54

DONE

Fifty-fourth series: 
Blue Sky Windows

Winter is still upon us. So to offset the depression and vitamin D deficiency this time of year brings, I created little portable beaches to remind us of the azure waters of Cancun or Crete and the upcoming cerulean firmaments of spring. Armed with little plastic boxes, photographs of cloudy blue skies, polymer resin and a little Turrell maybe Tanguy influence I created 50 works. They are hung by blue ribbon or pink string and inside is sand from the beaches we all wish we were on plus a few other little treats.(Don’t open these boxes. They are glued shut plus the sand will fall out.) They will be placed in March and April, 2013 in Louisville, KY.
Did you take a beach vacation home? Tell me about it!

53

Fifty-third series, Bridge Butterflies
To celebrate the start of spring after this annoyingly snowy winter I will be making groups of cast butterflies in various colors, orange, red, yellow, blue... and placing them on bridges. I will start with my local Gowanus and then the others in New York all Spring and Summer 2013. As I visit a bridge or walk across I will photograph the placements, tweet them and check them off the list. below. Occasionally they will wander off on their own so you might find one or two off the bridges. They're just exploring. 
Did you see a flock? Tell me!

52

DONE Fifty-second series, Fairy Rings, ed. 100  

Going out in this frigid weather makes me long for spring. So I decided to scatter some fairy rings during my walks. In real life these rings, also known as fairy circles, elf circles, or pixie rings, are naturally occurring arcs of mushrooms found mainly in forested areas. European folklore states that these natural occurrences are gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance.

The works consist of liquid plastic poured into a simple button shaped mold. Invested in the plastic is glitter, sequins, bells, and beads. From a beaded hole in the front of the work flies a colored ribbon. The works are attached to a light pole with little magnets. The current “standard, octagonal, galvanized steel post with cobra-head luminaire lamps” that that blanket our NYC parks providing a sense of nostalgic also provides me with 8 surfaces to attach the works. The sequins glitter in the harsh winter sun and the ribbons flutter in the biting breezes. (One of my favorite followers says, “They remind me of Tibetan prayer flags.”) The works will always be released in sets of 8 and only in NYC Parks whether they are the tiny vest pocket parks trapped in the middle of busy intersections or the big ones like Central, Prospect or Pelham.

Did you see one? Tell Me!

51

Fifty-first series, SeeMeTellMe Snowflakes, ed. 50

Just like last year at about this time, to celebrate the holidays I am borrowing the wonderful snow flake images of Wilson Alwyn"Snowflake" Bentley (1865-1931). A self educated farmer, Bentley attracted world attention with his photomicrography, most notably his extensive work with snow crystals. He adapted a microscope to a bellows camera, caught flakes on a background of black velvet, and became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885. He would photograph more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime.

These works will consist of a 2 x 1 x ½ inch clear box, a clear sticker of one of Bentley’s images, a battery, and a yellow, green, blue, orange or white LED. The QR code, title of the series and blog address is on the verso. The works will be placed in New York and Louisville until from December 16-January 4, 2011. (By the way, if you find a work and want to reserve the light just open the box from the top and un-tape the battery.)

Did you see one or take one home for your collection? Tell me about it.

50

Hurricane Collages, ed. 30.

All I could do during the storm and the aftermath was sit in the studio, watch the coverage on TV, worry, make collages and wonder why my city seems to be the site of so much "history" these days. I used images I love - butterflies and Muybridge nudes -  then added bells, letter beads, string, buttons, handmade rice paper and grommets and cast them all in liquid plastic. The works will be hung from string in the streets and subways through November and December.

49

a little glimmer of hope. In the days following the hurricane I walked the city seeing damage in Red Hook, the Gowanus, the West Village and the Chelsea art gallery district. I tried and tried to create a series of works that explained my feelings about this tragic event but I was unable to make my emotions into art. So I created a simple project of a pair of golden or silver wings that represent the bravery, resilience and optimism of New York. The 2 inch long wings are cast liquid plastic painted gold or silver with green, red, orange or blue highlights. Attached to an orange snippet of string they hang by magnets. On verso is the series title and an art sticker. 

If you see one of these works, in the city, on this blog or on twitter, and if you can afford it, make a donation to the Red Cross or another charity to help out our fellow New Yorkers. Tell me about your donation here, send me your address via email and I will send you a little glimmer of hope in the mail.

48

SeeMeTellMe Subway Buttons, ed. 100

This project is just for fun. I see all these unsightly holes in the metal posts that hold up the subway. So I  decided to fill them with little decorative buttons. I cast liquid plastic in floral rubber candy molds. I throw in a few beads and buttons and a colorful piece of string. And then I tie them onto the pillars.

Did you see one? Tell me.

47

I will be participating in the AiOP Project again this year
from October 5-15, 2012
SEE ME TELL ME SHIFTS: GRAFFITI SERIES FASHION SHOW

200 tiny summer dresses, made from rice paper with images of street art and graffiti on front and snippets from shopping bags on verso with be placed along 14th Street. The dresses are a comment on free art vs. obtained luxury. The little shifts hang on hangers and are attached to metal objects with magnets allowing them to flutter in the breezes.

46

Forty-sixth Series: Liberty Takes a Holiday, ed. 50

I am going to be wandering about the US and overseas this summer and so I decided I wanted show my presence with a little bit of NYC. But since I can’t tow the 151 ft. tall, 125 ton chunk of green hammered copper, cast iron and stainless steel we have gracing our harbor with me I decided to make my own lighter version. I cast 5 inch tall little ladies in plaster, painted them green and replaced that hot heavy torch with a windmill, some streamers or a parasol. Fun! See where she travels on my twitter feed! I think Bartholdi and Eiffel would be so proud.

45

New series - Devil at the Crossroads, ed. 100
I was listening to a great Radio Lab show the other day that discussed the life of the Blues guitarist Robert Johnson. “According to legend, as a young man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi, Robert Johnson was branded with a burning desire to become a great blues musician. He was ‘instructed’ to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi at midnight. There he was met by a large man (the Devil) who took the guitar and tuned it. The ‘Devil’ played a few songs and then returned the guitar to Johnson, giving him mastery of the instrument. [This was in effect, a deal with the devil mirroring the legend of Faust.] In exchange for his soul, Robert Johnson was able to create the blues for which he became famous.”

So I decided to repurpose this idea for our contemporary times – perhaps providing a situation for some aspiring musician or artist. I borrowed images of various Gothic, Romanesque, Gothic revival and Romanesque revival works, xeroxed them onto rice paper and glued them down onto primed canvas. I created little clay horns for each inserted them into the images making them into devils. The works will be placed inside and outside the Times Square subway station, the iconic "The Crossroads of the World" (although some works may wander to other locations).

Did you see one? Email me.

44

Forty Fourth Series: Mini Exhibition Postcards, edition 50. You know, sometimes you just have to drop back, calm down, check out some Rauschenberg and some Johns and do a few assemblages. Concentration on color, texture, line, and a little humor can straighten up any untoward New York day. So here are 50 little combines for you. They consist of a 1 ½ x 2 inch poly bag, thread and sequins, beads, a scattering of found objects and gallery announcement cards.
Did you see one? Tell me!

43

Forty-third series: See Me Tell Me Shifts: 36 Views of the Ruins of Zuccotti, ed. 100

This is the fourth of my See Me Tell Me Shifts series. The shifts are based on the thin, simple, summer dresses worn by fashionable New York women. The imagery for this newest series are the views of the now empty Zuccotti Square, the site of the small village of the Occupy Wall Street Movement that existed from September 17-November 15, 2011 until it was erased from existence. Each dress is made from 7 to 4 inch long piece of Japanese rice paper cut in the shape of a sundress. On the front is one of the 36 views of the empty square in homage to the great ukigo-e printmaker Hiroshige. The string sash has a face bead that refers to the human microphone employed by the protestors and the word “occupy” in letter beads. On the back are images of botanical rhizomes, symbolic of the social media networks that spread the word of the Occupy movement around the world. Included is a small plastic bag full a grass seed, a type of rhizome that symbolizes the growth and spread of the movement. This series was commissioned by Revolt Magazine. 25 of the works will be given away by the magazine and the rest will be placed out in the world.

Did you see one or add one to your collection? Tell me about it.

42

Forty-second series: Subway Tokens, ed. 100
Carry this token in your pocket or bag next to your metro card and you will always get a seat on the subway, your train will arrive on time, and the interesting person sitting across from you will look up from their book and into your eyes. 

This is the third of my bound series. Wrapping, binding and tying is a method used by outsider and visionary artists as well artists of the Congo and ancient Egypt. The string, rope, thread, ribbon, as well as the charms and trinkets threaded in and among the windings attract and concentrate spiritual energy within the object empowering it to fulfill an intended purpose. In this case extra magic was added with the images of my fellow subway riders. While sitting across from them I was inspired to photograph some of the more beatific and make them into art. For this series I applied their faces to the tokens as “saints of the subway” in the mode of Byzantine icons. Each amulet consists of beads, buttons, sequins, and other various objects invested in plaster wrapped in string, floss, and wire with bells at the ends of the dangling strands. Their edition numbers are written on the verso and they are placed in a 2 x 3 ½ inch poly bag with the title of the series and the QR code on the back. This series was commissioned by RevoltMagazine. 25 of the works will be given away by the magazine and the rest will be placed out in the world.

Did you see one? Tell me about it?

41

DONE
Forty-first Series: Blue Sky Windows, edition 100
The worst part of winter is upon us. To offset the depression and vitamin D deficiency this time of year brings, I created a few works to remind us of the azure skies of October and the upcoming cerulean firmaments of spring. Armed with little plastic boxes, photographs of cloudy blue skies, some with an occasional a bird or two, polymer resin and a little Turrell influence I created 100 works. They are hung by red string and inside is either sand from the beaches we all wish we were on, clear bubble beads to suggest foamy lightness, fallen star sequins, or a few other little treats. (Don’t open these boxes. They are glued shut.) They will be placed in mid January through the end of February, high up in the subways, attached with a bright ART sticker.
Did you see one? Tell me!

40

DONE (until next year)
Fortieth series, SeeMeTellMe Snowflakes 
To celebrate the holidays I am borrowing the wonderful show flake images of Wilson Alwyn "Snowflake" Bentley (1865-1931). A self educated farmer, Bentley attracted world attention with his photomicrography, most notably his extensive work with snow crystals. He adapted a microscope to a bellows camera, caught flakes on a background of black velvet, and became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885. He would photograph more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime. These works will consist of a
2 x 1 x ½ inch clear box, a clear sticker of one of Bentley’s images, a bit of glitter, a battery, and a red, green, or blue LED. The works will be placed in New York and Louisville until from December 16-January 4, 2011.
Did you see one or take one home for your collection? Tell me about it.

39

DONE
Thirty-ninth series: Subway Monarchs, ed. 50
I missed the seeing the Monarch butterflies this year. They are usually the harbingers of fall, along with morning glories and trilling cicadas. But for some reason I didn’t get to see as many as I would have liked. So I decided to bring a few of them back. The works consist of xerox images, gold wire, silver glitter, a magnet, and the seemetellme labels. They will be placed in the subway from early December through late January.
Did you see one? Tell me all about it.

38

DONE
Thirty-eighth series:
See Me Tell Me Replacements, nos. 1-10
For this series I "borrowing" three inch square sections of media from the posters in the subway. Then in the studio I embellish them with new elements - papers, beads, glitter, sequins, text, and LEDs. Then I return the works to their original location. These works will be placed throughout December, 2011.
Did you see one? Tell me about it.

37

DONE
Thirty-seventh series: See Me Tell Me Treats, ed. 20
This is just a little series to celebrate Halloween. Took little spooky added a little vanitas, and tied them all together into a mini boutonniere for you. I will be placing these works from October 25 through 31 in New York City.

Special Project - FACES OF MANHATTAN - 2011

FACES OF MANHATTAN series, ed. 40.
It was my great pleasure to present a lecture titled “Street Art and Me” on Thursday, Sept. 29 in Manhattan, Kansas at Kansas State University's Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. The lecture focused on street art, the seemetellme series, and the use of social media to engage artwork collectors. The event was co-sponsored by the department of history, the College of Education and the Women's Studies Department. The seemetellme project was a source of inspiration for History in a Bag, a project developed by K-State's Heather McCrea, associate professor of history, as a teaching tool for her spring 2011 history course.

After the lecture I conducted a workshop on the seemetellme process. The participants took photographs of themselves “JR style” after the great Parisian photograffer which I printed out in long strips. Additionally they were asked to bring a few small items of their own to the workshop that related to them personally - a snippet of a newspaper, stamps, special papers, xeroxes of other images, feathers, hot peppers, string, beads, etc. I provided the magnet backed boxes. Then for about 2 hours we glued, and punched, and sewed, and collaged, and wrote notes to the people of the big apple (NYC) from those in the little apple (Manhattan, KS). About 40 works titled FACES OF MANHATTAN were created. The workshop artists kept one work for themselves and gave me one to put out into the streets of my Manhattan in the coming weeks.

My thanks for the success of this lecture and project go to my great long time friend Heather McCrea and my wonderful new friends, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn and Kathrine Walker Schlageck.

Special Project - Exquisite Corpse Festival - 2011

For the Exquisite Corpse Festival I placed 25 See Me Tell Me Shifts: Graffiti Series on the front gate of the Richmond Shepard Theatre at 309 East 26th Street on Thursday. These tiny dresses are fashioned after light summer frocks and decorated with graffiti seen in London, Paris, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Chelsea and SoHo this spring and summer.