“GYRE: THE PLASTIC OCEAN” travels with the Smithsonian

In a culture dependent upon the modern convenience of plastic, throwaway products of consumption are affecting oceans and shrinking our world as we all become connected through our trash. Organized and first exhibited in Anchorage, Alaska, “GYRE: The Plastic Ocean” combines art and science to bring the problem into perspective. Now, through the Smithsonian, “GYRE” is on display at the David J. Spencer CDC Museum in Atlanta, Georgia until June 19, 2015. This fall, “GYRE” will travel to the USC Fisher Museum of Art in Los Angeles and open on September 2, 2015.

Three of my works are included in “GYRE.” I illustrate what I see through my imagination to make these concerns real to others. “Plastic Reef” shows a diver encountering a reef of discarded plastic bottles. “Tires Underwater” lets a child swim in dangerously trashed waters. “Eve and the Apple” is my version of the Garden of Eden after climate change.

“GYRE: The Plastic Ocean” was also created as a compelling book by Julie Decker and the Anchorage Museum staff. It is now available on Amazon.com for those who want to find out more about how artists can add illumination this pressing environmental problem.

THE TRAVELER’S TOYS

Hiking on Ohio Street in Buffalo, where the train tracks, silos and canals all intersect, we found a campsite behind a bush growing out of the abandoned rails. Travelers had built a fire and drunk some beers. One of them had thrown out his toy collection. I am guessing it was a boy by the amount of little trucks and cars, a boy who saved all his Happy Meal toys when he had the chance.  For some reason it was time to leave them behind. Deer scat by the charred wood gave evidence of other life passing through this trail as well. Nearby were live rails with graffiti-covered train cars leading towards the General Mills plant. I like to imagine these “wayward teenagers, adventure seekers and high school runaways”* having a good, safe stop in Buffalo before the next part of their journey. Did some of them go back home or keep crisscrossing the country?  I wish them well and thank that unknown boy for his toys.

The Kang piece became the center of this assemblage. Kang and Kodos, the alien figures from the animated Simpsons TV show, have landed in Buffalo close the campsite.  A sub-surfaced mounted photograph of the site framed with a discarded drawer keeps this world together. Graphics of the Simpsons and graffiti copied off one of the train cars are painted on the sidewalls. Altogether, it’s my landscape painting.

*More on TRAVELERS:  The quote is from Mike Brodie’s book, “A Period of Juvenile Prosperity.” Brodie spent years 4 years as a traveler, documenting his experience by photographing his friends as he put on 50,000 miles through 46 US states. Amazing pictures from inside this world.

RUSTED RELICS

Trespassing around abandoned spaces in Buffalo is an urban adventure for people from all over the world. I will not admit I have done this, but will say every citizen should have a chance to visit Bethlehem Steel. Coming from Boston, the history and economics of Buffalo has been a fascinating mystery to me. Walking into Bethlehem is like coming upon a crime scene - or, given the vast scale of the place, a battleground. Who passed through and left it so abandoned?  It is one thing to hear “the jobs all went to China,” but another to fully experience the exodus.

I’ve just finished a short series of little assemblages. On 5” x 7” blocks of inch wood, I’ve combined my photos with spray paint, acrylic, nails, screws, and rusty metal. These little relics help me process the experience.  They will be on view in Studio 509 at the TriMain Center, 2495 Main Street, Buffalo, NY. Coming up soon is the Buffalo Arts Studio Holiday Exhibit and Sale. It opens Saturday, November 22. Lots of treats, music and artworks for holiday giving!

UP IN THE BARGE AT THE BURCHFIELD PENNEY

A brilliant idea is becoming reality inside the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Filling the main gallery is a prototype of a barge – the kind of barge that used to haul “lumber, coal and hay” along the Erie Canal.  But the barge being planned at the BP will carry art and artists all the way through the canal system and down to Brooklyn. Curator, Scott Propeack, already has his sights set on the historic ‘Day Peckinpaugh,’ part of the New York State Museum collection.  Finishing the restoration of the Peckinpaugh and outfitting it into floating galleries is bound to be a demanding but not impossible challenge.  The potential for art to travel to new audiences through this historical waterway is too exciting not to succeed.

In the meantime, art is being “loaded in” to the BP prototype through an open curatorial system that lets the public join the process. I am happy to say my assemblage; ‘Scajaquada Baby’ made the cut and found a place on board.  The prototype will be on view until October 19, 2014.

COUNTDOWN TO ECHO

The 4^th annual echo Art Fair happens this weekend at the Central Library in Buffalo. The selected artists and galleries from all over (me included) are working on last minute details. It’s an exciting event for everyone involved: artists, collectors, first time buyers and everyone just interested in the whole scene.   

Here’s a preview of a new piece from my “Toyology” series. It’s based on things seen and found on Jefferson Avenue on Buffalo’s East side. When you come downtown to the fair, please stop by my booth to say hello and see more.

FINDING THE MAN IN BLACK

Discarded toys show up in strange places. I’ve found many down by the railroad tracks on Ohio Street. Were these toys part of a Happy Meal collection thrown out by a young ‘traveler’? Close to the discarded toy site was the massive Concrete Central grain elevator. Inside the elevator was a paint ball team happy to pose as urban warriors.  The toy, the team and the graffiti all came together in this “neighborhood in a box.”   You can see it and others in my space at the ECHO Art Fair this September 6 – 7, at the Central Library, downtown at One Lafayette Place in Buffalo. 

LITTLE BLACK BOOTS

Coming up August 9th is the Buffalo Society of Artists Open Members Show. This year’s exhibit is at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site on Delaware Avenue. In honor of ‘Teddy,’ I’m showing ‘Little Black Boots’.  This assemblage combines a discarded baby photo, acrylic paint, and my photos of abandoned houses. It’s framed with recycled wood.

This photo reminds me of my grandfather who believed that all children should wear little black boots. Perhaps because the terrain was so rough 150 years ago? Perhaps they produced strong ankles? Who knows? Anyway, Theodore Roosevelt wore them too! Here’s a picture of TR as a boy plus another vintage picture of children of that era.

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is at 641 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY. There will be an Opening Reception on Saturday, August 9, 2014, from 3 until 5 PM. The exhibit will be on view until Monday, September 8.  The TR Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. On Saturday and Sunday, it will be open from Noon until 5 PM.