Thinking Inside the Box - The Preview

A while back I mentioned the class I'm taking called Thinking Inside the Box. I've been busy learning to use power tools and building a hinged box with a lid and a shadow box with a glass front. My little pine box is now sporting hinges and a couple coats of paint. After this photo was taken I added the mail art collage that I hope will give it a real fluxus vibe.

I find it really difficult to cut up and collage with my favorite paper--like these brain cell posters from mail artist Ryosuke Cohen. But now that it's done, I'm thrilled to see them on the box rather than stored in the drawer where they've been for years. I cut up two of the five posters in my collection and covered both the inside and the outside of the box. I'll post close-ups of some of my favorite parts soon.

Here are a few peaks at my Joseph Cornell inspired shadow box which is just about ready to be assembled. It's a simple design made from found objects--maps, wood, and brass. For now you'll just have to imagine how these parts will go together.

The final class meets this week, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the finished projects...including mine. I'm off to touch up some paint, find some screws, and finish these works of art!

Photos of Class Projects

These are the photos that Terry took on the last day of class.

This is my project inspired by the wood sculptures of Louise Nevelson. I'm slightly obsessed with circles and they appear often in my artwork.

A closer view.

This is my version of a Robert Rauschenberg "combine" painting. I was happy to be able to use a few of my favorite street finds in this piece. The metal signs with numbers were used to mark outdoor parking spaces downtown--until they rusted and blew off the wires where they were suspended. I found the big hunk 'o rust in a rest area parking lot during my fall trip to West Virginia.



Finally, my project inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell. I bought the frame at my neighbor's garage sale about 10 years ago. I love the weathered wood and the metal pieces that join the sides together. I originally intended to use the paper tags to label the keys that were going to be the basis of the piece. Instead, the tags became the focus and the keys are now a future project.