myartobiography

Golden Age

mdocimo — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:43:40 +0000

An ancient coin from 17 A.D. was found during an archaeological excavation in Nov. 2011, under Jerusalem's holy Western prayer wall.

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. Carl Sandburg

Wow – what a year! For some time I felt stuck between the hands of a broken cuckoo clock and well this year, it got kicked into gear and sprouted wings. I remember last year writing my pictogram resolutions and this year I did the same. A dozen goals for 2012, twelve months, twelve goals. Will I hit them all? Maybe. Maybe not. And ironically, I find some comfort in knowing that I may not reach them all. Why? Because sometimes time isn’t a straight line. Paths cross and wind, visions blur and focus, wells dry up and overflow. That means, leaving room and time for a shiny surprise that may seem to steer you off your path can actually bring you closer to where you need to be. But sometimes all that glitters isn’t gold and you invest in things, ideas, people who, unfortunately, do not hold worth. They do not offer reciprocal support, they ooze insincerity, thieves. How can you distinguish the difference between time well spent and time misspent before it is actually spent? By looking inside, trusting your gut, believing in yourself, because in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-trust is the first secret of success.” So this is the first step in achieving all your other goals.

Image Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/255337/20111124/coins-17-d-discovered-jerusalem-overturn-history.htm

Unlimited Self

mdocimo — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:03:50 +0000

Helen Frankenthaler, Midnight, 1986 Etching and aquatint on Magnani paper Editions size: 71 Paper size: 32 x 25 1/2 inches

There are many accidents that are nothing but accidents – and forget it. But there are some that were brought about only because you are the person you are… you have the wherewithal, intelligence, and energy to recognize it and do something with it. Helen Frankenthaler (1928 – 2011)

Image Source: http://contemplativeprocess.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/37/

Helen Frankenthaler, Video Portrait

Existing in eXtinction

mdocimo — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:01:16 +0000

eXtinction is an environmental art clip by Summer Rayne Oakes and director, Clayton Haskell, that will be available for viewing for two days… You only have a few more hours to watch. Then it will be gone… eXtinction

Counting Blessings

mdocimo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:43:40 +0000

Photo: Road Fun (flickr)

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. ~Friedrich Nietzche

Man is Tree

mdocimo — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:53:57 +0000

Sculptor, Joseph Wheelwright’s Theory of Evolution: ‘Man is Tree’

By: Michelina Docimo

“A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human.” ~ Georges Rouault

Joseph Wheelwright, Pine Man (2006), 24' tall.

A dreary October afternoon, the pallid sky hidden under a stained glass tunnel of roadside, scarlet burning bush, mottled sassafras, and a canopy of golden honey locust teardrops; mystery is steeped in the air like fruit-infused vodka. Sculptor, Joseph Wheelwright’s Tree Figures at the Katonah Museum of Art, in Katona, NY have a similar effect—dizzying, somber, jovial and mischievous—a concoction of haunting hallucination and sobering truth: that tree and man share the same breath. In the spirit of Dr. Frankenstein, Wheelwright ‘gives birth’ to his sculptures by carving anthropomorphic features into trees, stones, bones, and other found-objects, collected while walking through woods. He communes deeply with the essence of these forms until he hears a heartbeat, a perceived pulse that appears to then breathe fresh life into his art.

J. Wheelwright, Pine Man, detail

Pheremones of crushed dried white pine needles and freshly sawn wood sap waft under my nose, as I approach the largest of Wheelwright’s tree figures on exhibit on the front lawn. A towering 27’ Christ-like figure, with arms out-stretched, appears to float on air. The crest-fallen head reveals a face with deep, sad eyes, a pronounced nose and chin, and lips that speak the language of anguish. Atop the head, a crown of thorns is sculpted from a dense root ball, whose very features seem to lash wildly in the autumn wind. The hips are concave, as though sagging under the strain of grief, and looking up into its face, I am overcome by a feeling of fear that the structure will stumble and fall. Encircling the tree figure, tension from tip-to-toes pulsates from every angle of the work.

J. Wheelwright, Smoke Jumper, 2007, Bronze cast from hornbeam and fir trees 16-1/2x7x6 feet

Wheelwright was raised in the natural splendor of western Massachusetts’s Berkshires, a remote area known to harbor countless secrets and legends of New England’s old-growth forests. He expressed a fear of trees as a child, often clinging to the lower trunk to escape being snatched up by the clawing grasp of its branches. After graduating from Yale University’s School of Fine Arts, Wheelwright moved to a commune in Vermont, using sticks and small stones as his medium—finally able to release himself from his childhood fears. Surrounded by endless stands of trees, Wheelwright embraced his presentiment, converting it into creative curiosity and began to identify individual characters and personality traits in the natural forms around him.

Expressive movement is what he looks for, when walking through the forest selecting specimens for his sculptures: the appearance of a bended knee, a twisted torso, or swaying arms. Once in the studio, he often turns the tree upside down, visualizing a newly- conceived anthropoid, where the intricate root system becomes the head, shoulder, armpits, and where, sometimes, fingers and the trunk can metamorphose into legs and body. Wheelwright is not a purist, sometimes transplanting disparate parts, like grafting the ‘head’ of a hornbeam tree onto the ‘body’ of a cherry tree. Instinctively, the artist knows whether a tree is male or female, engendering anatomically correct traits. Lifting the bark, peeling layers, and adding tissue, Wheelwright is intimately familiar with how to create the feminine form. Other figures are more androgynous, mythical, or centaur-like—each tilting to the side of eccentricity.

J. Wheelwright, Oracle, 2008, Pine tree, 26x14x7 feet.

In the courtyard behind the museum, I sense that I am not alone. My eyes drift up from the ground as I meet the gaze of another 30-foot figure, camouflaged against a weeping Norway spruce. Suddenly transfixed, I sense a connection with this man-made object that is surprisingly empathetic. I am reminded of other creatures of science fiction-past, reclaimed from discarded and unwanted part and yet, assuming human emotions and drives. Here, for a few moments, I sense a desire to communicate with this gargantuan creature, and I find myself listening, watching, connecting.

Sublimating scientific desires into artistic expression, sought out in the relationship between man and nature, is an age-old impulse. An important aspect of that desire to meld man and nature can be found in Wheelwright’s Tree Figures. His sculpture, exploring the biomorphic ‘evolution’ of man from trees, calls into question human superiority in the natural order of things, and promotes greater sensitivity for the fine genetic line that separates all living things. “There’s no question that we are descended from the same organism,” Wheelwright says. “Clearly they are our ancestors. Human hope and design was inspired by trees. The question is, when did we split apart?”

“Joseph Wheelwright: Tree Figures,” through May in the Marilyn M. Simpson Sculpture Garden and on the South Lawn at the Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street (Route 22). For more information: www.katonahmuseum.org or (914) 232-9555.

Joseph Wheelwright’s Website: http://www.joewheelwright.com/index.htm

by Michelina Docimo, CSBA, Contributing Writer

Photos by Michelina Docimo

Michelina Docimo is a certified sustainable building advisor and writer. Her focus is on sustainable or “green” architecture, landscape, design, and the representation of nature in art. Her writings have appeared in ARTESMagazine, Culture Catch, CT Green Scene, D’Art International, and other industry publications.

Visit her blog http://michelinadocimo.com/myartobiography

This piece was written for ARTES Magazine and the original link can be viewed here:

http://www.artesmagazine.com/2011/10/new-york%E2%80%99s-katona-museum-displays-looming-creations-by-contemporary-sculptor/

Haute Construction

mdocimo — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:11:34 +0000

High fashion capital Milan is building (forest) castles in the sky and the best part is that these vertical forests will be real. Read about architect Stefano Boeri’s cutting edge 27 story natural building system here:

http://inhabitat.com/bosco-verticale-in-milan-will-be-the-worlds-first-vertical-forest/

11, What is art?

mdocimo — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:43:09 +0000

Let me ask you something, what is not art? Author Unknown

I love this question and I love the fact that it is anonymous. Anyone could have asked it – Confucius, Shakespeare, Dali, Oprah, Mike The Situation, a five-year old child, me, you – anyone. On a day like 9/11, choking down tears with my coffee, everything seems a question. Why did this happen? What have we learned? How will we move on? Who are we and What is my life worth? How will we remember? What will I give? Today is a day of asking and you don’t have to know all the answers, simply ask.

Here is a commentary by Todd May on The Meaningfulness of Lives from The New York Times:

Who among us has not asked whether his or her life is a meaningful one? Who has not wondered — on a sleepless night, during a long stretch of dull or taxing work, or when a troubled child seems a greater burden than one can bear — whether in the end it all adds up to anything? On this day, too, when many are steeped in painful reminders of personal loss, it is natural to wonder about the answers. Read the full article here:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/the-meaningfulness-of-lives/

1

mdocimo — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:37:50 +0000

The Healing Hearts Project by CT and NY artist, June Ahrens

A lot of good love can happen in ten years. ~Jim Carrey

Similar to Ghetti’s Tears tribute, Ahrens also memorializes the number of victims. Three thousand hearts – inside are messages, prayers of peace and hope – silent and unknown. I remember walking into Ahrens’ studio at a Loft Artists Open House back in 2002 inviting visitors to create. Her Healing Heart Project is a collaborative work by children, adults, and organizations throughout the States and some international participants. I remember sewing up my heart feverishly – this need to close and then giving it up completely, unsure of what would become of it. Now – it is part of two circles of hearts connected together by safety pins that have been on display throughout CT and NYC parks and many public locations. By allowing others to be part of the process, Ahrens feels The Healing Heart project “allows participants a voice to express their feelings, honor lost lives, and those who gave so much of themselves.”

Image Source: http://www.juneahrens.com/Collaborative.htm

2

mdocimo — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:56:23 +0000

Dalton M. Ghetti's 9/11 Memorial composed of 3,000 lead tears.

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. ~Washington Irving

Bridgeport artist, Dalton M. Ghetti, famous for his extraordinarily intricate carvings of found pencils, was deeply moved by the 9/11 tragedy. Shaping 3,000 tears the size of a rice grain, Ghetti began transferring his well of tears into these graphite markings, which took him a full decade to compose. His tribute will be unveiled Sunday, September 11th, at the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT at 12:00 (http://www.nbmaa.org/). In something so micro, Ghetti captures the heaviness in all our hearts.

Image Source: http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/9-11-attacks-ten-years/hc-sept-11-teardrop-nbmaa-pictures-20110905,0,7513715.photogallery

3

mdocimo — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:00:15 +0000

Ten thousand flowers in spring,

the moon in autumn,

a cool breeze in summer,

snow in winter.

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,

this is the best season of your life.

~Wu-men

At night, lots of birds settle on the tree. Some are happy, and some are sad. Caught in the desires of the mind, they perish. And when the life-night comes to an end, then they look to the sky. They fly away in all ten directions, according to their pre-ordained destiny. ~Sri Guru Granth Sahib

What do you believe?

Tribute – A Painting by Alberta Cifolelli