Michal Shapiro "Mosaic Series in Recycled Media"
M55 Art
This event has ended.
"I have painted for many years on canvas, but my current body of work is created from the styrofoam trays grocery stores package meat and produce in. They do not degrade but for some reason are not recycled. About five years ago I stopped throwing them out and started using them in my artwork. The process I have evolved begins as I paint on the trays directly, randomly cut them up and thoughtfully glue them to canvas. I realize that each painted piece I cut is a microcosm (a beautiful abstraction in and of itself.) So I let the pieces lead me to a conclusion or I subordinate them to a larger, planned structure. The spontaneity of this process is engrossing, and I find myself stimulated by the aesthetic statements these pieces make in combination, which I might not have chosen under other circumstances. Color, texture and pattern collide, collude and create passages that are surprisingly organic for pieces that are geometric in shape. The surface activity can be linear or spatial or modular, sometimes sculptural and sometimes all of these. The gestures can be small, or grand; the paintings can be complex or simple. The process can take on the feeling of a cadavre exquise, though of course, I always have the ultimate say! My work is a combination of process and decision-making. Formerly I characterized my artistic endeavors as “chasing colors and shapes across a canvas.” This particular medium has expanded that chase."
Media
Schedule
from June 23, 2009 to July 12, 2009