BLOOD MOON is a paper collage which references the fact that when the moon is in full eclipse and illuminated by sunlight filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere it appears to be reddish in color. The next Blood Moon will occur in about 2 years. BLOOD MOON is a companion piece to SNOW MOON and is part of the “Negative to Positive” series using recycled and repurposed materials, and is 12” x 12″ (2023) ($125)
I’M IN THE WRONG KETTLE! is a Whimsical One–Liner, an ink drawing that consists of a single line that never crosses itself and a title that is a bon mot, pun or play on words. In the case of I’M IN THE WRONG KETTLE!, the drawing is of a hawk and the title refers to the fact that a group of three or more hawks s known as a “Kettle” just as three or more crows is a “Murder” and three or more vultures is a “Committee”. And, no, I am not making this up. Just ask any etymologist or ornithologist. Matted and framed to 11” x 14” (2022) ($125)
CODE BLUE is a paper collage using recycled and repurposed advertising and packaging materials, and depicting, albeit abstractly, the scene in a hospital ICU with the gurney/bed, and the electronic monitors. I think anyone who has been there will recognize it. CODE BLUE is part of my “Negative to Positive” series and it seemed seemed appropriate to use only IBX mailings in constructing it. (2022) ($125)
While FLOWERS 0F THE NIGHT uses recycled and repurposed “negative space” material, it is not part of my “Negative to Positive” series because it does not contain any of the original “negative “shape but is simply cut from that material. I got the idea for FLOWERS OF THE NIGHT when I was researching MOONFLOWER. FLOWERS OF THE NIGHT measures 10 ½” x 17” (2022) ($125)
LEAF ME ALONE! is a Whimsical One – Liner, a single line ink drawing that never crosses itself and the title of which is a bon mot, pun, play on words, or a bad “dad joke”. I think LEAF ME ALONE! speaks for itself. Matted and framed to 11” x 14” (2022) ($125)
STATE OF THE UNION is a octagonal panel consisting of 96 pieces of hand cut, ground and copper foiled stained glass. It uses 4 different types of glass, primarily red, white, and blue. The palette and fragmented design of STATE OF THE UNION reflects my growing unease with the rise of white christian nationalism, Trumpism, and the legitimization and mainstreaming of violence. It is framed to 14” x 14” using a frame built specially for it by the artist and colored with “Gunstock” wood stain. ( 2023) ($475)
SPATTER SHOT is a” found object” collage. While the title is a play on the term “Scatter shot”, SPATTER SHOT is composed of the solder spatters that can occur when working in stained-glass, particularly on three dimensional pieces like lamp shades. I collected the spatters from three different stained-glass projects and combined them into a very unique collage. It is matted and framed to 14” x 11”. (2023) ($125)
OH, CARP! is a Whimsical One-Liner, a single line ink drawing that never crosses itself and the title of which is a bon mot, pun, or play on words. OH, CARP! raises the deep philosophical and scientific question. Matted and framed to 11” x 14” (2022) ($125)
POND’S EDGE is a 15 ½’ x 11 5/8” stained glass panel constructed from 49 individually cut pieces of stained glass and assembled using the copper foil technique. As an abstract piece, you are free to see whatever you want in it, but the title comes from the fact that most people who look at it see rushes, or reed, or cattails on the left side and a surprising number (at least to me) also saw a rather large frog in the upper right. Like all stained-glass pieces, POND’S EDGE will change depending on the amount, intensity and direction of the light illuminating it. (2023)
MARIA BALLADON CON LE STELLA is the companion piece to ST. JOHN THE MOSACIST and represents the young cousin and muse of St John the Mosacist. Like ST. JOHN THE MOSACIST, MARIA BALLADON CON LE STELLA is a 24” x 24” ceramic and stained-glass mosaic wall hanging. It consists of a single piece of hand built and raku fired paper clay made by the artist and somewhere between 900 and 1000 pieces of individually cut squares of stained glass scavenged from the donated glass boxes of the Ann’s Choice Stained Glass Club. Also, as in the case of St. John the Mosacist, the story of Maria Balladon Con Le Stella has been woven from whole cloth. ( 2022) ($325)
John Fansmith 