I walked into the grocery store one day and was immediately drawn to a small green piece of art. After looking suspiciously around me, I studied it closely, turned it over, and saw the name of a familiar artist. She was a local favorite of mine so I was excited to have my hands on her work. Again, I looked around, and began spinning different scenerios in my head,"hmm..." I thought, "could she have lost it? Is it some sort of self promotion, and I should leave it where I found it? Was it a gift ,left here for a friend of hers?" . Against my instinct, I left it where it was and rushed home to email her about my find, that's when I was introduced to ,"Found Art " . Wow, a way to share art with the world with no strings attached. Freedom from judgement, from money, from expectations... I have been painting for many years now, and yet , I approached my first found art piece with no paint at all-not even realizing that I'd done so until I sat down to write this. I'm eager to see what other walls will come down. I look forward to this expedition . -Oh, and when I went back the next day, Pachas piece was still there, at the store, waiting to come home with me, now it lives in my kitchen ( :

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

light 'found art'















a few days ago my kids and i found a broken dying itty bitty baby bird lying on concrete on his back in front of michaels craft store. it's a wonder he hadn't been stepped on considering the woman who worked the counter testified that he'd been there,"like that" all day. i scooped him up and told the kids that he was dying but that we could make him more comfortable. they named him 'cutie pie'. cutie pie had a twisted broken leg that caused it to catch on his little wing when he fluttered and he had a very swollen middle. we took him to a pet store where employees took turns looking him over and wincing. we bought him some orphaned baby bird formula mix and took him home. i did a lot of internet research and helped him as best i could. cutie pie seemed to have a miraculous recovery, by the next morning he was chirping away and eating well and opening his eyes! i was so happy, i really thought ,"wow this little fighter is going to make it!yay!" . the third day he was even stronger(yesterday). i went to give him his usual feeding and he opened his little beak, i put the dropper of food in and he tilted his neck to the side, he'd never done that and i knew right away that i was losing him.his eyes closed and he was gone. i felt like i had to reverse it, i mean he was still warm in my hand and was alive a minute ago, i had to fix it, i parted his beak and breathed into it, i rubbed his belly, i ran around chanting ,"no,no,no,it's ok,you'll be ok, c'mon litttle bird, don't die"..but all in vain. i was so sad. i had to quickly go and get my daughter from preschool and showed up looking like i'd been crying my eyes out, i'm sure they all think i'm crazy now. i told my 6 year old son that it was okay and that we'd bury him and he'd become part of the earth and help the plants grow and that it's an amazing cycle etc.. he asked to write a poem to read at the burial. he wrote," cudtey piy, you wor a eegg, and you hacht out of yor eegg, and you wor a bord".


my 'light' found art is a bird. 'light' as a feather. fashioned from a light bulb ,wire, and leaves. if the person who finds it parts his little paper beak ,they'll find the words,"i did my best,i'm so sorry".
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