.1247 and .1318 will be offered in The Washington Project for the Arts 2024 Collector’s Night Benefit Auction on Artsy now through May 4th. All the info here: https://www.artsy.net/auction/washington-project-for-the-arts-collectors-night-benefit-auction-2024?sort=sale_position
Used clothing, (thank you Rachel, Melanie, Kathie)- with quilting, stuffing, applique. Handsewn. 48 1/2″x 48″. Collection of the artist.
Used clothing wall relief. 24″x 20 1/2″x 3″. Collection of the artist.
Appliqued used clothing construction. 60″x 55″. Collection of the artist.
Stencil, applique, quilting with some beautiful gifts of fine and castoff clothing and buttons from friends and family. My own things too. I love the variations in the fabric as a result of use: wear, sweat, stains, holes. Handsewn. Some of the clothing was also painstakingly handmade and handsewn–so much work! and I’ve tried to retain some of the stitching of these anonymous needleworkers and garmentmakers. 63″x 47″. I’ll replace with a better photo, but want to post this one now. A few detail images below. Collection of the artist.
Used fabric and clothing applique with quilting. 60″x 47″. Collection of the artist.
Appliqued used fabric. 35 1/2″x 26″. Collection of the artist.
Appliqué, hand-me-downs. 23”x 20”x 6”. Collection of the artist.
Appliqued used fabric. 29 3/4”x 26 3/4”. Collection of the artist.
Appliqued used fabric. 36” x 26 1/2”. Collection of the artist.
I used cardboard and plastic items, packaging containers , boxes, etc.— as molds for casting, and began to substitute plaster for newspaper pulp (it is quick-drying, captures detail, is a good binder material and can also be used additively). At times the resulting forms had an uncanny figurative or botanical quality, or they reminded me of other works of art.
.0548 (after 6 Persimmons). Rolled newspaper embedded in newspaper pulp. When I cut into this loaf form, I loved its quiet simplicity and immediately thought of the 13th-century Chinese painting “6 Persimmons” by the monk Muqi Fachang. The date of this work is actually 1978, but I see it as transitional.
.0048 Window. 1980. Newspaper. 14 1/2″x 11″x3 1/2″. Exhibited at Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0058 Still Life 1979 newspaper. 18″tall. Collection of the artist.
.0034 Bull’s Head (picasso). 1980. Newspaper, metal. 16″x 15″x 10″. Exhibited at Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0076 The Kiss. 1980. Newspaper. 8 1/2”x 5 3/4”x 4”. Exhibited at Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984.Collection of the artist.
.0526 Winged Victory. 1980. Newspaper, metal, plaster. 18 1/2″x 13″x 9″. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Exhibited in “Catalyst: 35 Years of Washington Project for the Arts 1975-2010,” curated by J.W. Mahoney, American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C.2011. Collection of the artist.
.0535 (eyes of t j ekelberg). 1980. Newspaper, 11”x 9”. Exhibited at Hillyer Gallery, Washington D.C., 2011. Collection of the artist.
.0374 (screen figure). 1982. Plaster, screen. 9″x 6″x 1 1/2″. Collection of the artist.
.0375 1981. Plaster, plexiglas. Approx. 8”x 5”x 2 1/3”. Collection of the artist.
.0380 Styrofoam Head 1980 Plaster,wood, styrofoam. 13 1/2″x 11 3/4″x 5 1/2”. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0381 1981 Plaster. 10 1/2”x 10”x 5”. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0373. Angel. Plaster. 7 1/2″x 6″x 1 1/4″. Collection of the artist.
384.Spoon Children 1981 Plaster. 11 1/4″x 9″x 5″. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0392
(couple) 1982 Painted plaster.13 1/2”x 12 3/4”x 9”. Collection of the artist. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Exhibited at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C., 2015. Collection of the artist.
.0377 Running Figure 1981 Plaster and fabric. 18″x 4 1/2″diameter. Exhibited at the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1984. Collection of the artist.
.0386 1981Plaster, wood, and fabric. 18″x 4 1/2″x 4″. Collection of Bill Roseberry.
Hand colored etchings 1975. In Florence Italy in 1974 I had a class in metalwork/jewelry and was also introduced at the same time to etching at the Santa Reparata Printmaking Studio. I was fortunate to work in free and casual technical settings where my experimentation and rule breaking were affirmed. These experiences shaped my evolution as an artist and the way I work intuitively with materials.
Color viscosity etching, unique proof 1975.
Handsewn newspaper pulp pyramid form, with embossing. 1976. Embossing with objects, handsewing, to create a 3-d work.
Saved items, buried in the wall. Installation photo from “Louisiana Environments,” Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA. 1977. Journaling, recordkeeping, history.
Letters, journals, writings-buried in the wall. Installation photo from “Louisiana Environments,” Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA. 1977.
My 74-75 Clothes. 1978-79. Collection of the Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA. Journaling, icon-making.
Italian Story 1978. Florentine rag/remnants, embroidered,pieced- then cut stacked, sliced. Collection of the Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA. Reusing, recycling, fabric as a primary material. Book as object.
The Bhagavad Gita-As it Is 1978. A copy of the Bhagavad Gita was given to me at an airport, and I pulped the pages to create this work. Transforming the physical, retaining the essence, aura.
Continental Shelf. 1978. Stacked and sliced magazines.
30-40 Compacted Artworks. 1978 Saving, recordkeeping, keeping a physical journal.
Newspaper pulp and bottles. 1978. Making art with everyday abundant materials, newspaper pulp as a binder, and a material with sculptural potential.
Restaurant Impressions. 1978. Latex, cardboard. I was beginning to use found objects as molds, a practice I continued!
.0319. 1978. Used restaurant paper napkins, made into pulp and sliced. I was working as a breakfast waitress at the PSA Hotel San Franciscan. I was toasting lots of bread and overwhelmed by paper waste. Compression, conserving, reusing, recycling.
Torn paper and carbon paper collage from a found ledger NYC, and wire. 1979.Paper, found and saved materials, compression. An early example of the emergence of these themes in my work.
The same ledger, collage with wax. A precursor to my paintings in wax of the mid-late 1980s.
above: work by Thomas Doyle, Betsy Packard, and Jiazi Yin in “Blue,” at King Street Gallery, Montgomery College.
The following featured works are mine. They are of varied dates (1982 to 2023), sizes (98″x36″ is the largest), and materials (everyday and abundant-as well as saved, treasured ones). I’ve returned to used clothing as the primary. Mine is a green, slow art- right now more than ever-where conservation of resources is a priority.
Painted plaster. 21″x 15″x 14″. Collection of the artist.
Painted welded steel. 14″x 7 1/2″. Collection of Donna DeCorleto.
Betsy Packard Art Archive 