Cabinet of Curiosities: An Ode to Charles Wilson Peale

Charles Wilson Peale, American 1741-1827

The Artist in His Museum (self-portrait, 1822)

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia

I first heard of Peale, his museum and the term “Cabinet of Curiosities” while attending museum education classes at the University of North Texas in 2001. I was intrigued by this concept of a collection of art and natural objects of which the owner invites viewers to make what associations they may among seemingly unrelated items. This may have been when I acquired this post card that has been in my box of assorted papers for a while.

I didn’t think much more of it until this past spring while attending a lecture on James Audubon when the lecturer showed this exact same photo to us. And I thought, “that’s what my next piece will be…my own little “cabinet of curiosities.”

I started collecting objects specifically for this project. My only purchase was the beaver skull, which I bought in Ouray, Colorado. I had all the little protective cases that were given to me by my friend Miriam.

Other items include a dead bee I found in a stone cabin in northern Idaho. A dead scorpion I found at my fathers memorial service. A piece of Amber (fossilized tree resin) given to me by my sister) A “skeleton” of a leaf found on a hike in Eugene, Oregon, a stone from New Zealand given to me by my friends Kimberley and Bruce, and wood and pine needles and wasp nests found in my own back yard.

I was going to put everything in a small curio cabinet I have with a glass door but it looked too new. Then I tried this old handmade wooden box, I liked it and decided to mimic the drapery in the post card and add the tassel to the bottom making it into a hanging piece instead of one that sits on a table.

So if someone had to ask me how long did this take you to make I would have to say it took 10 years from inception to completion.

Golden Mirror

I have had this framed mirror for a while and I usually remember were almost everything I have came from but I do not remember where I got this mirror. The back of the mirror has a sticker that says: H. Hal Kramer Co. Chicago.

The flower and fruit charm hanging from the bottom came with it but it was very dark and the detail did not show up so I rubbed some gold rubn'buff on it and the details just popped.

I decided to stick with a golden theme and have used a brooch that was my grandma's and another one that my friend Nancy got at The Box in The Basement - a cool store on 8th St. in Boise. We went to their grand opening and they gave out boxes with recycled wonders in them to be re-used or given away. It was a very cool idea.

I have also used African Beads that I traded a woman for at Art & Soul. And Misc. buttons from my sister in law Doris. And a part from a broken necklace.

Locked Doors and Secret Passages part 2

So the second story concerns China town in NYC...my cousin was told by a friend that if she wanted to find designer purses for cheap to go to this one corner in china town and ask to see the "back room." We wandered around that corner of town but didn't see what she was talking about, then a Chinese woman whispered to us Chanel...Louis Vuiton...Coach?? and she motioned us to follow her. I wasn't looking for a purse, but I'm always game for an adventure. So we followed this lady around many blocks walking really fast, then she brought us to a small perfume store and said something in Chinese to the man running the store and he motioned to us to quickly follow him and he opened a false wall in the back of the store and just about pushed us in and then another little man snapped the door closed and locked it. Now I am a very claustrophobic person so I kind of freaked out just a little as we were in virtually a closet with designer purses lining the walls. Sizing up the man, I figured my cousin and I could take him if we had to! We were in there for just about 3 minutes with him yelling, hurry, police, no time, my cousin grabbed a big white Chanel purse for $60 handed him the 3 twenties and we were out the door in a flash.

I decided to google "China Town designer purse scandal" after writing this just now to see what I could find and my first hit was a story very similar to mine but explains why all the secrecy.

Locked Doors and Secret Passages part 1

While on our travels earlier this summer I encountered two completey unrelated odd situations that had a common theme of locked doors and secret passages. Here is the first story, tune in tomorrow for the 2nd.

Today's guest writer is my husband:

While walking around a small town in Virginia, a man sitting in a folding chair on the sidewalk asked us if we were "antiquing" we said no but we might as well have said yes. As we were soon to find out he was a retired gentleman farmer and former teacher who owned a vaguely frightening antique store. This involved going down a junk filled alley and into several padlocked windowless rooms and passageways filled with even more junk. It also involved repeatedly referring to Pam as my daughter which she liked, and cryptic illusions to some sort of government resistance militia he was involved with. He had some weird little book for sale about this which we declined, but bought a couple things just so he wouldn't lock us in a vault and kill us.

A cute little German figurine but the woman has no head!

A long forgotten photo of a girl from the south.

Two carved wooden lotus flowers that used to be part of something else.

Look for these items later and see what I have done to alter them.

Dad

Warning: this might be creepy to some of you.

Dad never did get to visit Idaho before his passing. I know he would have loved it. I always wanted to take him to Idaho City, where an old west shootout still happens on Friday nights.

Well, a part of dad is now in Idaho as each of his children was given some ashes. I wanted to keep them in a way that would help me remember him, so I transformed this 3" vase into a little urn, and sealed it with a cork, glue and then wax. The cork has the word liberty as dad believed deeply in personal freedom from government intrusion. There are 2 pistols on top of the cork as he was a member of the NRA and felt strongly about his 2nd amendment rights. There is a cuff link from when he was a national champion race car driver. Finally there is Texas, his adopted home which he loved, and the cross to represent his faith. May he rest in peace here in Idaho.

The Next Generation

metal wallaby by
Katherine age 16

Part 4 of the blogs on family. I have previously shown work by my great grandfather, my grandmother, myself and today I am showing some of my two daughters art works who both also like to make art.

Paper mosaic collage
Katherine age 12

Assemblage
Katherine age 10

Ceramics
Katherine age 17

Assemblage
Victoria age 14

Pastel
Victoria age 15

Talkin 'bout my Generation....

Pam Spreen
18x24
Oriental Still Life
1972
Age 12

This post is part 3 of the previous two posts. Two days ago I posted about my great grandfather, yesterday about my grandmother and now I am posting the paintings I received back from my Aunts in NJ that I did as a child and young adult. It is like your life flashing before you eyes when you see something you did almost 40 years ago.

Pam Spreen
Age 8
9x12 oil
1968

Pam Spreen
16x20 oil
1970
age 10

Pam Mall
24x36
age 26

Grandma was an Artist too!

My Grandmother, Elsie Scotti Dorigo, born 1907 was also a painter. I have fond memories of taking oil painting lessons with her starting when I was just 8 years old.

Our teacher was Mary Luth, originally from Holland. We took group lessons from her in Glen Rock NJ. I will always remember her studio in the basement with her cocker spaniels running around with paint on their floppy ears.

My grandmother never did learn how to drive, so when my mom couldn't pick us up we would take a taxi cab ( Grandma lived with us) and I remember it would cost $3 for the ride home.

18x24 Oil Chrysanthemums Elsie Dorigo circa 1970

24x36 oil painting Swiss pastoral scene Elsie Dorigo circa 1970

8x10 Oil on 4 glass panels (very heavy)
1974 Elsie Dorigo

Jeri & Joan (from my previous blog entry) gave me some of the paintings that my grandmother and I had given them over the years. Pictured above are three of them. I packed the ones from Jeri, so it wasn't a surprise what I was bringing home but then Joan showed up with a large packed box, I had no idea what was in it, we packed it in the truck and drove it from NJ to Idaho. It was like a weird Christmas of times past when opening them up...

Great Grandpa was an Artist!

painted by
Abramo Scotti, my Great Grandfather
born 1873 Como, Italy
immigrated to the US in 1899
morto il giorno 21 Novembre 1934(7)?

On our 6 week road trip we visited lots of family. Some of the family we saw were my maternal grandmother's (Elsie) nieces. Aunt Jeri, her sister Joan and their husbands Bob and Stafford. Jeri gave us a tour of her home. LOTS of original art covered the walls! Of interest to me were the two painted by my great grandfather Abramo Scotti. The two primitive floral oils were painted in 1925 in Union City NJ.

Abramo Scotti
1925 Union City NJ

Hudson Valley Art- New York State

Dia: Beacon, one of the largest contemporary art museums in the world at 240,000 sq. feet. The works were monumental. It is not that the artwork housed in the museum particularly fascinated me, but the setting and the whole gestalt of the place, did. VERY LARGE works of art in VERY LARGE rooms, the museum was once a factory, now it is a Zen like experience. One of the installations was indeed, once again Donald Judd...I feel as if I am following him posthumously across the United States, first in West Texas at the Chinati Foundation, then in Saint Louis at the Laumier Sculpture Gardens and now here on the East Coast... an artist I don't remember ever hearing of before this trip but empty cubes, of concrete, steel and plywood continue to lead me on my travels.I called the R&F hand made Encaustic Paint factory in Kingston and got a private tour of their facility and gallery. It was amazing. I can't wait to get home and do some experimenting. I asked if I could take a picture inside of the guy milling the paint but they said no.

It has been fun driving through the artsy towns of Woodstock, New Paltz, Kingston, Cornwall, Beacon and Cold Spring along the Hudson river. Lots of little co-op galleries and antique stores.


In Hyde Park we got a tour of the Culinary Institute of America and ate in one of their lovely restaurants. Then took a 6 mile walk to walk off all those calories. We went from FDR's home and library to the Vanderbilt mansion and back. It was a lovely walk through the forest.

An Art and Food adventure in St. Louis

We are in St. Louis for my nephew Adam's wedding, we had beautiful weather in a gorgeous back yard.

The groom and guests jam after the service.

The above storefront looked intriguing - it was locked but had a small sign in the window that said recycle, re-purpose, re-use. Will have to try to come back another time.

A trip to St. Louis is never complete without a trip up to THE HILL. A 50 square block Italian neighborhood in South St. Louis. Known for its restaurants, specialty groceries, bakeries and tiny shotgun houses. It reminds me of some of the neighborhoods in NJ when I was a little girl. We ate a wonderful Italian (of course) meal at Zia's with Bill's sister, Doris and her husband Peter.

My niece Erica and her dog Buster brought us to this great park, the Laumier Sculpture Park. This was an interesting piece, it was created by Arman who is best know for destruction/re composition of objects.

What a coincidence I had never heard of Donald Judd before visiting the Chinati foundation in West Texas and then here at the sculpture garden...what did I see again but his iconic minimalist concrete open box forms.

Taking a break from the heat.

Recycled/repurposed art by Donald Lipski.
All of my "Every Little Thing" recycled art projects that I have ever made could fit into one of these balls!

Also had a wonderful day visiting with my friend of 29 years Mary Anne, who was my roommate in Tulsa right after college. She picked me up and we visited RED LEAD a cool little "altered art" store. Hanging in their window were Artist Trading Cards, some of which were the same one's (artists) that I had traded with in Portland Oregon at Art & Soul,
once again it reminds me of what a small world it is.

Then it was onto Cherokee Antique Row. Most of the shops were closed but it was still fun.
To complete the day we had to eat at another iconic location in St. Louis:
the haunted Lemp Mansion,
were we reminisced while dining on some wonderful salads.

West Texas Art

So we are driving along in this West Texas barren landscape, I was reading and my daughter was not paying attention either, when Bill says " that was weird, a Prada shoestore out here in the middle of nowhere" and Katherine and I yell "turn around! that's an art project, not a store!"

reflection of the sunset and the west Texas landscape on the Prada shoes and handbags

Prada Marfa, an art installation, which cost $80,000. was made of adobe and was meant to just fade into the landscape and not be kept up. This plan was thwarted when 3 days after completion, it was graffitied and windows broken and the shoes and purses stolen. So it was repaired and now there are signs that say you are under surveillance.

Bill took that hat off the wall in the motel and poses in front of an art work.

A chapel? next to the motel in Marfa.

Chinati Foundation, Marfa Tx.
When I have more time I will come back here for the tour which takes 4 hours!

Georgia O'keefe Country

Perdernal "is my private mountain," she said frequently. God told me if I painted it often enough I could have it.

This wasn't a planned stop on our trip but when I looked at the map for the next town (we were all getting quite hungry) I saw Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu. This is were Georgia O'Keefe lived and painted in New Mexico. I have always wanted to see it. We never did find the town of Abiquiu. Not sure how we missed it. But we did get to stop at the Ghost Ranch visitors center, and lunch just had to wait.

1934- First Summer at Ghost Ranch

"When I got to New Mexico, that was mine. As soon as I saw it, that was my country."

Inspiring flowers

A tale of two art stories in Durango

My daughter and I stop for a break to look at the overview of Durango.

Whenever I arrive in a new town, one of the first things I like to do is get the local alternative free paper and see what is going on and get a feel for the town. We drove into Durango yesterday afternoon and I picked up the Southwest Colorado Arts Perspective. The cover was Christo and Jean Claude's Valley Curtain from 1970. This caught my attention as I had designed a class project a few years back and had it published in School Arts Magazine. Wrap Up the Year with Christo and Jeanne-Claude May/June 2007. And also presented the lesson at the National Art Ed. conference in NYC that year.

When I read the cover article, I was shocked to discover it was a memorial piece for Jeanne-Claude. She had died from a ruptured brain aneurysm last November, over 6 months ago...and I had not heard. The author of the piece is a manager at a local gallery in town. I went down and met him and talked with him. I told him that I had talked with Jean Claude back when I was getting permission for publication. We swapped stories and he told me that Christo is still going to continue with the Over The River Project. It will run for 2 weeks near Salida CO. Summer of 2013 at the earliest. I was glad I popped in to meet him and the work in his Gallery Open Shutter Gallery was just beautiful.

The second art story involves an art store (http://www.goodmansartbin.net) I saw advertised in the same paper. It was located down the block from the gallery hidden in the back of a mall. If I wasn't looking for it I would not have found it. It was small but packed with all kinds of goodies. The owner, Ellie, was in the back of the store restoring an old oil painting for a customer. As we got to talking, I found out that her husband of 35 years had just passed away but she wants desperately to continue on with the business. It has been in her husbands family since 1879! But times are hard. She asked were I was from and she commented, oh you must have wonderful art stores there and I said unfortunately that oldest and most popular one had just closed down. She said well I will ship for free! tell all your friends. I told her I would mention it on my blog and she gave me and my daughter a great big hug!

Mothers Day on the Snake River

Mothers Day- the only day of the year, besides my birthday were I get to say what I want to do and everyone has to do it with a minimal of grumbling. I had heard about this quirky roadside attraction/historical site/nature walk/museum ever since I had moved to Idaho and then was reminded about it at a recent docent meeting. Katherine will be moving back to Texas soon and I thought it would be a lovely way to spend the day, as she is into quirky art stuff too. Bill came along and enjoyed the trip as well. We had a nice brunch at the Blue Canoe. Free champagne and flowers for the moms too.

Then it was down the road to Walters Ferry:






lWhen we dropped Katherine off at her apt. she surprised me with a dozen roses. The only thing that could have made the day better was if my other daughter and my mom could have joined us. When mom does come to visit us, we will have to make another trip out there.