“Piece by Piece” Show
- posted in art scene la, blog, Gallery Shows, my art
We’ve all heard the adage “It’s better to be late, than never at all,” and I know it has been several months after the fact, but I have been wanting to share more on the “Piece by Piece” show which took place back in April. I thought it would be fun to show my individual process, along with the vision of the show itself, which was curated by dear friend, Tim Shelton.
On April 8th, 2017, Still Life Tattoo hosted an incredible benefit for Autism. The Name of the Show was called “Piece by Piece.” All of the artists involved were given a blank puzzle pieces and asked to create an original piece of artwork on this puzzle piece-shaped canvas. The concept for “Piece by Piece” was a dream of artist and curator, Tim Shelton for a long time. He had been wanting to create a show where the separate puzzle pieces would somehow come together. The results were amazing. Each piece was beautiful on its own, but when all the pieces were placed together into one cohesive piece, the result was awe-inspiring.
I was finally able to create a piece I had envisioned for quite sometime, utilizing large pieces of bone found on the beaches of Alaska, along with some old pieces of ephemera from Hawaii, guitar neck, piano keys, sheet music that I had been collecting for years.
I named my piece “Sea Sick,” which was named after one of my favorite Morrissey songs, “Sea Sick, Yet Still Docked.” I had been inspired by a number of events that had been going on in my own personal life. My father had just been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, and my world had flipped upside down. I had utilized found pieces from Alaska and Hawaii, which were the last two states added to the union. I wired pieces of an old guitar and piano keys using old coils from tattoo machines. I sealed the piece off with resin as to give it a “visceral/found in water” type of look.
“Sea Sick” by Chantal Menard, 2017
Most of the artwork sold, and proceeds were donated to Talk About Curing Autism, TACA. It was an honor to be able to participate in something that had so much meaning to so many people.
Pictured Here are the artists Individual Puzzle Pieces
“Each piece was beautiful in its own right, but when all placed together, the effect was awe-inspiring.”
Now “Sea Sick” is in the perfect home of an art collector. He now resides on a boat somewhere off the coast of California.
Here is a link on the Time Lapse of the “Piece by Piece” show. As you can see, one person can do something beautiful, but many people coming together for a great cause can can be brilliant.