Month: October 2023

some history: early 1980s casting with “found” molds

betsypackardLeave a comment

If you’re familiar with this archive, it’s set up as a blog. I post work randomly, in no particular order: new work as I finish it, but older work too as I scan decades of slides. Using the menu, you can search categories of work by year, medium, etc.

In this post see examples of my early sculpture in newspaper pulp. I used cardboard and plastic items, packaging containers , boxes, etc.— as molds for casting very simple 3-dimensional forms. Later I began to substitute plaster for the pulp (it’s 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). 1978. 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. I did this pre-1980s–but 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.

1970s selected works – emerging themes

betsypackard1 Comment

Hand colored etchings, 1975. With Drake University in Florence Italy, 1974-75– I had a class in metalwork/jewelry with Tomaso Fujimura and was introduced at the same time to etching at the Santa Reparata Printmaking Studio with Professors Dennis Olsen and Billy Ray Sandusky. In both settings I was fortunate to work in a uniquely free and casual technical environment, where my experimentation and rule breaking were not only accepted but encouraged. These experiences shaped my evolution as an artist and the way I work intuitively with materials.

Color viscosity etching, unique proof 1975.

1976. Embossing newspaper pulp sheets with objects, handsewing the sheets to create a 3-d pyramid form.

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.

.1340 King Street Gallery –installation photos 2023

betsypackardLeave a comment

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.