Hidden Meaning

My last post was about my first Etsy sale. I liked that piece so I was a little sad to see it go, but I was also pretty happy to see that people are willing to pay for the things I spend time creating.

I couldn't help but be curious. To me, all my works mean something, tell a story, or represent an idea. But I assume that they mean more to me than other people, and I fear that others just see a bunch of junk. So I sent a message to the seller, and I asked him if he wouldn't mind telling me his reason for purchasing this piece.

To me,  this little upcycled jewelry box drawer told a story of urban renewal. An old industrial building that was kind of an eyesore, has received some love and attention. Flowers were planted, some cheerful decorations put up. I'm a native of Rochester, NY and the Western portion of New York is home to Rust Belt cities which are long past their prime. It's sad to drive through them and see the huge industrial buildings that are empty and neglected because they once were symbols of prosperity. The worst is seeing the buildings that represent icons of our history and culture such as Kodak, which was a top employer in that region for generations. Fulton, NY was home to the original Nestle candy factory; the factory was closed in 2003 and the building sat for thirteen years, an empty eyesore. It was demolished in 2016. Fortunately, some other industrial buildings get new lives; the Beechnut baby food factory in Canajoharie, NY is currently part of a restoration effort to preserve the facade of the building, and surround it with a park.

That was a tangent, but that's what that little vignette signified to me.

When the buyer responded to my message, he said that he liked the piece because it depicts a contrast, like the work of Cornell and Magritte. I never thought of any of my stuff as examples of 'real' art, like the Surrealist movement before. But I did a little bit of research, and sure enough the artist Joseph Cornell is a pioneer of assemblage art, and he was known for creating little boxes of found items like springs, clippings, coins, etc. and arranging them together so the past could "make itself vividly present".

Furthermore,  some of his works were intended as tributes to specific actresses and ballerinas. Huh. That's interesting because I have another piece I have been thinking about listing on Etsy that uses an old cabinet door, a print of an Edgar Degas painting, a piece of driftwood, and a broken ballerina Christmas ornament:

I like the way this turned out, and I guess it kind of tells a story; a young ballerina performing in a historic theater, imagining the generations of dancers who preceded her.  .  .

I don't always have a story or idea in my head when I start  a project, but it will often develop as I continue working on it. I like the stories that I create, but I know that these creations might mean something else to other people.