The bunny sculptures are finally finished. My 8th grade Studio in Art students (Chittenango Middle School, Chittenango, NY) created these papier-mache sculptures just in time for Orthodox Easter. They are currently on display in the school library.
We recycled Ithaca hummus containers for the baskets and Starbucks iced coffee bottles for the armature. In addition, we used paper towels, aluminum foil and masking tape.
The papier-mache is paper towel bits adhered with Mod Podge. Then we added acrylic paint.
Since it is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac, I thought it a good time to try this first-time lesson. I am pleased with the results. They are really cute!
I am always falling down rabbit holes. This morning I spent an hour on Facebook looking at the photographs posted by At the Farm LLC. Then I decided to go there. It is located at 5501 Bartell Road, Brewerton, New York 13029, and is a twenty-plus vendor antique shop. Currently, you will find a lot of Easter related items – bunny molds, cookie cutters, stuffed bunnies, ceramic eggs, baskets, etc.
It was a surreal experience, as there were so many incredible treasures to see and so many things that I totally already own. I saw an identical copy of my great-grandfather’s black GE oscillating fan.
And this glass lemonade pitcher. Its doppelganger and Poplu’s fan are on the front porch of my home.
And my mother has that small Shirley Temple blue-glass pitcher. Even though I had never been there before, the place felt so familiar. I loved it there! The cool thing about taking so many pictures is that when I go back through them, I see things on the shelves that I don’t remember seeing. Cool things that I want to own.
Is collecting vintage items still a thing? Do younger generations do this? They must. Because even though it’s best to live in the present moment and all, nostalgia never dies. Things turn to thoughts of the past and they usually trigger fond memories. I love going to flea markets and antique stores because I always feel like I’m being directed or drawn to something, like the universe needs me to find it – to find the memories. So amazing. This makes me smile.
I’m not sure if they will be open tomorrow because of Easter Sunday but they are usually open Saturdays and Sundays 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and also Wednesday through Friday noon – 5:00 PM. Call (315) 668-8800 for the deets.
They spelled his name wrong on the wall – I just can’t wrap my head around that. Is it the negative in Positive, Negative, Shallow and Deep? This is the title of part of the dual exhibition by artist Tyrone Johnson-Neuland at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, New York. The other show is at the Cayuga Museum (also in Auburn).
I am not a fan of using positive and negative space to describe two-dimensional activity. The negative is supposed to be the voids in and around a three-dimensional sculpture. Figure and ground is my art language to describe visual depth in a painting.
Question: Shallow vs. deep – are these your emotional extremes?
Question: How do you feel about this name flub? Or was it intentionally the negative?
We can ask him the answers to these and all questions regarding this series of abstract paintings on Friday, April 7, 2023 at 5:30 pm. There is a First Friday soiree at the Schweinfurth that evening.
Tyron/Tyrone’s artwork will be on display through May 28, 2023.
(From SMAC website)
Artist’s Statement
My paintings follow very much in the long-established tradition of the Expressionists, using an intensity of color and gestural brushstrokes to portray the strength of feeling and emotion. The subject matters vary from figurative to abstract but always with an exploration of spatial, social, or self-awareness. I will use any paint medium that is at my disposal and thrive on what can be unexpected results. The process is always a battle of the chaotic vs the introspective. We all have different coping skills and those influence how we think and react to our daily trials and tribulations. My art allows me the opportunity to challenge and question myself while searching for clarity in my existence in today’s world.
About the Artist
Oswego-based artist Tyrone Johnson-Neuland has been creating art for 35-plus years. Johnson-Neuland received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in 1990 and a Master of Arts from SUNY Oswego in 1999. He is currently the Assistant Director of Instructional Technologies at SUNY Oswego. His work has been exhibited throughout New York, as well as in national shows in Philadelphia and Chicago. Johnson-Neuland’s expressionistic paintings are developed from personal and emotional feelings that are sparked by the day-to-day experiences of a father, husband, employee, son, and general spectator of the modern world.
