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Found Object Assemblage
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"Can works be made which are not "of art""?
Marcel Duchamp
 
"Found Object" describes art created by familiar objects or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made. 
 
My assemblages are composed of vintage scrap materials and oddities that I've obtained from ongoing scavenge hunts. They tend to be abstract, geometric in nature and somewhat architectural.
My intention is generally not about representing a theme but creating contemporary visuals with a "feel" that honors the original time stamp. 
I often wonder about the origins and people that utilized these objects and how they would perceive their final destination.





 

Found ObJect Assemblage, Green Backdrop of a Vintage Bookcover, Found Wood Pieces, Glasse Tile, Xyzolophone Mallet with Brass Ball, Small wood box with green printed paper design in diamond pattern
Orange and Cream Colored Art Assemblage with Glass, Small Wood Boxes, Vintage Book Covers and Xylophone Mallet/Shadowbox
Found Object Assemblage with Wood, Wood Pieces, Black Screen, Metal Number 0, Blue Book Cover, Glass
Assemblage of rough textured wood pieces, corrugated cardboard, rusted metal screen with round image, vintage book covders and wire mesh glass panel
Found Object Assemblage made of Drawer Front with Peeling Paint, Leather Book Cover, Wood Stick, Marble, and Polka Dotted Glass
Found Object Assemblage, Vintage Wood with Green Painted Ends, Vintage Book Covers with Lavender Color and Green, Brass Template with Circle Cutout, Wood Strip and Clear Glass Rectangular Plate

My latest paintings come from a lifetime of experiences. A deep well of sadness, loss, joy and discovery. A journey. My journey. From the crushing pain of losing friends and loved ones to AIDS in the 80s and 90s to the terror of pandemic lockdowns. From the delight of seeing a friend’s mural painted on our shared living space wall to the warmth and golden sunshine of South Beach. These experiences are reflected in my current work.

 

The colors and structure of each painting reflect a singular experience—a moment in time and place. All of the emotion and feeling of those moments is contained in the contrast of light and dark, in the geometry, in the forward motion.

 

I didn’t plan on having this much time for self-discovery and creating new work—it was an unanticipated consequence of the pandemic. But with more time to focus on my creative work, I have been able to tap into new places and ways of working. A gift of time. For reflection. For re-evaluating. For regeneration. For-reimagining. Time-for the meaning to become apparent.

 

Only in the doing—and in the reflection--does the meaning become clear.

www.rickgriggs.com

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