Materials and objects hold history, and sometimes collective memory. In their concreteness, you can “feel” it, or recall it from your past experience. There is something “there” there. I work with this in my assemblage pieces to create functional objects from things that have been discarded, or perhaps collected. When these materials are used in a piece of art, I feel that it is a way of honoring them for their intrinsic beauty or interest. Rather than being tossed (even something as simple as a wine cap), they can be turned into something else and have further use and purpose.

Art is a practice, for me, of presence in the making of objects and images. Every moment a mindful decision is made, and each day brings something new. And there is an intention that permeates each piece. . . sometimes gravitas, sometimes joy.

For example, Ineluctable Gravity of Being was created for a group exhibit where the premise was this:

“Imagine you live in poverty in a developing country where you can’t afford to buy the things you need for survival, so all of your functional belongings must be made from discarded objects and materials that you can find in your environment—junk, trash, recyclables, etc.”  I imagined living in a makeshift tin shack of some sort and feeling that I would need a curtain, or some kind of gate, to shelter me. This piece was born, and it evokes for me, the feeling of not being able to escape the circumstances of one’s life. . . the gravity of that way of being. . . but also having a shield against it.

Renovator is quite different. It is about renewal, joie de vivre, and invention. The movement is circular and unbounded. That was the intention I held for this piece.

Headboard for Lovers was created for friends and is more folksy and playful. So it goes. It all depends on what is happening in my life at the time (because each of these pieces takes many months to complete) and how I reflect on the material at hand.

The wine caps come from the generous friends and fellow artists I know who are willing to carefully remove the foil from their bottles and save them for me. To them I am immensely grateful. In this way, they also become part of the project. Please contact me if you’d like to join us.  sholleman707@comcast.net