Are Readymades art?

Do You Think “Readymades” is considered art?

Marcel Duchamp was the first artist to present an ordinary object and deemed it art. This caused quite a stir in the art world at the time.

"Readymades" were found objects which Duchamp chose and presented as art. In 1913, Duchamp installed a Bicycle Wheel in his studio. However, the idea of Readymades did not fully develop until 1915. The idea was to question the very notion of Art, and the adoration of art, which Duchamp found "unnecessary".

My idea was to choose an object that wouldn't attract me, either by its beauty or by its ugliness. To find a point of indifference in my looking at it, you see.

Bottle Rack (1914), a bottle drying rack signed by Duchamp, is considered to be the first "pure" readymade. Prelude to a Broken Arm (1915), a snow shovel, also called In Advance of the Broken Arm, followed soon after. His Fountain, a urinal signed with the pseudonym "R. Mutt", shocked the art world in 1917. Fountain was selected in 2004 as "the most influential artwork of the 20th century" by 500 renowned artists and historians.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp

"Portal", as seen in the garden

I can appreciate readymades as art.  There, I said it.  At my Walden Three Studio I look at the hundreds of metal objects lying on my tables and I sometimes stare at wonder at the beauty of the shape. 

Perhaps it’s the colour, or maybe the shape, or perhaps I think of what the item could be combined with to create something else, such as Picasso’s “Bulls Head”. Maybe it’s just the history of the item I’m looking at that it deserves to be honoured again.

Perhaps if I re-present the piece it would look good in some one’s home, or perhaps their garden. That’s why I like readymades. Such is the case with this sculpture I call, “The Portal”. 

This is a tool that was used in a foundry to hold the container of molten metal that would be poured into a mold. When this piece is put into the ground it has a certain beauty in its rough shape. It looks good in the garden with flowers growing around it.

So…. Does readymades appeal to you?  Do you think this is art?  Please comment.

What to do....

An upside down terminally ill trailer

The jury has deliberated and for sure; my utility trailer is terminally ill. Late last fall the bearing went in one of the wheels and the wheel was certain to come off while driving. 

I've had people tell me that the best thing I should do is to drive it to the scrapyard and just leave it there. I'd probably get a $100 if I was lucky.  They say, and I'm really considering this, "Get a new trailer Jack, and while you're at it, make sure it's a dump trailer". I've researched trailers and it's going to cost me $6,000 to get a new one. Now, first of all, I don't have $6,000 for a new trailer, so I'd have to borrow the money to do this.  I use the trailer for my art business, some construction work I still do periodically, dump runs that I do, and often I just need a trailer. 

At this point I can't haul anything, so therefore I can't even advertise doing dump runs.  Doing dump runs generates income and creates activity. I decided to do some surgery on the old gal, and I realized that the bearing assembly was too far gone, so I'd have to replace the entire axle.  I checked Princess Auto and they were on sale. 

So, the long and short of it is, I installed the axle and now I have a functioning trailer again.  Once I start to generate some dump run activity, I may get the dump trailer.  So..... if you are in need of a dump run, I'm your man.

A Cold Day at the Studio

Yesterday I wanted to create something at the studio, but the outside temperature was a balmy minus 18 degrees C.  The video I post is basically a walk around in my slice of winter wonderland, and to the average person it would seem that it would be impossible to get anything done in these conditions.  But, I've set myself up so I can work in cold conditions.  Recently I purchased a propane heater and with my wood stove going I can get my "in between space" a lot warmer, not t-shirt conditions, but tolerable. After a couple of hours I had the temperature up to plus 10 degrees C.  A difference of 28 degrees. 

So at the end of the day yesterday I was able to get two chorus girls almost completed.  One is welded together just needing the base and the other is set to weld.  I also worked on a fiddle sculpture that I want to make, much the same as my guitars I do.  

Today I'll go out to the studio and continue with the three pieces I started yesterday.  Next post will show some forge work, and the progress on the chorus girls.  

Art Show at Gallery 1313, Queen Street, Toronto, ON

Jan 31-Feb 11, 2018

Selfie in front of my work

This past Tuesday I left Renfrew at 5:00 AM and drove to Toronto to set up for my art show with Art Tour Collective.  I arrived at the gallery at 10:30, the longest part of the drive was the slow going traffic on the Don Valley Parkway. After speaking with the curator and the gallery owner I was given my wall space and I started hanging my work.  I brought four pieces for this show; "Family Portrait", "Tenor Guitar", "Heavy Guitar", and "Big Mouth".  After my work was hung I helped to hang some of the other art works in the show.  

The opening vernisage was on Thursday evening so I had some time to kill, which I did by staying at my son and his family in Burlington. I had an enjoyable time with the family.  

On Thursday I arrived at the gallery three hours before the opening, but that's ok, because now I had a parking spot.  Spent some time checking out the shops on Queen Street before going to the opening.

The opening was great.  Lots of people attended and I had a chance to meet many new people.  It's great to be able to talk about art to a like-minded audience. After the show I drove back to Renfrew, which is about a four hour drive.  Needless to say, I was exhausted from the last couple of days so Friday was more of a down day.  

Now, I await for an email from someone who would like to have one of my sculptures in their own home.