Ashwin

ASHWIN is the title of the 13th piece in the ongoing series of clay child heads.

Although I intended this piece to be a visual study of abandoned places, viewers can still freely associate the various elements and cues contained in this piece. Materials used were clay, paper, scrap metal, thread, carton and plastic toy wheels. Several layers of acrylic paint and powdered clay were used to provide texture and color shading. Below are photos of details, such as the inner ‘courtyard’ located below the two ‘tower-like’ structures.

Sometimes, On Rainy Days

SOMETIMES ON RAINY DAYS....assemblage of doll's head, clockwork and candle-holder

SOMETIMES, ON RAINY DAYS….is the title I gave to this assemblage work made of a doll’s head, the copper wheels of a vintage clock and a wooden candle-holder. I find the combination intriguing, but the photo unfortunately cannot capture the textures, colors and general ‘look’ of this piece which reminds me of dusty closets, attics and wooden chests kept somewhere in grandma’s house. The title “Sometimes, On Rainy Days,” is a reference to the rainy weeks we have in Holland last month, but readers can infer or come up with their own associations…

Bailey

Bailey, the 12th in the ongoing series of clay-based child heads

BAILEY, the latest and 12th addition to my clay-based ‘child head’ series. Materials used also included paper, wood, plastic toy soldiers, wires and acrylic paint. On to the next piece, the next adventure….

ZomerExpo 2012

Jury views the submitted art works for the ZomerExpo art event PHOTO from ZomerExpo 2012

After days of rain and cloudy weather, brilliant sunshine flooded the Netherlands last Saturday and looking back, perhaps, the day’s cheerful start was a portent of good things to come.  My entry consisting of a digital print of turn-of-the-century photos with embroidery was chosen, anonymously by a jury, for this year’s ZomerExpo (Summer Expo 2012) to be held in De Haag (The Hague) from June 15 to August 19.

The selection was tough since there were around 1,000 works submitted for the (last) round in Utrecht. Besides, no names/titles appear in the judges’ hands and in the first round they will only have about 15 to 20 seconds to view the work and simultaneously vote (show of hands). Established, even nominated artists were infamously turned down in this summer art event, whose format has been used in recent years in the UK and Belgium.

Art critics, historians, professional artists, museum curators and gallery directors/owners served in both jury. A 12-man jury made the first cut for the first round with 200 works. I made that round and was told to come back at 7 pm that night for the final cut of 91 works to be selected by a new jury of six members.

I am attracted to the idea of anonymous selection since new, established, professional and amateur artists have all equal chances. The works were judged on four points mainly originality, use of materials, visual impact/X factor and the work’s relation to this year’s theme “Love.” Venue for this second edition will also be at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (GEM), one of my favorite contemporary art museums in the Netherlands where I spent many wonderful visits in the last 10 years .

Another wish coming true- my work will finally hang on the walls of the GEM. Big smiles here!

Colby

Colby, 11th in the Dream series, made of clay, paper, plastic toys and found objects

COLBY, the latest and 11th piece in my on-going ‘child head’ clay series. A variation on an earlier piece, I aimed for a bit of transparency and lightness with this work. Matchboxes, paper, toothpicks, plastic toys, clay and acrylic paint were the materials used. Slowly building up this series…

Concordia

Concordia, assemblage, front view

 

CONCORDIA, the first in a series of assemblage I plan to make in the next few months. This piece is made of found objects, toys, wood, metal, clay and household objects. Collection of materials took months to complete, making this piece a work of tediously  puzzling diverse materials together.

The painstaking process, however, was amply compensated with a feeling of accomplishment when this work was finally completed. On to the next piece in the series!

De Marienburg exhibit

Collage of photos from the De Marienburg Library exhibit

Finally, after two postponements, my mini-exhibit at the Bibliotheek De Marienburg (De Marienburg Library) in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) opened Thursday, March 1. Seven of my clay/assemblage pieces are to be seen at the main library of Nijmegen until March 31, library hours. Three of the seven are recently made in the last three months, while the remaining four were previously part of the De Buytensael group exhibit in Arnhem last autumn.

For friends living in the Nijmegen-Arnhem area, pass by the library at the city center when you get the chance!

Come Sit Beside Me and Be Still

"Sit Beside Me and Be Still," clay, acrylic paint and nail polish lacquer

“Come Sit Beside Me and Be Still,” is part of a current clay series I am completing. Made of clay, acrylic paint and nail polish lacquer, the series features the hunted deer as a recurrent motif or emblem.

Two other pieces, Cavatina and Troika 1, were completed last year. The title was prompted, perhaps, by the constant rush I see around and the plea for the forgotten need to simply sit and be still.

Ten, so far

DREAM series of clay works

The 10 pieces (see photo), so far, I’ve completed since I started this series almost a year ago. Had I made two more, I could have 12 pieces by now. But having a day job and exclusively working at nights, some errands and petty excuses slowed me down.

But there were also other pieces that I finished outside this series, including the Wild Heart clay series of deer. Five of the ‘child head’ series were sold, one going to Hawaii (for a beach vacation ] and the rest will be included in my next upcoming exhibit in March…

Dylan

Dylan, made of clay,acryl resin coated gummy wine candies, acrylic paint

DYLAN is the 10th piece in my on-going clay and assemblage works. Basically an experiment in material use, this piece required two (medium size ) sacks of gummy wine candies.

The green, glassy, cactus-like parts protruding from the child’s head is made of thinly slice gummy candies coated in acrylic resin for a glassy effect. Tedious work, but worth going through for a lesson in handling materials, color and surface treatment. The work (and fun) goes on….

Photo at left shows the front, and the right shows the yellow anemone-like detail at the back.