Are You Gonna Throw That Away?
As a found-object assemblage artist I am always on the prowl for stuff … the stuff that most people simply throw out. It’s that stuff that I use to create my work.
Anymore, I notice we’ve become a culture of brief trends. It seems we’re very quick to dispose of anything that isn’t current or in style. In my mind, with a little imagination, new life and purpose can be given to those very same discarded bits.
How do any of my works start? Well, it’s not an uncommon occurrence in ArtGirlWorldHeadquarters, for there to be the chance pairing of two (or more) disparate things coming together on my workbench. I see them begin to tell me a story sparked from a personal memory or experience. I realize I make my art for myself but I’m always hopeful these assemblage works will resonate with the viewer.
Currently, I mainly show my work at local street festivals and art shows. But beyond that I’m happy to show my work by appointment.
ArtGirlWorldHeadquarters
It’s not a fancy place, but it is nestled at the base of fog draped hills near the southern Orange County, California coastline. That’s where ArtGirl can be found tinkering. Tinkering brings with it a distinctly perceptible sound. It’s a cadence of clicks and snaps, taps and scrapes that call you over to see what exactly is happening over there. It’s ArtGirl, Linda Tilden, with one or two or sometimes several works in progress at one time.
“This work is complex,” she explains. “To feel that spark, then select, and configure each of the elements, with the goal of ultimately assembling them in place takes a lot of thought. It’s not uncommon I notice an element, which is a fabulous thing, but just not the correct piece for that place, and so I take a step back, and look for that right piece to replace the former so as to have the story be told correctly. Sometimes, I just have to set it aside all together and go on to another piece entirely and wait for the right time to come back to it.”
Home Gallery
When that final assemblage story is complete, it can come out as a whisper or a howl, or sometimes a wry giggle. This is when it makes it into ArtGirl’s home gallery. A place for the art to rest in between public showings, where it receives the scrutiny of ArtGirl herself or ArtGirl’s trusted circle of friends. Trusted critics really. A select circle who are dependable friends as they are not afraid to share what they see and feel.
With ArtGirl’s work, it’s possible that the story she has built can be very different than the story your mind is telling you. Either way, it’s hard to not stare and be drawn into a piece, as that was the whole purpose ArtGirl had in making it in the first place.