population, however, we create 30% of the world's trash. If we were to fill a football stadium from the bottom to the top that is how much trash Americans create every day. I keep the image of 365 football stadiums in my mind all the time. I think upcycling is one of the ways that we can reduce our trash. Recycling should be considered as a last option before the trash bin. Recycling allows us to buy whatever we want and as much as we want because we can recycle it. Art is only one way to upcycle materials. All businesses could help the environment by rethinking the items in their recycle bin and seek opportunities to upcycle."

AD: "How do you think professional artists, students and the general public could be better informed about the potential harms of some manufactured art materials that contain chemicals?"

NM: "Artists have to be very proactive about their health by reading everything they can about the materials they use. Health Hazard Manual for Artists by Michael McCann is a good place to start. I would like to see more workshops to help artists realize the hazards as well."

AD: Are you active in encouraging other artists and students to be more conscious of the materials they use? How so?

NM: "Yes! That is what my body of work is all about... My collection is a vehicle to inspire upcycling in all businesses. Even though my collection is not finished, I am asked over and over to show what I have and speak at business venues... [including] talking about upcycling to the Miami Chapter of the USGBC (United States Green Business Council) at the University of Miami"

AD: What other kinds of projects do you hope to explore in the future?

NM: "I am very interested in art in public places. Today I am going to the unveiling of the Manatee Fest. In downtown south Miami, local artists will be matched with sponsors to paint five foot manatees that will be displayed much like the 1999 Chicago Cow Parade. Last year I participated in the Coconut Grove Peacock Tour where I painted a peacock for my sponsor The Fresh Market. I used upcycled pie trays to embellish the peacock and then painted it to look like a woman shopping in an outdoor European market. Art in public places gives me the opportunity to talk about upcycling to a different audience. Most people see my work and have no idea they are looking at trash. When they look again they are delighted and then want to learn more."

Her website features a sketchbook on the Gulf Oil Spill and her blog documents this work, explaining the thoughts and nightmares that she had during this time period. Like her other works, the sketchbook "The Real Price of Oil" is a piece that is simple and profoundly touching on many levels. "Day 72: Fire Set without Searching for Turtles" is just one of the sketches that portrays the devastation of the situation. Her sketchbook will visit California, New York, Maine, Illinois, Florida, Texas and Washington DC in 2011.

Overall, Martini hopes that her work inspires others to consider upcycling and avoid products with an excess of packaging. She believes that art, in general, is moving in the direction of focusing on being environmentally friendly/conscious and is setting this example herself every day.

Speaking in Public is Very Green!

Title: "Share the Journey" Buy online!

Medium: Encaustic (Beeswax and Damar Resin) 24" x 24"

On my journey to help the environment I have thought a lot about how to get my message out. Yes... my paintings using reclaimed materials speaks about our environment, but I needed to take the next step. I realized my paintings alone weren't enough and that I needed to talk about them as well.

I am the type of person that is perfectly happy in the background watching others in the spotlight. So the thought of standing in front of a microphone in front of a crowd was not on my list of fun things to do. However, if I wanted to reach large groups of people I decided I would have to jump in and find a way to make public speaking part of my life.

The more I thought about public speaking the more it made since to me. It doesn't take a lot of resources to speak in public and yes, I could go to a networking meeting and meet about ten different people who may or may not be interested in the environment. However, if I spent the same about of time and spoke at that same event, I would reach all of the people at the meeting plus, after the meeting people who would be interested in my work and the environment most likely would come up to me.

Last month, I joined a local Toastmasters group to learn more skills about speaking in public. I wasn't sure what to expect or what I would learn. To my surprise, every member in my group reached out to me to help! How refreshing to see so many people helping each other and sharing their stories. When Mitch McInnis, my speech mentor who was assigned to me, asked if I would donate some art for their upcoming Toastmaster's conference, I decided to create a piece inspired by all the people who have helped me.

Toastmasters will auction my original encaustic painting by selling raffle tickets to raise funds this weekend. After I finished the painting titled: "Share the Journey," I thought about how I could use the image further. I recently went to a workshop by Debra Cortese about licensing art, so I have been thinking a lot about how to sell my images to different markets. I found a print on demand website to try out the idea of selling prints, mugs, totes and cards to provide items for convention goers who wanted the painting, but didn't win the raffle as well as something they can purchase anytime after the conference.

Check out my new online store and let me know what you think! Thanks...