Thursday, February 3, 2011

Not a birdhouse

If I had a dollar for every time someone called these buildings a birdhouse, I could just stop now and send Wesley to college. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration but I get tired of hearing this comment, "oh, your birdhouses are so cute". This is said usually in a high pitched squealy voice. Not an f' ing birdhouse! Not that I have anything against birdhouses, I love them, they are charming, I am all about folk art, I have birdhouses that I love, but the thoughts and sources of inspiration for these barns/houses/dwellings/ whatever they are, they are not birdhouses. I do wish I could decide what to call them though. So I was feeling a bit possesed by the art thing yesterday, I live with a teenager that is all about the political uprisings right now, I live with a photojournalist, so I thought I would do a newspaper house. I picked up a Chinese newspaper at the Library and collaged this barn. I have no idea what any of it says, which I kind of like, who knows what statement I am really making here.
For some reason I want these barns to be canvases for something else, not sure what just yet. This may come from barns I saw in my childhood that advertised things like Mail Pouch Tobacco, See Rock City, Sundrop, those sort of things painted on the sides of barns. My dad had a grocery store when I was a little girl that had a brick wall on the outside painted with an RC Cola sign. I love seeing these and they are quickly fading from our landscape. I'm not sure I want to paint See Rock City on one because someone will squeal, look at the cute birdhouse! but I want to do something. Wesley is really exploring graffiti art right now and I may give her one and get her to do some grafiti on it. We'll see. Speaking of graffiti if you want to see a really cool movie check out Exit through the Gift Shop. It is a documentary on Banksy and it is great!
Rock on ya'll, peace!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Definitely NOT a bird house! I have never looked at your pieces and thought bird house...hmmm. Anyway, I love the newspaper collage...keep going!

Tracey Broome said...

I don't think most potters would look at these at birdhouses, but the "craft fair" attendees are not quite as educated sometimes :) Every time I hear it I think how do you see a birdhouse here? Really?

andrea gardiner freeman said...

Love this canvas approach... powerful indeed.

Judy Shreve said...

Happy Chinese New Year - lol

Tracey Broome said...

Thanks Andrea! Judy, I know, I didn't even think about it being the Chinese New Year, good timing, huh!

barbaradonovan said...

No, never thought "birdhouse" either. I think some people less familiar with art just need everything to have a use and fit in a catagory to make sense of it. I've always thought it funny when someone would look at a lidded jar and ask me "what would you put in this?" Well, what would you like to put in it?

Love where the barns are going. So many possibilities. Must be exciting.

cookingwithgas said...

but if a bird moved in- just because he was flying across the county and needed a place to stay for the night to stay safe, dry and warm would you let him stay?
Happy New Year!

Tracey Broome said...

Well of course the bird could stay! A cockroach could stay if he wanted to because Wesley is all Buddhist and we can't kill things, we tuck them in and kiss them goodnight! I agree on the "what is this for" question, it just amazes me that people have to know what the use is before they love it.I make these little trays and am always asked what you put in them. I like to say things like, well I dump my used espresso grounds in this one, that brings a puzzled look every time!

cindy shake said...

I suppose your BARNS could be BIRDHOUSES if the DOORS WERE FREAKING ROUND!!! Geeze folks. But hey -maybe those folks are onto something. Round the doors, add a stick, hangy thingy and double the price -viola, college fund :o)

ang design said...

HA i think the guy on the back looks a bit tense :P