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This is a blog documenting a project that will span exactly one year, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. On each of those 365 days, I will photograph or draw (and occasionally paint) one collection. Most of the collections are real and exist in my home or studio; those I will photograph. Some are imagined; those I will draw or (occasionally) paint.
Since I was a young girl, I have been obsessed both with collecting and with arranging, organizing and displaying my collections. This is my attempt to document my collections, both the real and the imagined. Some of my collections are so large that I will need to photograph them separately over several days. I will likely not attempt to photograph collections in which the individual pieces are large in size or awkward in shape (i.e. my art collection or vintage enamel dishware collection). The only rule is that I must photograph or draw a whole or part of a collection each day for 365 days and post the result here on this blog.
The practice of collecting and documenting collections is as old as the hills. I want onlookers here to know that I do not profess to be doing anything new or unique or ingenious. I am embarking on this project because I love my collections, and I want to document them in a way that makes sense to me, and share them with whoever might be interested in looking at them.
This blog is open for comments. I encourage you to share your thoughts about what memories the photographs and drawings of my collections spark for you and what, if any, sense of nostalgia or repulsion they make you feel.
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For those of you who have stumbled here and don’t already know me, my name is Lisa Congdon. I am an artist and illustrator, and I live in the Mission District of San Francisco with my partner Clay Lauren Walsh and our Chihuahua Wilfredo and two cats, Barry and Margaret. If you are interested, you can see the kind of artwork I make on my website or on the website of my illustration agent, Lilla Rogers. If you would like to see what my home looks like (as it contains many of my collections) you can see a house tour here. You can view my studio (also a repository) here.
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Enjoy.
Milton Bradley made crayons?! Did you use the contents and keep the packaging, or do sticks of pastels still languish inside?
ReplyDeleteand here's my vintage art supply story:
I spent pretty much all my free time painting and drawing between ages 7 and 18, and started out using watercolors and pastels that orginally belonged to my grandmother. I still use her brushes and have kept even the most crumbly and dried out tubes of oil paint to remember her by.
love it - old school.
ReplyDeletei like the idea of collecting vintage art supplies - something inspiring about that. The packaging is the best part.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to have come across this new project as you've just begun! Seeing the objects that others collect always fascinates me. I'll be sure to check back EVERY day. Happy New Year and best wishes with this project. --Suzanna
ReplyDeleteHurray for daily ritual resolutions! Good lukc, can't wait to see the progess.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to have discovered your collection blog. Looking forward to seeing what emerges. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeletelisa, hello!
ReplyDeleteoh, this is such a good idea!!
but you're really ambitious - a collection a day, 365 days, EVERY day?!?! wow.. i'm really looking forward to it :) (i just put a link on my blog-scroll)
i collect by instinct, too.. it seems to be a very archaic urge ;)
good luck with your project!
Great project.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your house very, very much.
I still have the first box of pastels which I bought when I was 11 years old. It's as a small precious treasure; and even if I don't use necessarily them, I like the magic of oil pastels of which colors can merge between them.
ReplyDeleteI also like the packagings of the boxes of color pencils when they have naive patterns, for example I possess one with the drawing of an smal doe on a cardboard packaging !
I believe that for me, these little boxes are a way to remain in contact with my own chilhood...
Love it! For some reason this image reminded me of the watercolor booklet I had in college. It was and odd 7ish by 3ish, orange-paper-bound object. The pigment was painted on the sheets. Snipping a bit of a sheet into a little pool of water was all it took for instant color. I'm a lousy water colorist, but I adored that book. The shades were so rich, it was easy to use and mess-less. So sad to have let that slip away. Even Google hasn't helped met to locate another. . .
ReplyDeleteDear Lisa, You are in my favorits since this morning. I will visit often and spread the word here in Israel :)
ReplyDeleteI love your art and this idea of a collection a day is wonrerful!
Nona Orbach, artist
www.nonaorbach.com
That's vintage? Oh, my, then I've got lots of vintage oil pastel boxes, including the Koss!
ReplyDeletehi friends...when i read this blog i feel so stronger and i wanna say thank you for everything for what have you done nice work.
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