Family Closet

Family Closet

This is “Family Closet” an assemblage in an altered cigar box.  I bought the FAMILY paperweight from a thrift shop knowing I would somehow use it for the “Secrets” themed show.  I had all sorts of ideas but nothing was coming together until the wee hours before leaving on a vacation.  Around 3 am I blasted out of bed and into my studio to find just the right box for making into a closet with a shelf. That morning, I made the shelf & supports from another cigar box, the pole from a bamboo skewer and the first coat hanger from a paper clip.  The elements came together quickly but I had to wait until my return to do the real work.  When I returned it took me 2 long sessions to finish the closet.   It took me a long time to decide to take the box apart and re assembled it with a decorative marquetry paper for the outside.  I printed the skeleton and text about family secrets onto good bond weight paper and used it to wallpaper the  inside of the box.  Next the shelf, closet pole and additional paper clip hangers were installed.  To complete the piece I made the door stop iron carved from a wine bottle cork with a wire handle. It is approximately 7″ high x 5 wide and 2″ deep.

I was surprised and pleased to learn that Juror Ed Stitt, awarded me an “Honorable Mention” for  this piece.  All of Stitt’s thoughtful comments can be found on the  South Shore Art Center website.
This is what Stitt’s said about Family Closet:
The final honorable mention, and thus the one so close to winning a prize because of its excellence in production, beauty, and poignancy, is Mary Taylor’s “Family Closet.” Masterfully done, a pleasure to behold, truly makes me think and feel as one experiences it.

Bancroft Gallery, SSAC, Cohasset, MA
Secrets
Jan 11–Feb 17, 2013
Opening Reception 6 pm