Download pdf - Mary Bogdan — Paintings, Assemblages, Prints

MARYBOGDAN

paintings

assemblages

prints

published by

HEUTEKUNST

© 2007 HeuteKunst and Mary Bogdanwww.heutekunst.comwww.marybogdan.com

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ISBN 978-0-9782775-0-5

Mary Bogdanpaintings | assemblages | prints

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I A M A G L E A N E R

In scrap heaps of abandoned or demolished buildings, alleyways and flea markets, I find rare

treasure. Garbage. Remnants of wood and metal, books, boxes, old paintings, all that have been

discarded are interesting to me.

My work deals with obsolescence. Each “found” object has out-lived its time and has therefore been

scrapped. Dead. I rescue and assemble them with collected items from my own past. I sense the

object’s energy guiding its reincarnation to a higher purpose. Art.

These artifacts that have chosen me, tell stories of where they have been, where I have been, where I

am and where I am going. Stories of passion and anger, strength and weakness, love, hate and fear.

Revealing me to me.

M. BOGDAN

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spring street, newyork, ny, 2002,31"w x 49"h,combine painting:mixed media on foundkitchen cabinet frame

The significance of the work liesboth in the creative process aswell as in the final piece. It’s thecycle that involves recycling,recovery (or discovery),manipulation, and the alterationof found objects. Modificationsand transformations can affect athing over time, and this is thecelebration of the “found” objectin art.

My works are a personalvision of self-discovery and arecognition of the continualreinvention of myself. It is theshaping of the self through thecreation of art and thedevelopment of the art throughself-construction. This ongoingand evolving cycle is theessence of my work.

PAIN

TIN

GS

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the secret of the making Mypainting comes from the GUT.These are representations of my“sacred places”, deep-seateddesires, angers, frustrations,passions - all the emotions of theheart. They are my life history.

This piece was my firstcombine painting. Painted andassembled items on the backside of a stretched canvas.Divided into four sections, eachwith its own character, buttogether they make a whole.

Included is a burnt book,domino set, match book, mailshoot, various dried flowers andleaves, piece of loosenedasphalt found on the street,miniature playing cards, fuse,“scroll” key, dice, two rubberstamps: “CHARGE”, and 6 inchcast iron damper, dried tea bag,opened up carton box, andvarious printed material andmaps.

the secret of themaking, 2001,60"w x 40"h,combine painting:mixed media onbackside of stretchedcanvas

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myFather/myself: ode to alojz Thispiece is a homage to my father,who was the greatest influencein my early childhood. I was his“son”. This gave me carte-blanche to be all I could be. Itwas clear that as a girl I coulddo anything, same as a boy.This was a very profoundwisdom on his part, rememberthis was the 1950's, beforefeminism. I helped him buildextra rooms to our house andhelped him make his own wineevery autumn. He didn't speakvery much, so our relationshipwas an intuitive dialog. He wasa very gentle man, but withmany internal demons...

This combine painting isabout him and me and ourfamily history... it was made justbefore his death when I wasobsessed with his journey, as hehad been sick for 9 long yearsand his death was an extremelyslow process...

I found an old-fashionedwooden key cabinet, possiblyfrom a hotel or apartmentbuilding, at a Salvation Armystore. I worked on it, using myfather's dress patterns that he'dmade as a tailor. There hadbeen thousands of them in thegarage and in the basementwhere he used to work. After hisdeath, I took only a few,carefully chosen pieces from hiscollection.

On the inside of this cabinet Iplaced a child's toy tool set,which opens and closes as doesthe larger cabinet. I used veryspecific items that reminded meof my father. The very short,worn-down pencil (he wasnotorious for using short pencils);the spools of thread; the "A"alphabet block letter; the tailor'swooden ruler; the leveling tool;the picture of me with my familywhen I was 6 months old; thelarge paint brush as a flamenailed to a small christian prayerbook inside a picture frame, allon top of a Rabbinical Collegediploma. Throughout are veryemotional letters to my father,written as I painted. Words Icould not speak to him directly.

I attached two largewooden thread spools ashandles onto the cabinet doorsand tied them with rope to keepit closed. It is about 4 feet high,the height of a child.

On the morning of hisfuneral, I wrote my father a letteron one of his patterns which I’dalready painted on sometimeearlier, because I wanted to givehim something and leavesomething with him. I wrote on itas I cried and my tears arethere, too. I folded it and closedit up and tied it up with ropeand left it with him. My handson his patterns. It was buriedwith him.

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myFather/myself:ode to alojz, 2003,43"w x 43.5"h x 5"dopen; combine painting:mixed media on awooden key cabinet

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triptych hardedge,2002, 58"w x 39.25"h,mixed media painting onback side of 3 previously-used (by another artist)canvases

triptych hardedge The backside isa very “hardedge” painting byan anonymous artist. I boughtthese three canvases together for$5.00, at a flea market locatedin a back lane of Plateau MontRoyal (St Viater and Park Ave) inMontreal.

I found this very old triptychhardedge painting intriguing. Iloved the way the canvaseswere stretched at the back and itinspired me with its flowingshapes, so I painted veryorganically on the backside of itusing soft earth tones, in contrastto the bright primary colors onthe other side.

Rebel much?

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between twohorizontal strokes,2002,21.5"w x 16.5"h,mixed media paintingon back side ofpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

Combine Paintings: I paint with intense spiritualityand intuition. This series has come about with thediscovery of old, discarded paintings found on thestreets or in the garbage or at flea markets. I paintfuriously over them, picking up on the energy leftbehind.

Often, I turn these found/discarded canvasesaround, paint on the back sides, exposing the

wood frame. These canvases live again becausethey have given me their inspiration. Their energy.They feed me. By working on other artist’s thrown-away paintings, I am one with all art and allartists. I am the continuation, the circle. I submergemyself in the flow of energy that is art.

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open door, 2002,31.25"w x 33"h,mixed media paintingon back side ofpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

we are seekingleaders, 2002,38"w x 38"h,mixed media paintingon back side ofpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

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espace, 2002,21.75"w x 15"h,mixed media paintingon backside ofpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

What is interesting is this idea of the personalfound object rather than the simple randomselection of the mundane or utilitarian.

Recycling is the way to go for our westernmaterialistic civilization! I love the idea ofincorporating our environment into the work. Thereis beauty in everything and I put it together so thatthe viewer can see it. I think that’s what makes artcompelling. It’s about showing something that isvery human and vulnerable in all of us, and nothaving too much fear about exposing it.

YES, it’s the ability to create while “in the

zone” (esoragoto), and then after some time,being able to “read” your own work and writeabout it in order to understand yourself and yourown personal process better. That is awareness ona higher level. Art is a vehicle to bring you there.It is for me.

YES, the zone, or groove. The best place tocreate from... And, YES, it’s important to reflect onone’s own work and the growth that results... andthen, to see an observer make a connection ontheir own journey, using your work as anotherguide. That is a gift!

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silence III, 2002,28.75"w x 21.5"h,mixed media paintingon backside ofpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

literal passion, 2002,20"w x 16"h, mixedmedia painting onbackside of previously-used (by another artist)canvas

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My images are personal to me, a deep search formyself, my unexposed innards. My unexploredworlds, unsaid words, unexpressed love, hiddenangers. These are all expressed here on canvas. Iwork feverishly and furiously to express in my artthat which I cannot express in my life. Here I havecarte-blanche to be and be me. No judgments, no

negatives, no problemo. I am. I exist. I ampassionate. Me.

I see from the inside out, bringing with me thehidden parts of me, the unexpressed, theunchallenged, the weak, the strong, the hates andthe loves. Me. Sacred Places.

m: self portrait,2001, 60"w x 40"h,combine painting:mixed media oncanvas

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cross & crown, 2001,60"w x 40"h,mixed media paintingon canvas

books, music & café,2001, 48"w x 30"h,mixed media paintingon both sides of cor-plast

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content, 2001,48"w x 38"h, mixedmedia painting onpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

I collect enormous amounts of paper, boxes,cardboard, block letters, tissue paper, patternpaper, etc. I paint on them individually and ingroupings, and then use them in my larger works,bringing together different textures, feelings, colors

etc, into one complex world containing andholding the different parts. Fragmented. This isME.

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muze 1, 2000,14"w x 11"h,mixed media paintingon masonite board



muze 1,2,3 I washighly inspired by theprimordial markings onthe wrapping paperfrom The Museum ofThe Romanian Peasant(Muzeul TaranuluiRomân) in Bucharest,given to me by myparents-in-law, whohad purchased gifts forus there.

Romania hadbeen my in-laws’childhood home andtheir visit back a fewyears ago had beentheir first since theyand their entire familieshad been deported tothe camps during thewar.

They are survivorsof the holocaust.

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inspiré par la vie /inspired by life II,2002, 55"w x 48"h,mixed media paintingon lamp-shade material

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transform, 2001,60"w x 40"h, mixedmedia painting oncanvas

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19h-7h I, 2001,60"w x 26.5"h, mixedmedia painting onmasonite board

My heroes are Tapies, Clavé, Rauschenberg,Jasper Johns, Nevelson, and George Herms.Inspirations to me. My bible studies. Theirinfluences are great, apparent in my language, Ispeak the same language as they do. I expressmyself with found objects, paper, used and

unused. Thrown out, given to me. Retrieved frommany places in my life. They tell stories of wherethey have been, where I have been, where I am,and where I am going.

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ground zero /mortification, 2002,60"w x 48"h, mixedmedia painting onpreviously-used (byanother artist) canvas

ground zero / mortification This large paintingcommemorates the falling of the Twin Towers inSeptember 2001. Upon visiting Ground Zero afew months after the disaster, I was very moved bythe energy of the area.

I used US flags that I tore up and painted onand later assembled onto an old, previously-usedcanvas which had been purchased from anotherartist, who had abandoned painting and sold meall her old, used canvases. This was one of them.

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7h, 2001,30"w x 24"h,mixed media paintingon masonite board

19h-7h II, 2001,30"w x 24"h,mixed media paintingon masonite board

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awareness, 2003,83” w x 70” h,combine/mixed mediapainting on lamp-shadematerial.

awareness This was one of my first large paintingsthat doesn’t respect boundaries. The handwritingis my own. Words of love and encouragement tomyself. Intimate letters of understanding andopenness to myself.

Included we see a blue bed sheet, a favoriteof mine, used for many years until it began to ripand was not useable on the bed anymore. I triedmany times, on different occasions, to throw it inthe garbage. I could not. I kept it for quite awhile afterwards and it eventually found its finalhome here. The fabric is so soft and luscious thatit has always been very important to me. Thecolor is divine.

I incorporated also, a pair of old summerpants I used to wear when gardening. I worethem well after they had ripped. Again, in blue.

I found the crotch area (opened zipper) veryimportant as the central image. And I named thispainting “awareness”, because it was the verylast word written and it signaled its completion...or beginning.

I find the earth colors highly powerfulagainst the sky (spiritual) blue. Great contrastand combination. Also included are roadmaps and my father’s old dress patterns,which I had painted on.

It hangs in my bedroom.

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unveiling I collect and organizeand create new worlds with theobjects I have amassed. Theycome together in my work asmembers of a family... alldifferent personalities buttogether they create a vision.Each painting is unique.

In Unveiling, I have used anold Canada Post carrier bag asmy canvas and starting point,with layers and layers oftransparent papers, coloredtissue papers and an old map.Together they symbolize thatwhich is fleeting... the utterfragility of life (and death).

Unveiling, as well asUrbania, were created in themiddle of a forest, where I hadbeen working all day, and so Iincorporated that which wasaround me on the ground...dried leaves, and above me...the clouds.

The overall shape alsoreminds us of a body with armsstretched out...

Created at a time justbefore my father’s death.

unveiling, 2003,39.5"w x 50"h,mixed media paintingin layers

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urbania In this painting, I haveused an old cloth sack (a BemisSeamless, extra heavy) as mycanvas and starting point, withlayers and layers of transparentpapers, colored tissue papers(reading mysterious, elusive, theunexpected, the unveiling,secrets and surprises), japaneseparchment, an old map, graphpaper, my father’s pattern paper,envelope with dried leaves in it,marked “urbania”.

Here I incorporated driedleaves and clouds, that which Ifound below me and above meas I worked outdoors, in themiddle of a forest in the easterntownships of Quebec.

Both Urbania and Unveilingwere created at a time justbefore my father’s death.

urbania, 2003,37"w x 50"h,mixed media paintingin layers

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heritage 1, 2, 3,2004, approx.55"h x 18"w each,mixed media paintingin layers

heritage 1,2,3 This series ofpaintings are expressions ofmyself through influences of mypast, inspired by my father andmy father-in-law – an influenceand a tribute. Both passed awayin the same year (2004) and itforced me to introspect about mylife. These are subconsciouselements that I have chosen inthe process of creating thesepieces, realizing afterwards thatthere are some very literalassociations that go beyondsymbolism. For example, tools:Jesus as carpenter, taught by hisfather, as I was taught by myown father; tools that I use tomake my art... my assemblage.Other symbols are: religious,jewish/christian heritage;patterns made by my father.

Heritage: an inheritance,cultural traditions, historicalbuildings, god's chosen peopleor christian church.

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fedex crusade, 2003,20.5"w x 15.5"h,mixed media paintingon an opened fedexenvelope

fedex crusade This is one of a series of pieces I didon opened-up FedEx envelopes, sent to me byvarious people and places. I thought they werebeautiful. Being a graphic designer by profession,I have great appreciation for excellent branding.These envelopes inspired me and became mycanvases...

I incorporated here a wine bottle label withsash; kraft paper wrapping from a great art bookcalled Clavé Sculpteur that I had purchased; mapswatch; graph tissue paper; very old religiousmap; crusade sticker; Frida movie ticket stub;polka dot wallpaper swatch...

I keep everything, and use them in my work.They are a part of me and they are me...

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spirale, 2003,22.5"w x 14"h, mixedmedia painting on adouble page spreadfrom inside spiralemagazine

recueil, 2003,18.5"w x 12.5"h,mixed media paintingon a double pagespread from inside abook

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GAP/The Holy Bible,2003, 25"w x 28”h

GAP series Mixedmedia on ripped openGAP shopping bags.

I found myselfobsessed by discardedGAP shopping bags,but not because I wasshopping there, butbecause I beganseeing them ingarbage piles all overthe place, and lots oftimes containinggarbage, too. Thesebags hold a greatfascination for me,great job in marketing(I guess millions ofdollars spent), they aretotally unmistakable.

The “fashionable”carry them on thestreets as an emblemof youth and style, butwhen they lie allcrumpled up andthrown away in thegarbage they seemabandoned and sad. Ilove them. The blueand white is sospiritual, so clean, sosimple. I paint on themfeverishly as they are abrilliant vessel thatholds great energy andexcitement for me.

I continue to pickthem up whenever Isee one. I am stillcollecting them.

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GAP 1, 2003,19"w x 26”h

GAP/Super OpenCab, 2003,31"w x 25”h

GAP 2, 2003,26"w x 27”h

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Playing Battle Dress Up The process of reparentingmy inner child becomes more complex as theadult emerges and the influences of a hostileglobal and social environment invade theinnocence of childhood, thereby exposing us...

Linking female "Dress Up" and male "BattleDress", it's a balancing of my ownfeminine/masculine energies, and the confusion ofour times.

Young males going into the military tobecome soldiers (to become "men"), not alwaysrealizing fully (or deeply) what that means. Youthsgoing off, carrying with them their sensitiveinnards. Here we see it illustrated in a verygraphic way, emotions and fear, childlikequalities, playfulness, feminine energies....

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This piece contains: 4 West German militaryduffel bags from the 1960's, ripped wide open;my father's "Made in Germany" measuring tape(he was a tailor); newspaper page torn out from"The Standard", Montreal, Nov 27, 1926; lettersin a bag; dictionary page, containing the words:"fundamentalism", "funeral'; dried whitewildflowers; dead leaves; wire mesh; string;

burlap; opened silk purse; fruit mesh bag; swatchof USA flag; pink lace; carbon paper (in mysisters handwriting) including words "bushel forbushel"; red ribbon; oil can "3-in-1"; cord; book ofmatches; newspaper page from "The ShawiniganStandard", Nov 14, 1945; polish letter fromWarsaw, Poland written Nov 18, 1945.

Playing Battle DressUp, 2005,8.75ft h x 16.5ft w,combine painting,mixed media on militarytent liner. Tent liner (canbe expanded to 27ftwide), 4-1960's WestGerman military duffelbags opened, approx.45"h x 28"w each.

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Madonna&Child.no.2,nos.1,3,4,5,6,7, 2005,31"w x 21.5"h, mixedmedia on hand madepaper.

Madonna&Child Works on paper, mixed mediaon hand made paper.

This subject and the whole series (of seven),came about subconsciously when I realized all ofthe individual pieces in this first series on paper,possessed a recurring theme, Madonna & Childfrom master paintings. When casually asked bymy husband which one was I, Madonna? ORChild?, I should have perhaps said Madonna(mother/woman), but instead, I realized that infact, I had identified more with the child in each

of these pieces. I was the child. This was thecatalyst which started me thinking about what wasgoing on, and I began a new series (of prints thistime) that also touches this theme, but this time Ibrought in a deeper understanding, whichincluded myself both as mother and (inner) child.

I completed a series of ten prints, calledMadonna&Child OR Reparenting My Inner Child(series 1), and later a second series of ten (series2). Also in the works, is a video on the subject.

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menagerie1. gone with the wind / morning prayers

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menagerie3. whistler / ein menagerie4. maraschino cherries / missionnaires

menagerie5. pernin’s universal phonography / manon lescaut menagerie6. lord byron / mathematical tables

menagerie A diverse ormiscellaneous group.2005, 20”w x 14”h,mixed media on handmade Himalayanpaper. Series of ten.

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menagerie9. made in nepal / none but christ menagerie10. loi / livre mystique

menagerie8. vatican council / sunshine follows rainmenagerie7. spectacles / après la communion

menagerie2. the rival churches / heart hymns

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Assemblage has been thediscovery of my life. It fits melike a glove.

Amazingly, I had beencollecting garbage, foundobjects, flea market finds, etc,for decades. Now I know whatthey have been for. ART. All myspecial items have had anincredible effect on me.

I express myself with foundobjects – usually old, used andthrown out. I find them in thegarbage and I rescue them.They may be objects that aregiven to me or old objects frommany places in my life. Iassemble them into pieces of art.They tell stories of where theyhave been, where I have been,where I am, and where I amgoing. My assemblages arepersonal to me, a deep searchfor myself, my unexposedinnards. My unexplored worlds,unsaid words, unexpressed love,hidden angers.

I collect an enormousamount of used papers, woodenboxes, block letters, woodenframes, brushes, metal parts,small prayer books, cigar boxes,pattern paper, etc. I may painton them and then use them inmy assemblages, bringingtogether different textures,feelings, and colors into onecomplex world containing andholding the different parts.Fragmented. This is ME.

view from cyclops,2003,24"w x 22"h x 21"d,assemblageAS

SEM

BLAG

ES

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avmor tie, 2005,5"w x 14ft h x 3"d,assemblage

avmor tie Avmor Collection,commissioned assemblage.

I started out with a pure,white silk tie, which I buried inthe ground in my own gardenduring the spring thaw. Itbecame soiled and weatheredafter just a few days. Later, intothe tie lining, I attached a heavy,braided yellow rope which Iunfurled into willowy wisps ofthread to appear as tentacles orroots of a tree reaching out to adistance of 14 feet.

I then nailed the tie to anold, worn-out, woodenarchitectural moulding. I inserteda printer’s metal block letter “A”into the tie and rope, and tied itwith a saffron twine which hangsdown and holds a second letter“M”.

All the elements in this workcame from the Avmor building.

On permanent exhibition atthe Avmor Collection, Montreal.

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m morrow Avmor Collection,commissioned assemblage.

Almost all of the items thatmake up this assemblage werecollected from the building that isthe “Avmor Museum”, a privatemuseum that houses hundreds ofpieces of art, commissioned tocommemorate this more than200 year old building in historicOld Montreal.

The museum’s creator,M Morrow, commissioned me todo an assemblage. I agreed, onthe condition that I use items fromhis own collection. He washappy to oblige and most of theelements in this piece weregraciously given to me by him...fragments of his own collectionof “found” objects.

I worked on this piece in situas the building’s energy fed me.This assemblage portrays the ageof the building, its grandarchitecture and its museum ofart.

I named it after it’s owner,M Morrow. It reminds me somuch of him running up anddown the old stairways inexcitement and anticipation of anew acquisition. He had justturned 80.

On permanent exhibition atthe Avmor Collection, Montreal.

m morrow, 2005,28"w x 53"h x 23"d,assemblage

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Every one of my assemblages isa One Of A Kind. I am a“glaneuse”, a gleaner. Usingremnants of wood, metal, boxes,old paintings and other objectsthat thought they were surelydestined for the landfill get anew life in my reincarnatedreconstructions, to which I addmy own objects – past orpresent.

I work with obsolescence.Usually, these elements whichmake up my assemblages areunique. There is not another ofits kind. Each found piece hasout-lived its time and hastherefore been thrown out by itsoriginal owner. Because I rescuethem, they live again in my art. Ioften let the materials that I’vevery carefully chosen andcollected dictate the creation, soI always incorporate chancefinds into the ongoing andorganic process that is my art.

grotesque reflection,2003,10.5"w x 31.5"h x 8.5"d,assemblage

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from birth to reset,2002,31.5"w x 9"h x 4"d,assemblage

solar plexus, 2003,8"w x 55"h x 9"d,assemblage

from birth to reset The whole lifeprocess, my life process...moving towards spirituality. Topeace. To reset.

Incarnation, the hope ofstarting all over again with theabsorbed knowledge of theprevious life. This is the hope tocontinue on the road, not tobegin again into the struggle,but to move onwards from acontinuing point.

This is the hope...To reset to zero.

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scroll/reset, 2001,19"w x 14.5"h x 6"d,assemblage

scroll/reset Religion, themeaning of life. Spirituality asopposed to religion. These arethe themes of many of my piecesincluding this one. The NewTestament with a rusty nailthrough it. FIT FOR LIFE dietbook torn page by page andinserted one by one into awooden box. The whole bookstuffed as I had often stuffedmyself.

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mary: self-portrait,2001,10""w x 23.5""h x 9""d,assemblage

mary: self-portrait One of the firstassemblages that I made. Theweight of the world sits on myshoulders, but I want to flee, onwheels...

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the spiritual path,2001,23"w x 35"h x 6"d,assemblage

armed & dangerous,2001,12"w x 30"h x 7"d,assemblage

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for giunta One day, in the garbage heaps I usuallysearch out, I found this wonderful old woodenbox. I picked it up and it sat in my studiobasement for months, waiting to be used, rightnext to my Joseph Giunta poster, from theexhibition that I had seen a few months earlier.

I began to work in this fabulous box, andcreated this inner world inside it, never noticingthat the name and address of its previous ownerwere written on the front of the box.

After having completed and shown thisassemblage to my teacher and mentor, VickiTansey, to my surprise, she read the name on the

packing slip on the front of the box: “JOSEPHGIUNTA”. I gasped!

It was then that I discovered that the artist’slast home before he died was not far from myown, and that I had inadvertently picked uppersonal items from his studio that had beendiscarded by the inheritors of his estate.

Now I had inherited his old paint box. Andcontinued the art of assemblage. I felt as though Ihad been chosen to continue in his footsteps.

for giunta, 2002,18.75"w x 23"h x 3"dclosed, assemblage

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Tide Box series I began noticingvagrant TIDE boxes all over thecity (Montreal), in the recyclebins and in the garbage onRecycle Bin Day and/orGarbage Day. They stood out sovividly among the green plasticbin containers and the garbagebags thrown out onto the streetsof our neighborhoods. Theywere so compelling to me,saying: “TAKE ME HOME”. Istopped my car at everyopportunity to pick them up, nomatter where I was going.

They were usually in perfectcondition and empty. Theseboxes are very sturdy, having tohold all our laundry detergent forgenerations, never changing itslook very much, but just anupgrading of graphics now andthen over the years. They werefirst introduced in 1946.

I fell in love with them.They spoke to me of wash dayMondays, motherhood, family,cleanliness (is next to godliness).Andy Warhol with a twist...

I held on to them for a longwhile, enjoying their beauty. Istarted to paint them, givingthem different personalities,different interiors.

Each Tide box contains asmaller box/bag inside, way atthe bottom. A precious gift, asecret hiding place...

But, this is all a GREATSEDUCTION. Yes, making a“cultural icon” from somethingthat is a destructive force, isalarming and so my vision ofthese tide boxes has evoked andtouched something in all of us.something beyond what wasoriginally intended... This is art...

...And ART IS THECONSCIENCE OF HUMANITY.It is the responsibility of the artistto provoke and engage.

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TideRed, TideYellow,TideBlack, 2003,12.125”h x 11.5”w x 6.5”d,mixed media on abandonedTide laundry detergent box

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OutdoorAssemblage series These outdoorassemblages were created in my garden astemporary installations. They were created asfantasies and fun art pieces that I will dismantle in

time and the component parts will possibly bereassembled to make new assemblage worksduring another season.

OutdoorAssemblage3,2005,98"w x 71"h x 30"d,assemblage (outdoor &temporary)

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myFather/myself Limited EditionPrints. This series of ten images,resonating the complexrelationship between my fatherand myself, was created justafter his death in 2004. Usingimages and symbols thatrepresent him and/or me woventogether to make one.

Natural colors of earthtones – ochre and brown; theword “elusive”; layers; shades ofblue; catholic calendar 1934june; paint brushes; upsidedown man in hat; dragon; jesusupside down; father's patternshand drawn from the early1980's, painted over by me;letter from Poland toShawinigan, Quebec, dated theyear 1945; solitary paintbrushlike a flame; my old drawings ofclouds; large green leafsymbolizing growth and life;lines in blood red; fragileribbon; blue graph paper.

As usual, I incorporate“found” objects and combinecolor and texture to createstrong, yet subtle imagery.

myFather/myself,nos.1-10, 2004,14"w x 20"h, gicléeprint on acid-freewatercolor paper,edition of 25.

PRIN

TS

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letters-in-a-book Limited Edition Prints. A series of tenimages revealing layers of time & place, hope &faith, science & religion. Contemplation andquestioning, at a time of grief for my father’s death.Letters-in-a-book includes layers of old letters found ina thrift shop, written between Oct. 1945 and July1946, sent from family members in Warsaw,Poland to kin in Shawinigan, Quebec. These lettersconvey post-WWII life in, then occupied, Poland, ata time and place that reminds me of my father as ayoung man from this part of the world, at his mostvital time in life.

Also included are personal letters sent to me bymy husband.

These handwritten and typed letters arejuxtaposed with two old books. One is a book ofancient & modern “Hymns” of the Church of StJames The Apostle and the other is “EOS, Or theWider Aspects of Cosmogony*” by J. H. Jeans.Books that represent my Roman Catholic, religiousupbringing while at the same time further reflectingmy own personal search for meaning at a verycontemplative time in my life.

“The universe which we study with such caremay be a dream, and we brain-cells in the mind ofthe dreamer.”

*cosmogony

1. cos·mog·o·ny. A specific theory or model of theorigin and evolution of the universe.

2. cosmogony. n : the branch of astrophysics thatstudies the origin and evolution and structure of theuniverse, one such theory can be found in Genesis.

letters-in-a-book,nos.1-10, 2004,14"w x 20"h, gicléeprint on acid-freewatercolor paper,edition of 25.

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artistFantasy Limited Edition Prints.Paint brush as a flame; colorpalette; handwritten letters fromPoland from 1945; father'spatterns in natural kraft color;maps; 360 degree navigationcircle; words: “mysterious”,“elusive”, “the siren holds thekey for she has the gift”, “ashimmer of somethingmysterious”; green paint brush;white pages with names andnumbers; clouds from an olddrawing of mine; three chalkpencils green pink orange; myold agenda book;checkerboard; book: “eos, orthe wider aspects of cosmogonyby j.h. jeans”; word find game;polka dots; crayons in a row;rainbow spectrum; earthsolarized; bmw logo; l'economenewspaper; oil pastels; circularglobe; rows of used paintbrushes; “dis moi ce que tu es”:tell me what you are; northsymbol; general hymns; us flag;Da Vinci's man; pencil...

Ten different images in thisseries.

artistFantasy,nos.1-10, 2004,14"w x 20"h, gicléeprint on acid-freewatercolor paper,edition of 25.

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gapBag Limited Edition Prints.Based on a "GAP" ShoppingBag, series of 10 images, in anedition of 25.

gapBag, nos1-10,2004, 14"w x 20"h,giclée print on acid-freewatercolor paper,edition of 25.

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Madonna&Child OR Reparenting My

Inner Child, series1 Limited EditionPrints. In this series, Iincorporated my interest in oldmasters’ paintings (Botticelli,Raphael, Durer, etc) of theMadonna & Child, with mydeep connection to and on-going process of reparenting myown “Inner Child”.

These are self-portraits. I amboth the MOTHER and theCHILD. It is fascinating on manylevels: the eternal connection ofmyself and art, and to the greatmasters who have left therehistoric mark; the religious themeof the Virgin Mary and Christ,echoing my very strict romancatholic upbringing.

My images are both playfuland disarming and include myrebel inner child, who screamsout to be heard, to be seen, tobe recognized andappreciated... and to beloved...


Madonna&Child ORReparenting my Inner Child,series1, no.2, nos.1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, 2005,24"w x 20"h, giclée print onacid-free watercolor paper,edition of 25.

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Madonna&Child OR Reparenting My Inner

Child, series2 Limited Edition Prints. Irevisited this theme and found thatthere was a more peaceful feel to theimagery. I’m more at ease with themother and child. There’s more of anintegration, a closeness now of thechild to the mother.

Maybe I’m becoming calmer,more at ease with myself, moreaccepting of myself with all myintense feelings and confusions.Knowing that after the lows there willbe a high, a brighter day, andeasier way. Things will work out forthe best in the end. I’m being takencare of by the loving arms of theuniverse. I am it’s child.


Madonna&Child ORReparenting my InnerChild, series2,nos.1-10, 2005,21"w x 21"h, gicléeprint on acid-freewatercolor paper,ed/25.

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RoadwaysOfLifeLimited Edition Prints.A series I created atthe time of my father'sdeath. It’s a roadmapand tribute to ourcomplex relationship,a layering of his oldpatterns and mypainting. It’s aboutlegacy, transforma-tions in time and acelebration ofgenerations.

Incorporating oldclothing patterns thatmy late father hadmade over a periodof many decades asa tailor, which mymother had given tome after his death.There were literallythousands of thesepatterns left behind,from which I chose tokeep only a few.

Eight differentimages in this series.

RoadwaysOfLife,no.5, nos.1,2,3,4,6,7,7.1, 2004,31"w x 20"h, giclée printon acid-free watercolorpaper, edition of 25.

Mary Bogdanpaintings | assemblages | prints

published by

HEUTEKUNSTwww.heutekunst.com