A Tiny Grain of Dust

....work still in progress....

Hi Everyone...just a bit late with this post and still, I'm giving you the piece in an unfinished state...at least the text is there.  This little work came about through an attempt at following, what turned out to be, kind of complicated instructions (at least for a person so heavily 2-D oriented as I am!) for making an origami folded house from 21 pieces of  2 1/2" x 4" cut text pages.  Everything was going along fine...I got all the little pages cut, I folded the first bunch according to directions, but when it came to putting it together and inserting this flap into that flap, while holding it just so, in a feeble attempt to keep the whole thing from falling apart....well, I stuck it out as long as I could.  I pretty much had something resembling a house, but it kept falling apart and I think I had extra pieces left, which probably explains why it was falling apart.  I realized that my idea of building this little house as the basis for a found text piece was just not going to work, so then I started putting together some of the folded pages in a way that gave me a 2-d house structure and that works just fine...now it's a tiny little altarpiece. I've painted out the original words and added my new found text, which I believe you can read easily enough.  More will added...stamping, perhaps some sewing, who knows?!?!?

Here's the other thing I've come to know...it's now time to merge my two blogs.  This blog was started nearly a year and half ago as a daily posting of found text poems, but as some of the early followers will understand, it's been evolving and morphing since its one year anniversary back in January.  My other blog, MissouriBendStudio, is involved more with my creative practice, inspirations and new work.  Since the found text pieces have ceased to be cut words and phrases laid out on the desk and photographed and each is now an integral part of my creative practice and its own work of art, I think there is no longer a need to keep these two bodies of work separate.  Before they were two important, but different, threads in my work, but now it's all one. So, if there are no huge outcries, this will be the last post on this blog and I'll ask those of you who don't already follow it, to head over to MissouriBendStudio to become a follower, so you can continue to see the found text pieces and any guest posts. The bonus, I hope, is that there will be other posts that give you a fuller picture of what happens with my work.  This little altarpiece will appear there, perhaps tomorrow, in its finished state!

I'm so thankful for the support of all the readers and followers of this blog...MissouriBendPaperWorks opened the door for a new chapter in my life as I transitioned into having an online shop on Etsy and making very meaningful connections across the globe through the blog world.  I hope that, if you're not already, you'll become a follower of my other blog...see you there tomorrow!!

Cheers!

Den Finocchiaro and A Flash of Inspiration

Not too long ago, I stumbled upon a pretty magical place in my search through Etsy...a shop belonging to the writer, Den Finocchiaro, whose poignant text typed directly on vintage photographs drew me in to take a closer look.  While this blog has its roots in found text, I'm really interested in creative use of text and this is a wonderful use of text on found photos.  I asked Den if I could post some of his pieces here to highlight his work and his shop.  Here's just a sample of a few pieces from his shop, A Flash of Inspiration.  I enourage you to visit his shop, as well as his blog and facebook page.  Den has just published a new book, The Z Word,which is available through Amazon here.

Enjoy!  See you on Wednesday for the latest from Missouri Bend Studio!

Gathered Wisdom

The Scroll of Pertinent Questions

This week's found text piece is another scroll on Japanese paper...the outside is a patterned lace paper and the inside has various questions taken from a number of "vintage" books in my studio embedded in teabag paper.  I've been collecting these questions as I come across them...some are quite hilarious and when put together create quite a scroll of very important questions...I'm sure we've all asked them...see what you think!  The text reads as follows:

Odd looking, isn't it?

Do you admire the view?

How--how long have I been this way?

Do you know its nature?

Have you been asleep all these years?

What harm could there be?

What is behind that door?

Naturally--but how will you accomplish it?

Can I make it an object to you to alter your mind?

Wouldn't it be fun if you could have a nice, gentle ostrich to ride?

Have you the pluck to follow me right now?

Have you lost your senses?

Chocolates? What chocolates?

Tell me, where have you been?

You are fixed with wireless?

Couldn't we just go back to town and celebrate properly?

I'll finish this scroll up with a closure in the morning and list it in my Etsy shop...love to have you stop by Missouri Bend Studio to view all the found text pieces listed there!

Cheers!

Untitled (April 13, 2011)

Still Untitled....A Found Text Set of Instructions for Life

This found text came from a children's book from the 1950's, I believe, that is filled with short stories and plays meant to be acted out.  I found a series of commands that, when strung together, give a pretty good set of instructions for life....if taken with a grain of sand!!!  See what you think!  The found text is arranged on a 2-inch wide Japanese paper scroll adhered with teabags, still untitled and not quite finished.  Should be ready to go and available in my etsy shop tomorrow.  The entire text reads:

watch your thoughts.

write your name a thousand times.

wait there for instructions.

turn the bowl upside down.

stop rubbing your eyes.

get a box of creamy chocolates.

choose the best title.

mark your own script legibly and never trust to your memory for     anything.

rehearse until there is little chance of a mistake.

whittle, whittle, whittle.

don't cry.

up to full and fade for finish.

Found Poetry Scroll no.1

I'm experimenting with yet another method for presenting the found text poems as objects and will finish this little scroll up properly and have it for sale in my shop in the next day or so.  It's made with cut words sandwiched with bits of teabag on a 2" wide length of Japanese paper adhered with teabags.  The poem came from a children's book from many decades ago that is filled with a variety of stories that include multiple choice vocabulary reviews throughout.  I selected the words from one of these reviews...it creates quite the whimsical poem!  Enjoy!

To investigate is to 

search

depart 

wonder 

run frantically

excited

solemn 

exploring

saunter     backward    forward

scamper    walk     run

climb

stop.

To wallow means

to wail.

Calico is a kind of

mirror.

Love And Reasons (March 23, 2011)

and possibly

Instead of is

it could be

every day again

ordinary 

and a little sad,

lovely silent

memoirs

Private Life

A New Conclusion to Conclusion!

Hi Everyone....I'm getting quite behind schedule these days and am having a hard time, it seems, even getting one poem done each week.  But, since I'm already a day late, I thought I might show you how last week's poem evolved.  Since the actual poem only occupied the bottom half of the page, I thought it would be a good opportunity to keep going with the piece to see what would happen.  So, I dipped it in beeswax and collaged a couple of elements on...a stamped dragonfly on a teabag dipped in beeswax and a cut circle fragment from a printout of an old family photograph from the 1940s.  Both are hand sewn to the page...enjoy!  More views of this piece are available here. Actually, all the poem are from this year are available for sale in my Etsy shop MissouriBendStudio...enjoy!

Conclusion (March 2, 2011)

Poem reads:

we know

what little we know

driven to act the clown

with one side weak

and the other strong

Guest Feature: Phillipa England

I'm just a day behind with my plan to feature a guest poet here at MissouriBendPaperWorks, as I usually do this on the first of the month!  But I'm here to introduce Phillipa England whose tiny poetry reels I find delightful. I saw these a short time ago in her Etsy shop Feltathome and thought I'd introduce them to you here on the blog...I contacted Phillipa and she has graciously given a bit of background on how she came to make these little reels!

I have a love of old and found things. I love to think about the 'fingerprints' each item carries......the life it's led, the owners it has served. Each has a story to tell but will carry its secret forever...long after it has left our hands. I had a few old wooden cotton reels given to me and knew that they would transform into a piece of artwork when the time was right. They sat & waited. Then one day I found their purpose. Coupled with some beautifully aged ribbons I had and some cloth covered buttons, I wrote a few words of poetry and transferred them to the ribbon. In wrapping the ribbon around the reel, the message became a secret whisper meant only for the 'intended one'. My poetry is sporadic and usually inspired by my own life's happenings and emotions. The one shown here was inspired by my Grandparents. When my Grandfather died (with whom I was very close) my Grandmother's heart was sad. These words are how I imagine she felt when they could no longer be together.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a weekly found text poem post of my own and that will get us back on track!  Hope you are having a fine start to the month of March!  

A Vast Backward (February 23, 2011)

Love (February 16, 2011)

Untitled (February 9, 2011)

The Years

Guest Feature: Scott Mulcahey and Circa Chairs

I

Scott Mulcahey is a furniture maker and designer of one-of-a-kind chairs made from reclaimed lumber. The chairs pictured here, titled "Chaotic Poetry", took Scoot five years of scouring through 50,000 board feet of lumber to find just the right text.  I was very excited to see these, not only because of their beautiful forms, but because I find these pieces display an amazing use of found text!

You can learn more about Scott on facebook, as well as through his website and blog by following the links below!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000473872461&ref=sgm

artfulchairs.com

http://www.circachairs.blogspot.com

See you tomorrow for the weekly installment of a new found text poem from my studio!  Cheers!

Furniture Maker/ Designer... I started my woodworking career in 1984 at Brummitt Woodworking Co. Manchester, Massachussetts. It was a three man shop that fabricated custom furnishings for the hospitality industry. In 2005 I began making solid wood "one of a kind" chairs under the brand name Circa. All Circa Chairs are made from reclaimed lumber from renovation projects to sea salvage woods and also exotic scraps from past projects. I strive to interpret the history, the forms and intrinsic qualities of the materials I choose, to produce a sculpted chair that evolves naturally, encourages conversation, demands to be touched, sat on and will be proudly displayed throughout your lifetime.

The Pole (January 26, 2011)

Never The Dream (January 19, 2011)

Mock (January 12, 2011)

1.5.11

Welcome to 2011!

Hi Folks...regular readers and those who happen to stop by here on occasion. I just want to let you know that I'll begin posting found text poems once a week, rather than on a daily basis.  I'm planning to change things up a bit and hope to have these new found text poems become small pieces of art that will be posted here on Wednesdays, but also available at my Etsy shop Missouri Bend Studio.  I began this blog a year ago and have enjoyed this daily ritual of making the found text poem and posting it here, but since then my etsy shop and my life surrounding the promotion of it has gotten quite busy, so it is necessary for me to scale back a bit.

Please be sure to visit my other blog MissouriBendStudio where I'll have a daily posting!  Until Wednesday then, here's a view of the chaos on the desk where these poems are given their life....I'm about to go down and clean it up in preparation for a new way of working!  Thanks so much for your support and comments during this last year as I made a transition to a new kind of life.  Best wishes to all those who stop by for a joyful and prosperous year!

Guest Poet: Brooke Schmidt

HAPPY NEW YEAR...WELCOME TO 2011!!!  


Not only is it the first day of a new year, but it is the first of the month and time for a featured poem from a guest poet.  Brooke Schmidt is a wonderful mixed media artist whose work includes found text poems.  I was most delighted to discover her on Etsy and continue to get to know her through her blog and flickr.  All the relevant links are listed below. 
I love this piece and am so happy to be able to share it here!  Thanks so much, Brooke!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/brookeschmidt
http://www.alwaystimefortea-brooke.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brookeschmidt