Fearless Art

Dream Home by Jane Gillings was part of the 2009 Sculpture by the Sea event. It took a few moments for me to digest these colorful images. The shear volume of plastic is overwhelming. Slowly I began to see pieces and parts that I recognized. The simple hut form is clad top to bottom in toys! This playful structure has a subtle yet serious message. Like most of Janes work, the house is constructed with found objects. She collects what others discard and transforms the trash into works of art. Anyone with kids knows how easy it is to find your house taken over by bright colorful plastic toys. It happens gradually, and at first seams harmless. Then before you know it the birthday and Christmas gifts have taken on a life of their own. You find yourself buying containers (more plastic) to store the toys. Eventually some are moved to the attic, some are given away, and a few probably go straight to the trash. They have a fairly short life span...or do they?

As I was reading about Jane on her site, there was one statement that really made me pause. She said, "I also love art done by kids or art that looks like it’s been done by a kid. To me this suggests that the artist has not lost that part of them that makes them fearless." So with that in mind, encourage you children to continue creating without fear, and follow their lead.

More pictures on Flickr.