Blog Archives - Greg's Mixed Media Gallery

Gleaning at the City Dump #50

6/30/2012

I've just completed another piece with all materials coming from the Transfer Station. Some of my work photographs well, some not so well...this is one of those difficult pieces for whatever reasons...I've settled for a "side" view for now. I think I need to work on upgrading my photography skills. The top part of the piece (covered with glass) is a vintage wedding photo with two older ladies (mother and grandmother?) with a younger bride...I've created their heads to "float" over their bodies. The bottom section contains an old knick-knack...a ceramic flying duck. I've attached decorative wooden panels to the side of the box that I took off of an old couch that was off-loaded a few weeks ago. I sanded them down, and gave them a coat of alcohol dye.

I've started a new piece using a small drawer as my box. There are so many cabinet-like pieces of furniture (with drawers) that come into the Transfer Station, but most of those drawers are far too big for my tastes. I quickly grab any and all of these smaller drawers...they are ready-to-go boxes. I've covered both the outside and inside of the "box" with old newspapers, applied a coating of blue (black) alcohol dye (it's so easy to make...rubbing alcohol and Rit clothing dye, etc), and after everything had dried, I sanded it down to give it a bit of an aged look...sometimes I go through this process twice.
I'm planning to use one of my newly found "airplane engines" in this box along with a few other interesting items.

Someone dumped off an old electric organ a couple days ago. I ran to get my tools at the other end of the bay, got back to the organ, started to dismantle it, etc., when one of the regular workers hurried up to me, informing me that this organ was already "taken." I'm not sure where it was going, or who was taking it, but it didn't really matter to me. I could see that it was going to be a very labored process to get this thing apart and start pulling out whatever parts I might want from inside.

Gleaning at the City Dump #49

6/29/2012

Someone had off-loaded a couple miniature hobby planes yesterday...both planes being in a severely broken condition. Since I'm a big fan of using various kinds of "hardware" in my assemblage work, I decided to pull out the small engines with the propellers still intact. Again, these are examples of more of the kinds of things that I'm finding at the dump...the kinds of things that I've never actually been able to find to use in any of my work in the past, which, of course is basically what this gleaning program seems to be all about.

Speaking of hardware, I also found (hidden under a couple old mattresses) several tools designed for climbers. This is a sport that I know nothing about, so I'm not exactly sure how these things are used. I grabbed several of them for consideration in an assemblage piece. I did find a long piece of "climbers rope" last week (gave it to another artist), and the guy who left it advised me not to be using it for any further climbing activities (not to worry!!).

Gleaning at the City Dump #48

6/28/2012

A big bag of art materials (wow...all those brushes!!) and acrylic paint helped to make this one of those exceptional days of gleaning at the dump. I was able to find a number of interesting things for my own use, but also added lots of stuff to the Cracked Pots sharing bins for the "free give-away" at their recycled art fair in mid July.

Today was also the first day that I got to glean with Jen, one of the artists in the program who creates wearable fashions from all kinds of materials...everything but regular cloth fabric.

I made a quick stop to visit Alberta Street this afternoon as artists from around the area were setting up their tables for the big "art walk" tonight. It's one of those big once-a-month street events where street artists are out in large numbers for several blocks.

One of my favorite "art cars" (one of many in the city) parked in the area of Alberta Street.

Gleaning at the City Dump #47

6/26/2012

Woo hoo !! Look at this beauty...great textures...so many surface details! I'm thinking that I might do some "rusting" with this piece, and then proceed to incorporate it into a box.

There is no end to the electronic items that make their way to the dump. I generally take none of this stuff.

On the low tech side, a bunch of plastic duck heads used by some hunter who has given up the sport (the same guy who dropped off all the long play albums).
I left these for some of the other artists.

Gleaning at the City Dump #46

6/25/2012

Someone off-loaded several boxes of old record albums..."long play...high fidelity," etc. The album covers are quite inviting...big bold graphics and colors! I've got a few ideas for ways to use them. Once again, I went up to the guy in the truck, introducing myself as one of the five artist gleaners working at the dump, asking if I could relieve him of his record collection (this is never easy for me). He was quite happy that someone had some use for them...quoting him, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Little did he know that I was only interested in the covers.

I removed all the albums, leaving them in one of the "sharing bins" in our corner. Yes, I only took only the covers. I did, however, take one of the complete albums, still wrapped in cellophane..."Lawrence Welk-22 All Time Favorite Waltzes." Who, in their right mind, isn't watching the old Lawrence Welk reruns on cable every weekend?

Gleaning at the City Dump #45

6/24/2012

Sarah and I gleaned together for three hours on Friday. She had a big find...hundreds of flattened paint cans for one of her sculptural pieces:

She also does some soft sculpture work. I found these old mop heads on Saturday that looked like they may be useful to her, as well as the kitschy doll and afghan, etc.

For myself, I found a beautiful old lamp...a bit broken and quite worn around the edges...lots of possibilities with this beauty!

Gleaning at the City Dump #44

6/23/2012

I've started (and just completed) a new piece using an old photo, a lid from a wooden box, cup hooks, bells, and some cut-outs from vintage encyclopedias...all of these things coming from my treasure hunting at the Metro Transfer Station:

The biggest problem with this piece is getting it photographed properly. The vintage photograph of the people sitting around a table has a very shiny surface, making it almost impossible to get a really good photo. My photography skills are not the best, needless to say.

I found a nice pile of leather scraps yesterday. I'm not sure how to use them, however, and left everything in our work area in one of our "share tubs."

It was also another big food day yesterday...lots of unopened cans of food off-loaded at the dump that could have been useful to others:

Gleaning at the City Dump #43

6/22/2012

We got the news yesterday that one of the workers at another Transfer Station facility (city dump) had been killed while on the job directing traffic in and out of the building to off-load trash. Even though we were required to go through our own safety training program before being allowed into the bay, it's still a somber reminder of the extreme care that's always needed to be taken while gleaning for art materials. This worker was somehow killed by one of the large bulldozer/tractors which often enters the area to help clear away trash. From Mercury News :

Woman, 66, killed in Waste Management plant accident in San Leandro
By Chris De Benedetti

The Daily Review

Posted: 06/19/2012 12:03:14 PM PDT
Updated: 06/19/2012 04:28:57 PM PDT

SAN LEANDRO -- A 66-year-old great-grandmother was killed Monday when she was struck by a bulldozer while working at a Waste Management plant, a company spokeswoman said.

Evangelina "Eva" Macias, of San Leandro, was struck by the vehicle while working as a traffic director in the plant's public drop-off zone at 2615 Davis St, spokeswoman Karen Stern said.

Alameda County fire provided emergency care around 2:55 p.m. after responding to reports that the woman's hips and legs were crushed in the accident, fire officials said.

Macias, a plant employee for nearly 13 years, then was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead Monday evening, Stern said.

The man driving the bulldozer, a Waste Management employee since 1990, has been placed on paid administrative leave while the sanitation company investigates the fatal accident, the spokeswoman said. Waste Management officials did not provide specific details about the incident, saying they still are trying to determine exactly what happened.

"We're conducting a thorough investigation, and we're all trying to determine what could have led to this event," Stern said. "Our employees are trained extensively in safety and all wear yellow vests and hard hats while working."

Waste Management officials visited the Macias family at their San Leandro home Tuesday.

Macias' daughters described her as a family-oriented woman who had a positive attitude and enjoyedshopping and singing Mexican folk songs. She especially liked to stay busy.

"She loved to work," her daughter, Maria Macias, said, her voice cracking with emotion. "She was a workaholic, and she refused to retire."

Macias and her husband, Victor, 62, raised their three children in the East Bay, where they settled in the early 1970s, family members said. Eva Macias was born in La Palma, Mexico, a small town in the state of Michoacan -- about 125 miles west of Mexico City. The couple immigrated to Illinois in 1968 before moving to Northern California a few years later. A mother of three children, Macias had five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, her daughter said.

"She was outgoing and friendly," Maria Macias said. "She had friends everywhere, and she loved to get together with family and cook."

Macias' daughters said they are planning to schedule a viewing for Sunday and funeral services for Monday but still are finalizing the details.

In addition to her husband and elder daughter, Macias is survived by her daughter, Anna Macias; and was predeceased in 2000 by her son, Rafael Macias, family members said.

On Monday afternoon, operations at the Waste Management drop-off area were suspended after the fatal accident, while other work at the 52-acre plant continued for the rest of the day, Stern said. All operations resumed Tuesday at the drop-off area, where the public is encouraged to deliver wood, metals and recyclables for plant employees to sift through.

Macias' co-workers are a core group of 22 employees who had performed six years of injury-free work before the fatal accident, Stern said.

Waste Management officials provided grief counselors for plant workers Tuesday, as well as a 1-800 number for employees to call for counseling, the spokeswoman said.

"It was a tragic accident and we're all dealing with the loss," Stern said. "Needless to say, it's devastating to our employees. Our hearts go out to her family."

The death is being investigated by Cal-OSHA, said agency spokesman Peter Melton.

Gleaning at the City Dump #42

6/21/2012

Fourth Stop....My Converted Garage Studio

We ended up at my studio for the last stop of the day. We opened a couple bottles of the wine that I had previously found at the dump...needless to say, it wasn't the best.

It appears that we are all meeting at Chandra's studio(the fifth artist of our group) this next Sunday (she was unable to be with us for this first round of studio visits). I'll post more photos of her work (and studio) then.

Another one of my finds from the dump...an old trunk. My goal was to take off some of the hardware/hinges. I didn't have the proper tools with me to get much of anything, except for a little brass label from the top. This was quite a large (and heavy) trunk...I should have brought the whole thing home with me.

Gleaning at the City Dump #41

6/20/2012

Third Stop...Jen's Studio

Jen rents a great studio space over a bike shop in Portland. She creates wearable fashions from quite an assortment of recycled materials...wire screening, window blinds, mattress springs, plastic bags, etc.

I believe that she is planing to have some friends model her clothing at our art show at Disjecta Gallery in September (preview night with all the artists is Friday, Sept. 14.)

She has also made a jacket from human hair which is quite remarkable. Lady Gaga...eat your heart out!

You can find a few more images of her work here.