So it all began with Lambchop. A friend had given me a bunch of studio donations and in it was this tiny plush doll of Lambchop the adorable sidekick of Shari Lewis (look it up if you have no clue who they are). Most of the items I put out in our freebie box in front of the house. But I had to keep Lambchop. So when I was cleaning the studio, I had no clue where it should go in an already heaping studio. So I had this ceramic cup of a wild looking middle eastern gentleman. So I decided to put Lambchop in the cup for the moment. Its cute right? I'd find a better spot for it later.
But I kept looking at it, thinking "there is something I'm missing here". This feeling usually means I've got a new creative idea coming on, but it wasn't quite ready to show itself to me.
So I went out to the porch studio and was photographing some sculpture work, when I glanced at a pile of items I'd been putting on a shelf. Some of these I'd had awhile. I also had a very unusual glasswork candle holder I'd just brought up to the front. So what if I put these items on top of the candle holder and arranged them in an unusual pattern.
Then it hit me! Lambchop was trying to tell me something. These were creative constructs. But not the kind that someone could buy. They were.....hmm....come on Grey its on the tip of your tongue....EMPHEMERAL. They were artistic constructs that may change at any given moments. I suddenly looked around and realized that these were NOT the only ephemeral constructs around me. They were everywhere!
This wasn't by chance. I'd had the habit for years of taking items which I'd purchased for my art and placing them in interesting configurations until I decided I needed them. This helped me not forget that I had the items. Its just that I had never looked at them as art because they were so momentary.
They were Ephemeral Constructs and they were all around me. From the selected objects I'd placed on shelves, to objects I'd stacked together because I like looking at them. They all had momentary beauty that would last only a short time before being reconfigured.
So what could I do with us? These weren't my typical Conceptual Constructs. Those were meant to be static creations that remained once completed. But there must be a way these fit into the pattern of my life as an artist.
So its now my goal to consider this idea and what it means. I know when people come to visit the studio that they are always amazed at the array of objects around the studios. But this puts the whole idea of a studio visit into different perspective.
So now what? I don't know, but Lambchop and I will figure it out. Good ideas are often slow ideas. We'll see what we get next!
