#sunset selects

[selectfair]

Here is my personal reference, the map that documented all my walks. It extends from Bay Ridge to the south (we went off the paper for that one), Borough Park to the east, and all the way up to Grand Army Plaza to the north. West, of course, is the river. 

Throughout the entire month of April, I only missed three days of walking; one sick day suffering from allergies, sunburn and hives from being outside so much, one Easter day, and one torrentially rainy day complete with flood warnings. 

That rainy day was the last day of April- it was really a lucky break that that was the only rainy day I couldn't brave, honestly. I was scheduled to walk with the elegant artist Audra Wolowiec. In a stroke of genius, she ventured out and found me an object on her own, an object inspired by my project, and put it in the mail. I sit waiting for it now, and am already delighted.

I am so grateful to all of the artists and collaborators who reached out to me:

Alexandra Grecco

Dan Estabrook

Jenny Blumenfield

James Foster

Christy Claire Katien

Carolyn Windham

Gabriela Salazar

Georgia Wright 

JR Larson

Katarina Jerinic

Brent Birnbaum

Liz Collins

Audra Wolowiec

Cydney Puro

And a special thanks to the kind Jill Connor, Thea Benjamin at Industry City, and the Select Fair

[selectfair]

That Lady Gave Me a Smiley Face

My last walk was on April 30th with Liz Collins. Liz is an amazing artist and designer, and teacher. She is also the creator of the great Knitting Nation, which has inspired so many people. I was beyond flattered that she wanted to come for a walk with me. We started out at her house nearby in Sunset park, and walked down to the gritty waterfront under the threat of rain. I carried real coffee, she carried chickory not-coffee.

We looked down the blocks to where the streets end and meet the water, looking for an outlet where we could get access. We talked about the potential of this communal walking project, how many places and incarnations it could take. City, country, beach, mountain. Rugs, wall hangings, quilts, garments, wallpapers, prints. We talked of Peru, and of Brooklyn, and of RISD, where we met. We talked about teaching, and summertime, and friends.  We discussed ways to push collaborations through to fruition, how to get real contact/fabrication info from people, how to make beautiful exhibitions, and how to keep the faith. We explored covered domes protecting heaps of sand, empty lots, graffiti love letters, and sweatshop loading docks.

Liz was easily my most enthusiastic collecting companion, she found all types of objects both high and low and - much like me- swings a wide net. We picked up all kinds of things with abandon. Our arms and backs and bags were laden with pieces of asphalt, a ribbon, green strapping, a hunk of marble, sea shells ,an air hose, wonderfully rusted metal shapes, and a plethora of things with smiley faces. 

What a fantastic treat it was, and we somehow evaded the rain. 

[selectfair]

In Admiration Part II

In many of these new collages, I have been lacing, attaching and taping actual objects onto the board. It's been a quietly exciting new experiment.

[selectfair]

In Admiration

Collages have been a great way for me to explain the beauty I see in these little pieces of junk: I can synthesize and layer them together into a more recognizable "art" format. Sometimes on my walks through Sunset Park, there have been great colors and objects I couldn't take with me- too big, too late, too tired, too not into stealing. I photographed them for these 15 x 20 inch collages on illustration board. 

[selectfair]

Hally Hoops and Happy Trees

With a layer of cell phones for under-emphasis.

[selectfair]

Third Place

Approximately every two months I find something to photograph for Third Place Magazine, an online journal run by Ross and Wendy, and send it over.

It is usually something stacked, something surprising, something discarded, something with impact. 

This month was rather satisfying.