ReStoried Creations!

C3 Visiting Artist Brian Fridge

2011-02-06T04:33:00.000-08:00

I have been really enjoying Thursday night visiting artist workshops in the C3 at the Dallas Museum of Art. In January, we met and learned from video artist, Brian Fridge. (He is the one in the blue shirt.) I would download one of my videos, but...well...I want to practice more. Photography and movie making do not come easily for me.

I AM learning though and that's a good thing.

A smattering of projects made in the past year.

2010-12-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

I work with a wide variety of materials to make pieces that are often used in conjunction with my storytelling programs. The main ingredient that unites all my work is my consistant use of found objects in the construction of all my pieces. The above work is titled, Spin Me. It was made using an old scrabble game and images from a 1946 children's encyclopedia.

House elf made of upcycled wool sweaters. It is even stuffed with the discarded remnants of them.

Masks inspired by the African Mask Exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. They were worn by children from the audience during several of my storytelling programs.

This was made for a program presented to autistic children and their families at the Dallas Museum of Art. Inspiration came from the works of Alberto Giacometti. The puzzle piece is the symbol for autism awareness. This piece represents the transformation of one's individual challenges into unique gifts that give flight to the inner spirit.

One of my family tree photo collages. I'm standing between my grandfather and father.

This cardboard structure was inspired by an artwork at the DMA. I made this for a story about coyote and the dogs.

Leonidas LOVED it!

Phony flower wall light

2009-05-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Using an old photo/film carousel thingy and a light fixture part from IKEA, I created a wall light. It's weird, I admit it, but I did it for a contest. Haven't heard back, so guess I didn't win. No matter, it looks kind of funky and works in my livingroom.

Here's to recycling for art's sake!

What I've been up to the past week

2009-02-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

The sleeve of a sweater became a whimsical tree and for an extra touch I perched a wool bird at the top.

Green leaves...

strange beasties...

And hoot owl scarves. Lift the owls head and his body is a pocket.

How to get a close-up view ~

2009-02-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

If you want a close-up of any of my images, just click on the picture itself and there you have it.

I don't think there's an image of my "Dream" chair on this site yet. Here it is.

New Scarf for Lily

2009-02-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

I made a new scarf and Lily immediately claimed it. She likes owls. Here she is modeling it. Can you spot the "model" pose? Leonidas got his pose in too.

ArtCycle! Studio

2009-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

"Ch-ch-ch-changes" so goes the song by David Bowie. I like that song.

I have made some changes to my blogs. This site will function as my studio where I will post pictures of my work. http://annmariestoryart.blogspot.com/ will be my official blog site and cover all my artistic interests - storytelling, reading, art making, everything. Hopefully this will make life a tad bit easier for me...

Ha-ha-ha! Hee-hee-hee!

>sigh<

Heart Rebound

2009-02-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

How do you mend a broken heart?

With wire baby, with wire.

Someone paid good money this.

2009-02-12T21:17:00.000-08:00

I donated this scarf to the Martha Len fundraising event for the Tejas Storytelling Association. It sold for $45.00. Not bad!

Some more past work...

2009-02-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hand painted fabric, embroidery...beading. This one is about 4 years old.

I LOVE using buttons. It was tough sewing these babies on through the heavy canvas.

From now on, I will only post new work.

Past Creations

2009-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Some are hits and some are misses, but ALL were fun to make!

"An Uncommon Bird" was inspired by Dorothea Tannings, "Pincushion To Serve As A Fetish" at the Dallas Museum of Art.

My Two pieces featuring discarded, computer memory boards are heavy. Especially the black one with the copper leaves (Hidden). That one is my favorite. I am not too thrilled with the bright multi-colored one (I consider this one a definite miss. So it's called "Whoops".). I have made several memory board works.

The Flower picture is for my mom. It is a layered collage.

It's called "Appreciation".

The bottom picture is titled "I am" and has personal meaning for me. The leaves of the tree were cut from magazine pages. I embodies my passion for the connectedness I feel with the world through my work as a storyteller.

Radiant Heart

2009-02-03T20:59:00.000-08:00

It's wasteful and tragic to see heaps of broken glass and shattered pottery fragments scattered carelessly across the landscape. Think of the memories they represent. The loss of their value now that they are broken, chipped...imperfect. I like to gather up the pieces, stash them away and think of new ways to use them, to give them new meaning...value once again.

The above is an assemblage of pottery shards and broken glass bits. The big piece in the middle is the bottom of a old, glass bleach bottle. It's shape faintly resembles a heart. I bound the pieces up in wire and added rays of wire shooting out around it. The center piece is approx. 8 inches across, and with the rays it is around 15 inches in diameter. Give or take.

It is now kinda, sorta a sun, with heart. Hence the name, "Radiant Heart".

More Scarves

2009-01-25T16:43:00.001-08:00

All my scarves have pockets. (So far)

Where are the pockets on this one?

Oh, Here they are.

I like birds.

This one has itty bitty feet.

I am currently making three more. All scarves are made from recycled materials.

Odds & Ends

2009-01-25T16:26:00.001-08:00

"I Shut My Eyes" This piece hangs over my livingroom fireplace. The picture is on an old piece of wood, contains copper wallpaper, some magazine images for a 1930's Vogue and a poem that I wrote myself about connecting with my imagination and creativity.

An old evening bag that I added vintage buttons to as well as a braided strap of ribbons. The board it hangs from is an old table insert that has hooks I've collected over the years and an old glass door knob.

"Seasons" I painted this folkart on the back of a solid wood drawer front.

"Rebirth" An old wood carton, found pieces of glass, old glass bottle, old railroad nails, wire, little bitty old light bulbs. The poem reads

Shattered memories

Broken Dreams

Strewn over

The land

Soiled

Tarnished

Waiting

For

Rebirth

Some past creations...

2009-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Letters cut from a graphic arts magazine are my leaves in this picture titled, "I Am".

A homemade postcard.

An old window frame became a postcard holder.

Phony Flowers

2009-01-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

These "Phony Flowers" are made from telephone book pages, wire, & glass beads. I haven't figured out how to photograph them very well.

The white pages.

The yellow pages.

Wovely Woolies

2009-01-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some examples of my latest passion of taking old 100% wool sweaters and recycling them into something new.

Wovely Wooly Scarves!

I sent this one to my mother in Minnesota.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

2009-01-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

I made this last winter. I used acrylic paints, texturing medium, old copper wallpaper, magazine pages, scrabble tiles, beads...

Welcome to ArtCycle!

2009-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was born into a very practical, Scandinavian farming community in Northern Minnesota. Creativity was admired and nurtured as long as whatever was produced was useful to daily life. This included sewing, rug making, crocheting, embroidery…that sort of thing. If you could take something old & worn out and make something useful out of it, well then that was doubly wonderful! My grandma Lily Peterson was known for making flesh-toned, handwoven rugs out of old pantyhose! They weren’t much to look at, but they sure were durable, springy and helped keep the floors clean.

Throughout the years, my artwork has reflected my life’s origins. I enjoy working with a wide variety of media while also incorporating traditional folkart skills into the finished creations. Recycling discarded items into art is super fun and exciting for me. "Creative Bliss" is defined for me when I’m resurrecting tired, old furniture into colorful “floor art”, using antique buttons, photos or puzzle pieces in a painting, using old wool sweaters to make artsy scarves, or taking computer memory boards and adhering them unto old cabinet doors where they are then painted and become “wall art”. If something sparks my interest...say an unusual relic, a piece of trash, discarded clothing, old phonebook pages, a funky old purse, then it's fair game for a future art piece.

I am also a performance artist who is currently the storyteller in residence for the Dallas Museum of Art. I also do concerts/programs for local libraries and festivals here in Texas, Louisiana and in Florida. My visual art creations often reflect my love of world folklore & stories. Often the observer will find words, sayings and poems in them. Sometimes a story inspires the artwork, but more often, a story is born upon it's completion when I see where my subconscious as led me.

This blog has been created to showcase my visual art projects. Because I always use recycled materials in my work I have titled this blog "ArtCycle!"

Welcome.