Here is probably the most detailed look at an assemblage piece I created thirty two years ago. The owner of this piece asked me to glue the little vase back on that had broken off the top rung of the ladder. I was able to take some pictures of the piece. In addition to the fix I took the opportunity to upgrade the hanging wire on the back.
I used some paper from an old German book to paste on the box frame and the green rungs of the ladder. After gluing the paper on the box frame I rubbed some dark green paint on the paper. You can see where some of the paint didn’t adhere to spots of glue residue. The white squares are pieces of paper glued to the background then painted white and dusted and rubbed with graphite powder. All of the objects on the ladder rungs were hand made. I handwove the tiny rug and made the iron head from a piece of rusty tin can and constructed the tiny book our of tiny pieces of paper. The title at the bottom was made using a portable German typewriter that sadly I no longer possess.
Wood, acrylic paint, paper, wire, metal, handwoven cloth
13.5 x 5.75 x 2.5 inches (34.3 x 14.6 x 8.9 cm)
May 1991 (West Jordan, Utah)
Painted wood vase with three copper wires. 1 1/8 x 7/16 inches (2.8 x 1 cm)
Painted wood and graphite with a copper wire out of the chin. 13/16 x 1 1/2 inches (2 x 3.8 cm)
Wood, paint, and graphite. 11/16 x 5/8 inches (1.7 x 1.6 cm)
Wood, paint, and pasted page numbers from an old book. 5/8 x 1 1/8 inches (1.6 x 2.8 cm)
Iron head made from rusted tin can metal held in place with copper wire. The face was made with white paint. 11/16 x 5/8 inches (1.7 x 1.6 cm)
Book made with scrap print making paper and paint. 11/16 x 1 1/8 inches (1.7 x 2.8 cm)
Wood, paint, and graphite pencil. 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches (1.2 x 2.8 cm)
Wood, paint, pasted paper, and copper wire. 1 3/16 x 1/2 inches (3 x 1.2 cm)
Handwoven cotton yarn. 2 3/4 x 1 1/4 (7 x 32 cm)
Signed with graphite pencil at the left side of the third square from the bottom on the left side of the background.
All four sides of the outside of the frame were rubbed with gray acrylic paint then scrubbed into cracks and indents of the wood with thinned black acrylic paint.
The back of the piece with signature, location where the piece was created, and date of completion. This also gives a look at how the box was constructed back then. I measured the piece again and got more accurate dimensions that differ slightly from those shown on the exhibit label.
Of the four galleries that are shown on the exhibit label only the Phillips Gallery now exists. I was able to show, and if my memory serve me right, sell work in the Courtyard, Pierpont, and Dooly Galleries.