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The Muse's Storage Box

The Muse's Storage Box
Copyright Diane Lou.

Alchemical Dreams and Disparate Realities

Rust and bones, broken toys and old text, game boards, gears and nests. Even as a child such odd, unwanted items evoked a pit-of-the-stomach response that bordered on exhilaration.
While I make no attempt to conjure up specific feelings in the viewer, the ambiguous juxtapositioning of familiar materials creates art that evokes half-forgotten, dream-like visions that beg to be interpreted by the viewer. There is a sense of deja vu (the already seen) tempered by a sense of jamais vu ( the never seen, or the illusion that the familiar does not seem familiar), and this contradiction asks the viewer to dig deeply, to look inside her own repository of wisdom, intuition and experience to find her own meaning in the familiar objects she sees.
The once-private discards of people's material lives that I collect for my art seem to carry universal memories with them, memories that can engage and mystify the viewer. Their beauty lies within the rust, the erosion, the wear, and the mere fact that they were once possessions.
I play with abandon and with no forethought. Each piece of detritus seems to suggest to me a relationship with some other piece, and I begin to put them together and wait for the mental "buzz" that lets me know I am proceeding as I should. Even at this point, I continue to remain in the play state and will not allow myself to direct the outcome of the piece, a process that requires complete trust. The outcome often mystifies me as much as it might any viewer.
Remember when, as a child, whatever was in reach became the instrument of your creative exploration? That is my life. A rusty, flattened piece of metal on the street, a gnawed bone by the roadside, a unique twisted branch from a tree, a fallen nest, a broken egg, a snake's skin, a dead butterfly...all will be added to my collection and eventually have their beauty honored in one of my pieces. The resulting art creates a new story with its own imagined history, one that invites the viewers to lay some claim on it by allowing themselves to be enveloped by the sight, the history, and the ambiguity of the realities before them.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

February Giveaway....a few days to go

Well, fortunately we still have internet so I am going to post a couple things while I can as it could be several days before I get back on here.  First, the giveaway...

Anyone who has posted or will post a comment this month has had their name put into a drawing for some  "stuff" for assemblage.  Now if you don't like to play around with odd stuff, this drawing may not interest you, but if you do....there are over 50 items in the giveaway box, and I'll probably toss in a few more things at the last minute, so do post if you are interested in possibly winning!

Second, as promised, some pictures of the piece I finally finished up to my satisfaction. I've titled it The Invitation.  There are some detail pictures following. It may be hard to see, but behind the box with the eye, there is a burned paper border made from an old document, and peering through it is a reproduction of a vintage nude.  She barely peeks around the  left side, and is further camouflaged by the curly metal pattern.
 And then there is the watchful eye...
(The Invitation copyright by Diane Lou)

6 comments:

Pollyfusia said...

Love the eye! And the cheeky nudie! :)

Diane Lou said...

Thanks so much! That vintage French doll's eye opens and closes too. Love them lots....

Pam McKnight said...

This is great! and I love you giveaway, right up my alley!

Diane Lou said...

Good luck in the drawing, Pam! ....and thanks!

Carol said...

I thought I'd commented on this but blogger must have swallowed it. I love this piece and especially that eye - opening and closing - very special!

Diane Lou said...

Must have! Glad you tried again. Those vintage French doll eyes really sucked me in. Even though they were spendy, I had to have them. And since I spend almost nothing on the rest of my stuff, it was easy to justify.