Found garden stakes, thread and gouache. Yup! Today’s spotlight is shining on San Francisco based subscribing member Jenny M Phillips’ latest series, titled “Foraged”:
“Placing an object into a new context can have a transformative impact: what was previously overlooked now becomes worthy of contemplation, a starting point for a visual meditation. Humble garden stakes extracted from the soil can acquire a hitherto hidden richness, as their anonymity fades away and their subtle contorted shapes are revealed and highlighted. The mass-produced and the ubiquitous become one-of-a-kind: everyday artifacts presented in a carefully considered manner. These are a labor of love: although the details are subtle and simple they must be carefully rendered. Each detail is important to the presentation of these foraged objects. I revel in their extraordinary uniqueness.”
Ahhh, so good. I love negative space… and found objects… and thread… and gouache!!! You can find Jenny on Instagram at @jennymphillips.
I’ve had a bunch of people ask if they need to be “professional artists” to take part in the CONTEMPORARY ART COURSE in Venice this July. No, nope, no way! We welcome artists in every stage of their creative journeys! This will be my fifth year, and honestly, every time it feels like a “life-changer”… my work gets pushed further, I meet amazing new like-minded friends, and I get to be in Venice during the Biennale … win, win win! Take a closer look at the ins and outs of this course on the European Cultural Academy’s website, and you can also check them out on Instagram at @eca.venice 💚🤍❤️ ps. VENICE10 will get you a little jealous curator discount {wink wink}
The installation above is the work of Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, aka @shoplifterart. She represented Iceland at the Biennale in 2019.
Have an amazing, creative, beautiful weekend ~ Danielle
One could read Ms Phillips’ garden stakes on a square ground as anthropomorphic. Distorted, even twisted “stakes” against a tasteful, perhaps corporate ground with innocent, stainless interiors. If one removed the stakes, leaving just the two shapes, one square, one irregular and open-ended; would there be more drama or less, anthropomorphically speaking?
I hope everyone gets a chance to take the Venice course, it’s Better than anything you can imagine 💛