Surreal Abstract Fine Art

OIL DRUM ART at Artspace, Hartford, CT
World Over A Barrel
"People Choice Award"

World Over A Barrel

Oil Drum Art project

HARTFORD OIL DRUM ART EXHIBITION, ARTSPACE GALLERY

AESTHETIC FIRST PRIZE
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

Observatorium

The inspiration for this recycled oil drum creation is an idea of a fountain, wishing well, observatory and sanctorium contained within a castle tower. I have cut cathedral-like archway windows into the drum and placed a submersible pump to force water into the symbolic leaking bucket. The rusting, leaking, bucket symbolizes that nothing can ever really be contained. All things are transient. The light inside illuminates the holes drilled into the top of the drum in the shape of the big dipper, moon, planet and other stars. I decided to work within the actual dimensions of the drum and not add on outwardly to the drum for practical reasons. I wanted to make sure that the piece is easy to transport from the studio to the gallery and not take up much space. Besides being a sanctuary and a wishing well, this piece also functions as a cocktail table. The creative process is an escape vehicle for me. The end result of this process is a work of art that also has a functional purpose. I hope OBSERVATORIUM will provide viewers with their own escape vehicle, even if just for a moment.

For more information about the exhibition visit www.oildrumart.org.

Observatorium

Oncn Upon A Cello Moon

Surrealist painter Clinton Deckert is one of the artists invited by coordinator Marsha Lewis to participate in the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra Auction Exhibition. Deckert thought it was an intriguing concept to resurrect the shells of these old violins and cellos that once made music and will now be appreciated on a different stage of visual art. These old battered instruments where in various stages of disrepair and the cello Deckert recreated was in pieces. He had to reattach the neck and he completely removed the bridge and sawed off part of the overhanging neck to expose the entire surface area of the body to paint on. He then sand blasted the cello to remove the original varnish and then primed the surfaces so his new layers of paint would have good adhesion. The shape and sloping contours of these instruments has an innate visual appeal and to give them a fresh coat of paint will give viewers a new way to see them. “I used oil paint to create a twilight landscape with a ladder that starts where the cello’s bridge used to be and leans up against a full moon. The ladder evokes the ghost of the strings that have been removed. Music and art go hand in hand on so many levels that this project just seemed to make a lot of sense. I like to listen to lofty ambient music and down beat grooves when I create. On this project I also listened to symphony music to properly set the stage, easel and palette.”

“Although I mainly work on canvas, I have painted on a 55 gallon steel oil drum for the ODA Exhibition at ArtSpace, Hartford, on fiberglass cows for CowParade, West Hartford and large wood panels for a mural at UConn’s Psychology Department Tri-Campus, West Hartford, and painting on a busted cello was another interesting challenge. This event really seemed like something that I should be involved with to further support the arts in this region. It is interesting to see how other artists have given new life to these old instruments.”

UCONN MURAL

Psychology Department Tri-Campus West Hartford, Connecticut, 14 feet x 6 feet

(Image is shown in studio and in sections )