This is the most current artwork starting from after Graduate School.
Since then, I have been continuing with my photography and learned to weave. I am including my artist statements with each Series.
The series started with my childhood memory of the monkey bars or jungle gym, in the school yard of Irving School in Highland Park, NJ. It was where I played during recess and a place to hang out as an adolescent. I have fond memories of the valuable playtime I had there as a child.
I immediately set out to build a model of the monkey bars out of wood. I narrate the squirrelly thought process from very first time I made a structure out of marshmallows to the present.
The photographs are divided between miniature dioramas and real to life size still life’s and landscape photographs. I manufacture some of the objects and buy the others. One of the photographs is a combination of an old advertisement with some photoshop magic, sometimes referencing other artist’s artwork.
I have been collecting antique toys and objects for many years to use in my photographs. I shop at flea markets and antique stores but some of the items are new to me with the help of Ebay, Amazon and other on-line sellers, I can get what I need very quickly. It has change the way I can research an idea greatly.
The photos are taken with a Nikon D750 full frame SLR digital camera. I printed the photographs myself on an Epson 7800 with archival ink.
I have been collecting many of the toys I had a child and how they influenced me as an adult.it, and what got them to where they are.
As a photographer, I specifically work with toys in a diorama format. In the last few years I started incorporating my handmade weavings into my photographs.
This series "Where Are Goes", are environments where my weavings are the focal subject. I started making the weavings for my dollhouses and then expanded the size and the varied materials. I started using pipe cleaners or chenille stems, reed and wood. I chose to display the objects in a gallery or corporate setting because it is what I do for a job in real life.
I use a Nikon D750 digital camera and they are printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper.
I would like to start by saying, I spend way too much time on Pintrest. I was browsing the weaving section one day and I noticed that many of the artists displayed their weavings by holding them up in front of them. I thought it was amusing that you only saw the top of the artists head and their feet. I set out to find some of my toy friends to make this idea work. Since then, I have been collecting figures that lend themselves to holding my weavings. Unfortunately the photographs shown here are all I have for now. I am sure I will expand this series.
Copyright © 2020 Dot Paolo - All Rights Reserved.