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mixed media

Riipppp – How to Create Spontaneous Visual Art

Joe Cartino - Sculptor - 2019 - Dada Dodads
  • Joe Cartino - 2019 - Riippp - Dada Dodad - 2
  • Joe Cartino: How to create spontaneous visual art
  • Joe Cartino - 2019 - Riippp - Dada Dodad - 1

Joe Cartino

Visual art displayed behind velvet ropes seems wrong to me. In homage to Duchamp’s idea that paintings die after 50 years, my B.F.A. exhibit featured a pair of birds named Da and Da pooping on reproductions of famous paintings which I displayed behind red barbed wire.

The joy of creation is why I do art. Over the past few decades, I have explored the “anything can be art” philosophy found in Dada and Pop art in traditional sculpture, collage, and in a series of satirical toy and game assemblages. I’m always looking for inspiration, so when a fellow sculptor from the Pacific Northwest Sculptors named Chas Martin offered a creativity workshop, I was ready. 

A Lesson in Spontaneous Visual Art

RIIPPPP…. It was the sound of a watercolor painting ripping and a world of possibilities opening up. In his workshops, Chas provides a day full of inspiration and encourages his participants to be open to new ideas. When he accidentally tore his painting trying to free it from his sketchbook my years of improvisational acting training kicked in. We sieze opportunities and treat everything as a wonderful gift. I took that torn painting back to my studio and continued to tear and twist to create something new. The curious creatures that emerged were the genesis of my new series of sculptures I call Dada Dodads.

A Dada Dodad is not a product, but a visual art process. A humble scrap of paper becomes a medium for imagination and exploration. Junk mail, doodles, in-flight magazines, virtually anything can become one of these playful creations once they are liberated from their 2-D rectangles. The photos of the evolution of a Dada Dodad document its life cycle. In the Fluxus tradition, I encourage people to shape and display Dada Dodads however they see fit. The velvet ropes are removed and the boundary between artist and viewer is now transformed into a partnership of co-creation.

To learn more about Joe’s work or Pacific Northwest Sculptors, contact us today!

Filed Under: Blog, Education, Material-Media, Process Tagged With: Chas Martin, creativity workshop, Dada, Dodads, Joe Cartino, mixed media, mixed media sculpture, sculpture class, Visual art. collaborations, Workshops Author: Joe Cartino

Dave Gonzo Draws Sculptors Curious About Torch Welding Sculpture

PNWS members gathered at the studio of Dave Gonzo for a hands-on experience with torch welding sculpture. The Saturday event was the monthly meeting of PNWS members and guests hosted each month at a different member’s studio. The hosting member usually discusses his or her work and demonstrates how they work. 

After an opening social hour, guests got reacquainted at a potluck lunch outdoors. Next, Gonzo invited everyone inside his historic small barn studio. 

Since this was to be a hands-on event for sculptors interested in learning to weld, safety was the first order of business. 

Lessons in Torch Welding Sculpture Classes

Gonzo who, besides his life as a sculptor also offers welding classes, explained how oxyacetylene works, what the risks are, and how to minimize those risks. A few of his guests stepped away from the large tanks of gases as he elaborated on the worst-case scenario. 

He demonstrated how to perform basic tasks such as lighting the torch, which must be done in a specific sequence, and then how to adjust the flame with just the right mix of the two gasses. 

The introductory lecture over, Gonzo called for volunteers. He had set up three welding stations. Amber Metz, who joined PNWS in March, was the first to step forward. 

Besides sculpting in wax, clay, foam, and mixed media, she also creates two-dimensional art in pencil, ink, paint, and chalk. Gonzo patiently guided Metz through the basic technique of using the flame called the “cone” to perform the actual welding. 

Metz grasped the technique quickly, and Gonzo turned her loose to practice on her own. Chayo Wilson was next, followed by Jacque Shayne. 

To learn more about Pacific Northwest Sculptors events, contact us today!

Filed Under: Blog, Education, Members, Process Tagged With: Amber Metz, chalk, chayo wilson, clay, Dave Gonzo, foam, ink, jacque shayne, mixed media, pencil, wax, Welding, welding classes Author: Rocky Jaeger

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Pacific Northwest Sculptors
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #302
Portland, OR 97214
president@pnwsculptors.org

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Tualatin Valley Creates
International Sculpture Center

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