For nearly 50 years, DC-area artist Betsy Packard has transformed the substances enveloping her life into art. She has made paintings from dryer lint; sewn tapestries with used clothes and hair clippings; and cast plaster sculptures from food cartons, wine bottles, and children’s toys. One might be tempted to describe her work as diaristic, if it wasn’t for knowing nods to the history of art: constructivism. Surrealism, Pop Art, Nouveau Realism, Fluxus, Feminist Art, and more.
Triple Candie identifies with many aspects of her work. We respect her frugality and resourcefulness. We love how she makes the commonplace strange. If we had a larger space, we’d celebrate her career with a long-overdue retrospective—a seven-course meal, if you will. What we offer instead is merely an amuse-bouche—a mere taste, works ranging from the 1980s to the present. Please take a little time to savor and digest her unique vision.
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.
Newspaper, paper, fabric. 10” x5”x 2 1/2”(current size). Collection of the artist.
I’ve posted several of this series earlier, but here is some background: In 1978, I made several of these “loaf like” forms, wanting to make something 3 dimensional rather than a sheet of paper with pulp. Initially I had used special paper as my material–saved notes, letters, ticketstubs, i.e.– paper collage elements. It was a first step in creating a “journal” of physical materials- the personal or specific nature of the contents now a mystery to anyone but myself. I wanted to obscure that personal, sentimental element from the work. Newspaper pulp followed as an abundant, easy source of material for sculpture. First I experimented by adding rolled newspaper or embedding colored paper or fabric in the pulp, and cross-sectioning to reveal the center. My stint as a breakfast waitress at the PSA Hotel San Franciscan exposed me to vast quantities of bread, and an appallingly huge volume of barely used paper napkins, which i stuffed in my bag to take home rather than trash. I made some pulp out of those, poured it into my windowscreen “loaf” mold, and left it outside to dry. It yellowed but was still damp after several cloudy days, so I carefully monitored it in a slow oven, where it turned a golden brown. At the same time I was doing some art modeling at the San Francisco Art Institute, thus was given permission to use their shop and saws. When i cut into that loaf , I continued cutting, because of the amazing texture and uncanny resemblance to bread. Several examples can be viewed in the archive in the PAPER category, as well as years 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981. “Bread” .0319, below:
Betsy Packard Art Archive 