Fishing for Myth LightBox: gathering collectible found objects, my creative juices flow with layers of paper and drawing with Exacto blades to cut out a tale of 'The Big One That Got Away'.
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3 Sets of Fairy Lights to turn on the top and bottom lightbox. |
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The top lightbox, Fisherman Wishes, is raised up off the bottom lightbox by gold-painted wine corks. Fairy lights are turned off. |
The top lightbox is all about the human struggle for success and wishful thinking to catch the BIG ONE, but not always prepared for the reaction of the manifestation.
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The bottom lightbox, 'Careful for what you wish,' is sitting on gold-painted wine cork legs. The fairy lights are turned OFF. |
Meanwhile, the underwater world of sharks, known as a predator of opportunity, could offer a challenge and grant the fisherman's wishes to get the 'big one.'
Do we dare to wish when the warnings speak of wisdom?... 'Be careful about what you wish'
I have survived some of my wishes that came true, and wisdom now has a caveat: only let it come true if it brings me joy!
Do we dare to wish when the warnings speak of wisdom?... 'Be careful about what you wish'
I have survived some of my wishes that came true, and wisdom now has a caveat: only let it come true if it brings me joy!
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Close-up view of the fish stabile. |
Hanging off the top lightbox is a mobile, also known as a stabile. It is a type of mobile attached to a stationary surface, whereas mobiles are typically hung from a ceiling. Mobiles and stabiles were initially made popular by Alexander Calder, who inspired me as a child to make mobiles from found objects.
READ MORE about this inventive artist who birthed the delightful art of balance, Alexander Calder.
READ MORE about this inventive artist who birthed the delightful art of balance, Alexander Calder.
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Height 24" x Width 12" x Depth 6" |
'The Fish Myth' lightbox construction and design went through many phases of failures that ultimately became discoveries. To complete this paper sculpture & stabile took me over a year to complete and find solutions for some of the construction challenges.
To spark creativity, I enjoy pushing boundaries, learning new techniques, and blending art with craft to tell a story. I really like the latest discovery of using light in my paper sculpture to generate a surreal curiosity for the viewer.
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The large black bead holds the wire stabile & the pink glass bits give support to the bead. The stabile can be removed when packed for travel or storage by taking out the nail and undoing the wire. |
Half my fun is decorating the outside of the lightbox. Do I paint or cover...? This is the question for each box, and this time I found the perfect paper, trim, and goodie bits.
My big challenge was to incorporate the stabile into the top lightbox. It had to dangle freely without tipping over the double-decker lightbox while still able to catch light breezes. The wire, resembling a fishing pole, had to be wedged tightly into the bead with the small nail. The stabile can still be removed later if it needs to be packed into storage. To further stabilize the stabile & bead, I wedged selected pink glass chips to build up the overall strength around the bead.
TO TURN ON THE LIGHT: Go to the backside of the lightboxes where the fairy light switches are glued & taped. They do require a delicate touch with a fingernail to switch on & off. The two batteries for each plastic switch will provide approximately a 3-hour light show and are relatively easy to replace in each white plastic unit. This sculpture requires a total of 6 'button' batteries and would be ordered in bulk for the best deal.
What I love about the 'fairy lights' is their freedom to display my paper sculptures on any stable surface without the cumbersome trailing cord to the socket.
NOTE: This is an art sculpture, not a lamp. It is intended to spark the wonder of 'oohah' when the lightbox is turned on in the dark. Must keep away from children's hands as it is made of paper and foam core.
The materials used to create:
My big challenge was to incorporate the stabile into the top lightbox. It had to dangle freely without tipping over the double-decker lightbox while still able to catch light breezes. The wire, resembling a fishing pole, had to be wedged tightly into the bead with the small nail. The stabile can still be removed later if it needs to be packed into storage. To further stabilize the stabile & bead, I wedged selected pink glass chips to build up the overall strength around the bead.
TO TURN ON THE LIGHT: Go to the backside of the lightboxes where the fairy light switches are glued & taped. They do require a delicate touch with a fingernail to switch on & off. The two batteries for each plastic switch will provide approximately a 3-hour light show and are relatively easy to replace in each white plastic unit. This sculpture requires a total of 6 'button' batteries and would be ordered in bulk for the best deal.
What I love about the 'fairy lights' is their freedom to display my paper sculptures on any stable surface without the cumbersome trailing cord to the socket.
NOTE: This is an art sculpture, not a lamp. It is intended to spark the wonder of 'oohah' when the lightbox is turned on in the dark. Must keep away from children's hands as it is made of paper and foam core.
The materials used to create:
- decorative thick paper with gold leaf embellishment.
- wine corks painted for legs
- thick gauge & thin gauge wire
- E600 Glue (for objects)
- Scotch Quick-Drying Glue (for paper)
- broken pink glass
- beads
- fishing lure
- fishing barrel swivels
- clear plastic
- braided cord
- decorative tape
- foam-core (for 2 box construction)
- 3 strings of battery fairy lights
- exacto knife
- wire cutters
Taking a break from painting, I enjoy building, crafting, and using found objects to immerse myself in the creative flow without too many expectations for the final artwork. There is always a creative gem that I learn from in every project, and yet not all ideas ultimately succeed the way I had wished.
'The Fish Myth' was a journey of both struggle and pleasure. The end result, a lightbox that I can be pleased with, has inspired me to design more sculptural lightboxes. It's a testament to the joy that can be found in the creative process.
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Primal Roots & The Perfect Day |
I'm eagerly looking forward to creating more sculptural lightboxes, each one a unique fusion of story, craft, and art. The possibilities are endless, and I look forward to seeing where my creativity takes me next!
May your world light up!
Minaz
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