Artist Spotlight Series
September 30, 2016

By Kristine Roan

I’m drawn to found materials because they lack much of the historical baggage of more traditional mediums. Unique rules emerge through the implementation of unfamiliar materials.

 Collecting is a big part of my life and artistic practice. I like to discover pre-existing forms out in the world rather than create new ones. I have drawers full of discarded children’s toys, decorative objects, and craft materials in a diverse range of shapes and textures. From these parts I assemble small sculptures. By introducing dissimilar visual elements to each other, I hope to encourage unlikely friendships. Synchronicity is at play in the way that these parts fit together, often seamlessly. It’s exciting for me to make use of things that would likely have ended up in landfills and oceans. These materials will be around for a while (standard plastic takes 500 years to biodegrade).

 
 robot tail (out of order), found materials, 2016

 fr/augury, found materials, 2016

 I keep a shelf of faux natural objects such as plastic produce, plants, rocks, bones, and a porcelain cabbage. Among these are a couple of anomalous objects that both break and point out this system. In this case, I embrace the restriction of not fixing any of the elements in place. This plasticity allows for growth and change. It’s a mostly settled upon composition, which I call shelf-life (a play on still-life and perishable foods).

 
shelf-life, found materials, project evolving since 2013

Detail from shelf-life 

I use para-painting when referring to my flat work because I spend more time gluing than applying paint. Here, too, I pull from a large inventory of materials that have become precious to me. While my hand isn’t always present or indicated in a painted gesture, it’s there in the glue that holds the collages and assemblages together.

 
nature conspires to help you, acrylic, spray paint, and paper on panel, 2015

 
mer-wing, acrylic, spray paint, and found materials on canvas, 2014

Link to Kristine’s website here.
Cover Image: detail from shelf-life