The trials and tribulations of an assemblage artist on the go.
I was visiting Ursula's (my new aussie friend) blog, and one of the comments was quite intriguing. With her permission, here's what Lysh had to say:
It was a great story and observation from Lysh Michael.
She thinks she has another instalment after the excursion Daddy, Mummy, and Baby Artist went on today!
Hope all is well,
Megan
Oh, giggles. I think it was 'guru' deMeng who facilititated an ongoing conversation with my Dad today as I raided his junk/treasures at the farm.
This looks good
-Might need it
Dad, it's rusty
-Might use if for a welded sculpture, your mother wants some more garden ornaments (a blatent non-truth).
Ok, lets set a size limit - I can have anything that will fit in a shoe box
-Only if you use it within six months
And so the conversation went for almost an hour as I collected a small box of treasure from the mountain. For the rest of the afternoon Dad kept appearing with things, and contributing them to my pile, keen to share and feed my new passion.
Hey Michael, I found that little fable quite interesting... a storyteller now,huh? can't wait to see you in Virginia and then at Random Arts in Saluda after that. Let the party begin.
Jane
Hey Michael, I found that little fable quite interesting... a storyteller now,huh? can't wait to see you in Virginia and then at Random Arts in Saluda after that. Let the party begin.
Jane
I'm pleased that people had a few giggles and belly laughs from this story. It was intended as a little bit of fun but I suppose there is a serious side behind it.
In this tale it is clear that contact with other artists - whether through classes, videos or blogs! - has the potential to have a long lasting and far reaching affect.
Although I missed out on your class Michael (this time!) because Ursula and Megan were so enthusiastic, I too have gained something from their experience.
I have to admit that I have found myself looking at a tube of liquid nails and wondering what I could do with it!
Clearly from Julie's comment you have ignited the hunter and gatherer in other people.
The part two to which Megan refers is where Daddy and Mummy artist took baby artist scrap metal shopping. Now matter how bizarre (and unidentifiable) the piece they looked at, I was careful not to say "what are you going to do with that?"
Given that Daddy and Mummy artist are clearly too busy using their ill-gotten gains and sniffing that liquid nails stuff, their blogs have not reflected this recent excursion and therefore my urge to write another fable has wained. Lucky for them!
(He he... I've just written an epic on your blog instead!)
My comment is actually a story:
Once upon a time there were three artists: daddy artist (for he had been a teacher), mummy artist and baby artist.
One day mummy & daddy artist decided to go on a pilgrimage, far across the land to see an art guru called deMeng. Baby artist was very young (and her piggybank was not rich enough) so she stayed at home.
Before leaving on the pilgrimage, this artistic trio was somewhat eccentric but reasonably traditional. They lived and used things that most artists did – paper, canvas and paint. Mummy artist had aspirations to use other things and had once cajoled daddy artist and baby artist into painting a tin… and she had re-crafted a shoe, but apart from that things were relatively normal.
Like all artistic families, they practised hunting and gathering. Once again mummy artist was the most ambitious. She had collected far and wide and had extreme talent for the craft. Mummy artist had every tool there was to have including a GMC. Baby artist in the meantime wondered what Mummy Artist was going to do with all this stuff and more importantly, how like Mary Poppins she seemed to fit more and more into the same space.
So off Daddy and Mummy Artist went to see the Guru deMeng. Upon their return baby artist watched closely for signs of the Guru’s influence. Daddy artist appeared much as before, if not a little tired. Mummy artist though was different. She had a strange desire for the tools that she had so carefully gathered to break. She started frequenting undesirable places and returning with bits and pieces of metal. Baby artist was worried – it looked like shrapnel for bomb making (maybe Guru deMeng was not a nice person and mummy artist was planning on killing daddy and baby artist!) Mummy and Daddy artist had a fondness for a new substance as well – it was called liquid nails. This perplexed baby artist somewhat for it whilst it was liquid it wasn’t the colour of nails at all. It also had a yucky smell, but Mummy and Daddy artist didn’t seem to mind.
And then, just as Mummy artist had wished for, one of her tools broke. Baby artist was surprised because Mummy artist was so overjoyed. So overjoyed that she smashed it up and seemed delighted when yet more bits and pieces of metal emerged. Mummy artist went straight out to buy a new and improved tool – a dremel!
Baby artist then realised that guru deMeng was not a bad man at all. In fact, guru deMeng must have preached having the best tool for the job and this had rubbed off on Mummy Artist. She also guessed that guru deMeng had decreed that no piece of metal is trash and that landfill is evil. So when articles ended their life as their intended purpose, disciples must pull them apart and find new artistic uses for the pieces. Baby artist was still a little concerned that guru deMeng had seemed to fuel the hunting and gathering streak in Mummy Artist. But baby artist was no longer worried that mummy artist meant her any harm.