Found Art Feb 13, 2006: LOVE
Monday, February 12, 2007 at 11:27PM 
This is the new piece for Found Art Tuesday, Love. It's made in a small wooden cigar box (if you want to see how I made it, keep reading because I will include some pictures I took during the process)
To get inspiration about love I went to visit one of the greatest poets of our time: John Lennon. I have a new respect for Yoko Ono. I have listened to "Woman" before many many times, but yesterday it struck me how a great woman she must have been to have inspired such a song. 
The general idea of this piece is like the bottle thrown in the ocean idea of which I wrote last week. It's a box that opens a window to someone's heart. She is maybe throwing her heart out and waiting to see if it'll land in dry land.
It's a love letter made with pieces of herself.
It has a lonely quality to it, although my intention was the opposite. A statement to love turned into a yearning for love. This change of direction in the middle of making a piece happens to me fairly often. I wonder if it's my subconscious taking charge of the creative side of my brain or is it the actual piece telling me what it wants to be? Am I just a messenger for something bigger than me? Remember the ouija boards? Sometimes I feel something else is taking over, not in a psychotic way (I hope!) more in someone showing me what needs to be done. Have you felt something like this?
The materials I used were: Cigar box, acrylic paint, basswood wood (the kind they use for building models), an antique metal heart, disposable camera pieces and nails.
In the inner part of the lid I wrote the lyrics to the John Lennon's song "Love" I thought that whomever happens to find it (and thinks of keeping it), would recognize the song.
I have been so busy these past few days that I feel if I've had more time it would've turned out a little better crafted. there are a few things I'm still not happy with but oh well...
This was left in a little lonely bench in the middle of a little lonely park. Waiting for the lovers at the movies.
These are a few pictures of the process:
the cigar box made out of particle wood
applying a coat of gesso so that the paint will stick
painting it red (see my love mug in the background?!)
and painting it white...
Finished!
If you think I skipped about 10 steps, well you're right but it's late and I'm tired.. there's always more time tomorrow...
Reader Comments (6)
it will make them remember an old love, a love that has never compared to any other.
it will make them a little bit sad at first. remembering what was, longing for what might have been.
and then, it will make them understand that love is a gift, meant to be carried with you in your heart always. it doesn't disappear; it rubs a tiny hole in your life.
a hole that is just big enough to be filled up again, with the love of another.
and this tiny hole in your life, when filled with the love of another will get a bit larger. it will get larger so that you can fill it up with more love, and more, and even more.
and just when you thought that you were a little bit sad and missing the one that you loved before, you will realize that this "hole" isn't a hole - it in fact makes YOU "whole"; and you are filled to the brim, with love; overflowing in fact.
and then this person who was once sad and lonely, but who now feels whole and is overflowing with love; this person will go out into the world and spread this love that is themselves. they will bring joy and beauty and understanding to the world.
all because of a little box, they found sitting on a lonely bench one February morn.....