Mosaics in Progress
Why do I share unfinished in progress work here? Well, lately I’ve started to think of this journal as a place for notes. I’m not good at keeping a physical journal. I mean, I have many notebooks but none are like “The one” that I carry around and doodle in etc. Which I guess could be strange since I have a painting and drawing degree.
Anyway, I’m a maker not a writer though as you may already know, owning a small business requires you to wear all the hats even if they don’t quite fit. So I decided that part of this process is documenting it here in this journal. It’s an experiment in writing and staying on top of my many projects.
When I was in college I was introduced to the art movement called : Land Art. Though short the movement ran from the late 70s into the early 80s. It was dominated by east coast artists pushing out of the white cube gallery space into the land around them. You can see land art all across the United States and with the biggest pieces located in the western US. I’ve seen a few in person like the Spiral Jetty created by Robert Smithson, the father of Land Art. And have been a frequent visitor of Storm King Art Center and Dia Beacon which are both located in upstate NY house lots of Land Art pieces.
I had long hoped the join some part of the Land Art movement though I had not exactly decided what my work would or could be until perhaps now. But, like I mentioned I am simply experimenting and bringing you along for the ride. I imagine that this project will take on many forms as we work through the materials and meanings.
So there are a few levels to this project. Besides loving Land Art, I have also loved Urban Exploring. I grew up in Bergen County, NJ not far from many abandoned buildings in Newark, Yonkers, Thiells etc. Perhaps my love of urban exploring is a bit romantic. Most of the time I have a limited knowledge of what the buildings were used for so I get to really play with the life I imagine was lived in them. At the core of it I love the way nature reclaims the spaces for herself and I love being able to experience it. I had visited many of the same buildings over and over again so I was able to witness how they changed and decayed. The colors, the smells, the silence, the isolation, the history, the plants, the fear - I could go on and on about why Urban Exploring won my heart so many years ago.
Fifteenish years ago my friend, Michael W Sullivan, a photographer (check out his train photos - they are amazing!) and I, the “model” would set off to explore these buildings together. Yes, I was “modeling” in abandoned buildings. I don’t think I really wanted to model but I for sure wanted to be in those buildings. Sully and I were each others looks outs, safety nets and body guards. Our experiences were incredible. Feel free to check out younger Nicole in Sully’s photos - Yonkers 2008, Yonkers 2009, Yonkers Halloween 2009, Newark 2009, Yonkers 2010, Newark 2012, Winter 2013, Halloween 2014. So wild to go down this memory lane. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share these but dang, I’m proud of these experiences and the fearlessness that I possessed - I climbed chimneys, train bridges, broken ladders, hung out of windows, submerged myself in coal dust (bad idea) etc. I always loved stumbling upon items left out in the fields or woods. Which brings us back to the project at hand…
Anyway, Our studio in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint has been set up to run on Solar Energy, we gather rain water and utilize discarded packing materials collected from our small town. With that idea I’ve been collecting both our old pottery along with old tiles, glass and other folks broken pottery. It has sat in the studio for years until now.
Pottery before being fired can be broken down and reclaimed for reuse but once the pieces are fired in the kiln they are no longer able to be recycled. It’s kind of annoying and a waste so I’ve collected what I can of fired pottery to create something else - mosaics. But not just any mosaics - large scale mosaics that will hopefully be placed in the woods. Right now I am testing materials. What will provide the piece with the strength to survive the elements and still have the overall visual appearance that I want.
The image below is the very first test…
