Arlene Weinstock
Recyclables
TAG Gallery, Los Angeles
November 17 - December 11
Artist Statement:
"Recyclables" is about finding beauty in materials others discard. I create a textured and layered paper surface from shredded office documents. I paint the handmade paper with watercolor and gouache. The painting grows from two colors with more colors added as needed.
Handmade papermaking starts with creating pulp. I shred office paper then blend it with water to make the pulp. Using a flat-screen mounted on a frame; I lift the pulp out of its wide container. Pressing the pulp-covered screen with a flat board removes water. A soft wet paper peels off the screen for placement on a flat surface. I add more sheets of wet paper to build the base and textured layers of the artwork. Making the paper is a sculptural activity that allows an organic shape to emerge.
In this series of “Recyclables,” I work spontaneously. The magic unfolds as I work in conversation with the developing art.
This artwork is completely recyclable. There are no plastics or toxic fillers in the paper or paint. Many things that are disposable are reusable or recyclable. And, it is not only things. Our society driven by social media makes relationships and people easy to discard. To reuse paper to create art is a statement about values and it is a small contribution on my part to help the planet.
About the Artist:
Arlene Weinstock a Brooklyn native, morphs "Recyclables". In her recent series of richly textured handmade paper painted with intense color. These colorful abstracts emerge as she works intuitively, experimenting with water media sometimes and colored pencil to create emotionally charged images that may contain representational elements. Weinstock also makes colored pencil moody landscapes. Weinstock holds a BFA from Boston University. She has been honored by the Colored Pencil Society of America and has won awards in national and international juried exhibitions. Weinstock is also a contributing member of Women Painters West and Colored Pencil Society of America.