|
Author
|
Comment
|
Kerrie
Registered User
(2/22/02 8:37:20 pm)
|
Fairy tale art (again)
After reading _Twice Upon a Time_, I am now hooked on Joseph Cornell's shadow boxes. However, I can only find a limited number of his fairy tale works on the web, there's more of his planetary and bird pieces:
www.artcyclopedia.com/art...oseph.html
Does anyone know of any other sites with his work? Particularly the cabinet that was featured in the book (I think it was related to _Les Nouveaux Contes de Fées_ by La Comtesse de Segur). I would love to see it in color! Are there any other artists that have also done shadow boxes with similar themes?
Sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 2/22/02 8:40:53 pm
|
Maatera
Registered User
(4/1/02 9:23:49 am)
|
Fairy Tale Art
Hi Kerrie
I hope you're still here. It's been quite a while since you posted
this question but I just came across this board last week. You might
be able to find some more pictures of Cornell's boxes at www.artic.edu
. This is the Art Institute of Chicago's website. I know they have
a big collection there. I'm not sure how much of it is online though.
There are several good books about Cornell out there, you should
definately look around. Art museum book stores are a good resource.
As for your second question:
Quote:
Are there any other artists that have also done shadow boxes with similar themes?
I'll put in a little plug for myself. I don't have a regular
website up yet but I have a few of my boxes posted here: www.designdesign.com/Connie/index.html
If all goes well, I'll have some newer pieces up next week. I
use a lot of dream imagery/architypes/fairy tale figures in my
work. I've always been a fan of the surrealist and Cornell in
particular which I think is obvious when you see my work. The
best part is that my boxes are available for sale; whereas Cornell
boxes can only be looked at behind glass cases. Sigh.
In any case, I thought you might enjoy looking at them.
Connie
|
Kate
Unregistered User
(4/1/02 4:42:14 pm)
|
Cornell
Kerrie,
You might want to look for a really great book on Cornell's boxes: GIFTS OF DESIRE. It has gorgeous illustrations in it, and some fairytale based work. I can't remember the name of the publisher (my copy is downstairs and I'm a lazybones) but it's in Florida somewhere. Not a cheap book, alas . . .
Kate
|
Kerrie
Registered User
(4/24/02 7:05:48 am)
|
Fairy tale art...
Per Terri's request, I thought I would revive this thread for
those who want to add.
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
|
Laura
Registered User
(4/24/02 10:01:07 pm)
|
Connie
I'd like to add my kudos to the others: your work is just lovely! I especially like the figures -- they appear to me to be cutouts of a sort. Are they? And if so, I can't seem to place them period-wise. One or two even seem faintly Asian in their dress. Could you tell us a little more about them?
Laura S.
|
Maatera
Registered User
(4/25/02 7:52:47 am)
|
Re: Fairy Tale Art
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the compliments. I've put up a few new pieces on the web page. Some at the top and some at the bottom. Be sure to check them out.
As for your questions, I'm not sure how much detail you want me to go into so I'll try to give you a little idea where I'm coming from. I always really loved the animal dioramas at the Field Museum in Chicago. (Taxidermied animals in painted, realistic backdrops for those of you who haven't been there.) They were in these dark, echo-y hallways. Most people seemed to just pass them by. When I was a little kid, I wanted to live in them. There is something about the "fake reality" in those places that always fascinated me. I think more than anything, I'm trying to get that feel with my art. Fairy tales, legends, dream imagery all seem to fit in naturally.
Most of the boxes I use are bought or found. Recently, I've been having a friend custom make me boxes. If you go to my web page, the first 3 boxes were made by her. The background images come from Victorian travel books, postcards and (my favorite) steroviews. The figures are almost all from Victorian and Napoleonic era fashion plates. (I collect antique/vintage clothes so I have a lot of this stuff around the house.) Basically, I scan the photos and prints, and color and otherwise mess with them in photoshop. The backgrounds are printed on photopaper or clear film. depending on the look I'm going for. (The box entitled "Whispers of Fallen Angels" is done entirely with printing on clear film with the figures hanging from a rod at the top of the box.) I use acrylic or oil paints to paint the boxes as well as faux finshes. Some of the boxes are gilded. The curtains you see are fabric that I sew and attatch to rods like real curtains. I like that staged effect that that gives the boxes. I have also been using these plastic, bendable, sheet lenses in some of the smaller boxes to distort the images.(Both of the "Mirage" pictures have them.) Some of my future boxes are going to have regular glass lenses that you have to look through as well as moving parts and music.
Well I could go on and on about this stuff. If you're interested I can tell you more. I'm not sure if any of you live in or near Chicago or ever pass this way. If so, be sure to let me know. The boxes don't always translate well in photographs. Some of them have strange 3-D effects that you just can't see in a photo. What I'm saying is, you gotta come by my studio and take a look.
Connie
|
Jess
Unregistered User
(4/25/02 8:48:53 am)
|
Inspiration
Connie,
I know EXACTLY what you are talking about re: the Field Museum! I think it is the silent stillness of the animals - death and life captured simultaneously in those diaramas - that used to captivate me. That and the faded colors. I'll have to go back and look at your boxes and see if they instill that same sureal feeling. The Field Museum is a marvelous place for inspiration - and one of my very favorite places in the world (I am no longer a member since moving to the Seattle Area, and unfortunately, there is nothing resembling it in the least here).
For those unfamiliar with the museum, I believe the animals are on the first floor. We would always go there first, then hit some other exhibit and end up in the Discovery room. There are other things to inspire those of you with interest in folk tales/lore there, including a wonderful library.
Jess
|
Jess
Unregistered User
(4/25/02 8:22:48 pm)
|
Art
Connie,
A little off thread here, but do you know about Salvage One in Chicago (I guess they have just moved to Hubbard Street - they use to be near UIC). They have wonderful "finds" which you might be able to use as "boxes". Or at least they did. Cool place.
Jess
|
Maatera
Registered User
(4/29/02 12:39:32 pm)
|
Re: Art
Hi Jess
I used to live near Salvage One a while back. I havn't been there in years. That'll be another field trip for an upcoming weekend.
By chance, did you ever go to American Science and Surplus when you were living in Chicago? I get my lenses from them. They've got piles of weird motors and beakers and stuff. It's a lot of fun. I just had a box made to fit around a 5x7 rectangular lens I bought there. It's so cool! There's no other word for it. I'll try putting a picture of it up when I'm done. It might be one of those "You gotta see it in real life" pieces though.
Connie
|
