Lost and Found

A lot of people practice found art. They find things and create new pieces of art based on the objects. Shadow boxes and collages are very popular for this type of art. I enjoy found art quite a bit. I like the idea of using very different items and materials and creating something unique from it. But lately I've become fascinated with lost art. 

And I love found art for a very different reason. Found art is interesting because of it's use of random things. Lost art is interesting because the piece is created, often with a theme, and then released out into the larger world. I was recently introduced to Slinkachu who does a series of art pieces called Little People. Take a look at this one he has done recently. 

Here is where this little sculpture is located. Click on the picture for a closer look if you can't see it. 

Please go to his blog and check out the rest. I love his work. http://little-people.blogspot.com/ 

One of my other favorite artists, Terry Border, has also created art,

 only to leave it for the rest of the public to find. I love his crying eye, left in the cheese department of a grocery store. 

http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-left-my-art-in-cincinnati.html

One of the other artists to leave things to be found is Andy Goldsworthy with one of my favorite series. His art demonstration called Midsummer Snowballs is an amazing example of lost art. Goldsworthy creates giant snow balls up in the mountains, filling them with branches and stones. He then carted them down to London and left them on the sidewalk to melt. He then checks in on his snowballs to take pictures of how they melt and people's reactions. I have the book he created to show off the work and it is one of my favorite art books. 

Here is a picture of one of the page spreads. It appears that the book is out of print but I found a couple used copies available. Goldsworthy's work is always inventive and interesting. He uses natural objects to create (most often temporary) sculptures and then photograph them. 

This fascination with lost art goes back to my idea of sharing art. I have three principles when it comes to art. I think people are far more creative than they are given credit for. I think art should be shared. And I think that art should be fun. I love the idea of leaving these pieces there for someone to enjoy. The artist will never know who finds their work but they will bring smiles and happiness to someone who is observant enough to look.