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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 16, 2011

Website at last...

After having "create a website" on my to-do list for oh, maybe about 3 years, I finally did it!

Yesterday I awoke to large snow flakes falling down (but not sticking), an overcast sky, and a nagging feeling that I really needed to get this done!  So I did a little yoga, ate breakfast, grabbed a big mug of tea, and went to a create-your-website site I had seen.  They offered the super package for $20 for 3 months to try out, so I thought, why not?

As they advertise, if you really want a basic website, without lots of extras, you could do it in a hour or two.  And the basic ones are free!  So yes, after an hour or so, I had the basics of my site together, some photos uploaded, but of course, I couldn't stop there.  Then there was adding in the artist's statement, bio, comments, a review, links to everything, going to Photoshop to create a cover page, and on and on.  So for now, at least, it is good enough, and it is up and running.

                                              Go take a peek:  Diane Lou Assemblage

Art tomorrow....

6 comments:

Judy Shreve said...

Your website looks great -- can't believe you did it in just a few hours!

Diane Lou said...

Thanks so much, Judy. And, it's very easy to edit the site. I'm sure I'll do more with it gradually, but for now, it's finally here!

Carol said...

I enjoyed looking at your website and loved the slide shows. The only link I couldn't get to was the purchase page, maybe it was just me but it's worth you it out. Your Blurb books are great too, and I'm especially interested in the transfer book, which is why I was trying to get your purchase page.

Diane Lou said...

Thanks, Carol. Yes, you found the one part of the site that isn't done (but which I'll now probably do tonight ;)! The book is cheaper if you just buy it direct from me because of the high shipping charges Blurb charges. I'll just charge you actual shipping to Australia, when I find out what it is. If you do want a copy, let me know, and I'll figure out what shipping is and let you know.
Great! Lots cheaper than flying over here for a workshop.

Rebeca Trevino said...

the website is terrific!
had only a few minutes to look, but will be back soon.
WOO! HOO!

Diane Lou said...

Thanks, Rebeca! I'm still working on the purchase gallery...and eventually will probably customize some backgrounds...and... But the good thing is that this site makes it so easy to edit, add, remove and change anything. No hiring a web person to make changes, which can get very expensive. And if I ever learn Photoshop well, I could do all sorts of things with the site.