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| You can find stuff like this... |
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| ...and turn it into stuff like this. |
One of the many cool things about Oakland is the inherent 'unofficial recycling program' in place concerning junk left on the sidewalk. Anything from decent couches to battle-worn entertainment centers get left out on the street all the time (almost on a daily basis in this neighborhood). This doesn't much depreciate the city's natural beauty however, as the items tend to be left in an orderly "take me" fashion, and are usually whisked away by hopeful new owners within hours. My humble contribution to this fascinating system of re-use is to make paintings out of the various broken materials and wooden panels I find walking home. Sometimes upon first glancing at an old worn-out dresser, it's as if a completed image comes to mind in a flash, vibrant and alive, commanding it's life be acknowledged and the work carried out... haven't found a way to turn down psychic assignments from discarded furniture, so the new canvas comes home and it gets started.
The result can be a unique piece of art, hopefully embodying some essential sliver of impermanence, the profound actuality that every form changes and changes. Hopefully this relays how the process can be beautiful.
It can be rewarding to observe and participate in the (re)cycle of existence this way - try it yourself!
All you need is some gesso and a little of your precious time.
