It's sometimes good to hearken back to the old times, ancient times, hey, even pre-historic times. Rocks and sticks may seem trendy right now for furnishing interiors, but for me they never go out of style. There is something satisfying about what Carl Jung called "our collective unconscious". The evolution to wall paintings came 32,000 years ago, as far as we know. When I decided to retrieve a few of my art pieces from the Garden Apartment project, I was disturbed by their absence. First I was going to draw with chalk on the wall as a substitute for the original art. Then, I thought why not do something more permanent and paint on the wall? This thought process happened rapidly and naturally, and in some respects seemed even better than the "original" artworks themselves.
copy of "Copy of Nickel" in process
latex paint on drywall
Is any thought ever truly original? Usually, someone on the other side of the globe is doing the same thing, or someone may have done it years before. Maybe it seemed like our own idea but in fact was something that just seeped into our unconscious. I found this little plastic nickel with the word copy stamped on it. As if anyone would think that a plastic nickel would be mistaken for the real thing? How baffling is that? What is real art and what isn't? I would regard these as originals, as as part of a series.
"Copy of Copy of Nickel"
latex on drywall
Renee Celeste Flanders
2011
(original below on shelf)
Perhaps I was experiencing a throwback to the freedom felt in drawing on the wall as a child. Do any of you recall that uninhibited impulse?
copy of "Bouquet" on wall in process
The original "Bouquet" was never painted, but cut into the canvas a la Lucio Fontana. I had drawn numerous renditions, but never painted the lines, as they were cut with a knife. To paint it was taking it from 3 dimensional to 2 dimensional, but with the objective to simulate the 3 dimensional original. Here I was cutting through the wall with paint. I felt like Alice in Wonderland entering the wall through the looking glass!
copy of "Bouquet" on wall in process
"Copy of Hand"
latex on drywall
Renee Celeste Flanders
2011
Up against the wall, cave art! This was a simple but satisfying way to mark my territory. Or, it could be seen as an appeal to the gods of aesthetics to always invoke their good graces to the occupants of the apartment. Instead of happy hunting, may they achieve great success in their artistic endeavors on stage at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Opera Theatre of St. Louis!
