two hundred ninety-three

Old bottles.  New paint.

 "It should be gnarly.  Skin, sinew, boiled carcasses -- ROADKILL," was the reply (something to that effect) exhaled by Skintape co-mingling with cigarette smoke outside the downtown art studios.  The December air punched for a bit more.  The puffs, the ideas, the caffeine, the comradery.  Fresh and crisp was this brainstorm as the body heat slowly leaked out.  It went something like that when the four of us started to search for a common theme among our eclectic interests for the upcoming art show.

Skintape, aka Caleb McLaurin bends discarded electronics.  Jake Brewer has this trove of a fallow farm ripe with decaying animals and auto parts.  John Murphy uses scrap textiles to make celebrated stupid sock creatures.  And I was getting agitatedly inspired from ever present discarded items -- cans, bottles, clothing, and animals strewn along the roadway shoulder.  A storm was brewing and we were gonna have one banger of an exhibition in 2020 at the NC Arts Incubator Gallery over in Siler City, NC.  Kinetic roadkill with lights and sound; dead skin moving, trash becoming art; and layers of many insignificant things becoming a collective, collaborative elevated notion.

Completed spirit animals on found objects.

A banger did indeed hit.  While we were exploring Jake's ideas that it is the humans driving through the homes of animals that create roadkill and humans trashing the animal homes with litter, a disease was brewing.  We began making prototypes and intertwining creative practices.  John had us drawing creatures over fabric patterns.  Jake and Caleb were exploring how to cast bones and make forms to enshroud electronics.  I collected and prepared bottles and cans from the ditches along the road and we passed them around adding a scribble or two.  We picked up discarded shirts and planned to print art on them.  Double bagged roadkill was shoveled, sealed, and stored awaiting the next chapter.  Incubating this sick idea and choosing to follow our passions even as the pandemic spread and seemingly touched everything.

When spirit animals collide.

As life started shuttering in place, we learned from Michael Feezer, the new Incubator director that the gallery most likely will remain open for the slated show in August 2020 if proper distancing procedures were followed.  He stated, and we wholeheartedly agreed, "because pandemics need art too."  We decided the roadkill motif didn't fit anymore, but these dead animals transitioning to a spiritual place positively resonated with some of us.

Jake and Caleb bowed out, knowing roadkill kinetic bent awesomeness is destined for a future unleashing.  John and I plowed forward and planted seeds of spirit with a healthy dose of refreshing quirk and titled it all ETHEREAL.  A new plan formed and we had hopeful stars in our eyes amid this uncertain, shuttered, new reality.

ETHEREAL on exhibit complete with tin stars.

The show came together beautifully -- up-cycled plush creatures co-mingled with found objects -- and stars!  The rather large Incubator space and gallery had plenty of room for a masked, socially distanced attendance.  John and I also hosted a zoom walk through complete with pancakes one Saturday morning.  Parallel to the concept we made the most from what is a super challenging experience for humans.  Art prevailed and we found a way to find and focus on the positive.  This was our response to the pandemic.  Yes there were many, many ways that focused on the virus as a means of getting through the pandemic. Ours was sharing art destined to move your soul and fill your heart with light.  John's creations are incredible, equaled only by his insanely apt name titles.  I carried the signature concept of layering with empty beer bottles now containing spirit animal effigies.  -- and also made one-of-a-kind shirts featuring John's show title graphic and stars.  An ETHEREAL time for sure.

The up-cycled bottle & can spirit animals find

Bee Bear with a twist

another opportunity in the light.  On Saturday, April 29th, 2023 from 10a -- 5p the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art's front lawn turns into a colorful
collection of the creative.  The FUSE Makers Market descends once again filled with one-of-a-kind objects made by hand by artisans from all over.  It's a good mix of great art objects -- with stories attached a plenty.  Perfect for these spirit animals to dust off their wings, and fly again with a new twist & knot for you.  Come see them in the flesh.