Grandfather Devereux
mixed media assemblage
nails in tobacco tin. Brass, leather & ceramic.
(Shown in the What would Joseph Do - Ode to Cornell exhibition in Salem
by Dale Copeland, 2007
238 X 180 X 40mm (open)
NZ $850
| My grandfather William Devereux. He died when I was five, and I remember so little. His big handlebar moustache, being a volunteer fireman, playing the euphonium in the brass band, being a goldminer and a publican on the West Coast of New Zealand, all these things come only from photos or stories. The only clear memory is in his shed at the house in Inglewood, he showed me his collection of tobacco tins. Stacked inside each other they formed a curve, looking like nautilus shells. I was most impressed. So now when I see rusty old tobacco tins I am back in that dark shed admiring Grandad's collection. I was given this tin and the green nails. They looked good scattered at all angles so I tried to keep that look. It's harder than you'd think, deliberately nailing to look random. The odd brass things looked good, felt good. It began to be every old shed, every purposeless collection. I love sheds. |
Dale's studio can be found on Surf Highway, Taranaki, New Zealand
More of her work can be seen on the Virtual TART site at http://virtual.tart.co.nz/Dale
email Dale at dale @ tart.co.nz (remove the spaces)