Felt Work
Being interested in Abstract Expressionism from my earlier work led me to the work of Joseph Beuys.
Beuys’ work opened my eyes to different approaches an artist could have to his own work such as what the materials he is using really mean to him. Beuys used various found materials such as: fat, salt and felt in a very significant way in his work that related to him being shot down as a war pilot in the Second World War after which being rescued by the Tartars in the Crimea. They saved his life by wrapping his body in fat and felt.
This fascinated me. The felt. It was a benign holder of heat and moisture. Just a vehicle to withstand all of the harshness this world has to offer as well as the the responsibility of saving a human life without hesitation. Working perfectly in that specific application.
I researched what felt was being used for in todays world and learned a few things that made me realize that felt was quite amazing and an uncommon art material that was underutilized. After ordering some industrial felt from the Aetna Felt company in Buffalo, NY I was impressed with its heft and texture. Experimenting with its versatility and strength was almost limitless. My decision to make a series of sculptures I figured I should exploit these unique qualities. I found out you could thread felt like a machinist would with metal, by forcing a large threaded screw through the felt. It would be sturdy enough to support a great deal of weight. Much like wood, it would succumb to my inputs.
The series also includes found object assemblage with cast glass elements. These pieces were related to working at Daniel Clayman’s studio. (Link) having a sharp learning curve in the world of making glass sculpture impressed upon me an intense relationship that was revealing in the sense that I could make almost anything if I set my mind to it. Problem solving IS making art, and you get quite a few of problems to solve when making glass art.
How to mount things, how to join things together properly, in an archival way are some of the things I learned. It was all important things to know how to do. I applied these techniques to an older way of making my sculptural work which was sticking found objects together with haphazard insufficient means. Most of those things fell apart or discolored over time.
With my new knowledge it was a gateway to make more refined work. Expanding my skills was very rewarding. I have Mr. Clayman to thank for my renaissance in making things from the year 2000 forward.
Robert Morris. Untitled. 1969
Dan Clayman
All work from 2002
felt, ceramic, rope, wood.
8 X 10 X 30
felt, stone, steel, wood, live plant
4 X 4 X 18
glass, bones, lobster shell, wood
12 X 12 X 14
wood, ceramic, sand.
10 X 10 X 18
felt, marquis letters and numbers, wood
10 X 10 X 15
felt, ceramic, wood, steel
4 X 4 X 10
felt, ceramic, lexonite, rope
20 X 13 X 38
felt, ceramic glass, rope
8 X 10 X 30
felt, ceramic, rope
10 X 12 X 32
felt, branch, mushroom, wood
10 X 13 X 30
get, wood, rope, glass.
10 X 15 X 20
felt, bowl, branches, wood
18 X 20 X 72
felt, wood, ceramic
8 X 12 X 20
felt, ceramic, deer hide, brush
6 X 24 X 32
felt, ceramic, baseball bat, rope, bird’s nest, lead
8 X 24 X 30