The piece I am choosing to talk about is a sculptural object created by Bo Bartlett and selected by Dan Shafer.
The piece itself came into existence as unintentional art. As Dan explained, he would travel to Bartlett's studio from time to time and notice his oil painting palette which would over time accumulate into large lumpy piles of paint. Inspired by its unique figures Dan decided to show it as his selection for the gallery showing last week.
I find this piece, among others, to be the most object-y or thingy out of them all for two reasons. The first being its evidence as a sign of process and time and its stance as a utilitarian object that was used to create something else. To me something that feels like an object is something that has been used or created and has a definitive existence as a piece of someone's daily life. In this case Bartlett's paint palette has stood up to these requirements and through its randomized aesthetic has become a piece of art. The second reason being the actual shapes and forms that lie within the piles on the palette. THe lumps and mounds of the palette and paint create weird martian looking rocks and columns as well as a strange sense of life and the presence of an extraterrestrial being. The colors along with the extremely unique and organic forms, in my opinion represent the most distinctly 'thingy' object in the entire show.
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