Daniel Mack  Making Objects, Magical Decoys, Divine Allurements,

Anima             

carvings from bark collected along the Hudson River

 

"Consider, then, Daniel Mack’s installation of detrital driftwoodthat suggests idols in twilight, that one gesture or a few, marks the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary."   Faheem Haider, Chronogram, August, 2012

 

They began as an accident.

I had gone hunting for driftwood and could not find exactly what I wanted and somehow recognized the many pieces of bark, hiding right there in plain sight. That was in 2004. This has alerted me to the importance of Chance, Coincidence and particularly the Need to Hunt.

They are representatives of the "spirit": that autonomous, active force of the unconscious that generates ideas and thoughts, inspires, invents, and arranges images. All humans, not just self-styled "artists", help materialise Spirit. They work with people on the making; they make sure the materials retain a casual integrity and the maker stays an apprentice, not the feature.

Conversations

For the Orange Regional Medical Center, I propose a collection of fifteen Anima gathered, in pairs and small Conversations, on an unusual board of Spalted Elm, from a huge ancient landmark tree that came down in Warwick, NY a few years ago.  Here's a rough concept version:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Board is 55" long x 22" wide;  Anima range from 7" - 12" in height

Detail Shots:

Comments:

This is the first Wall Piece I've presented these in.  I like the idea of small "Conversations". It reflects so much of what life's about. What's hard to see in these photos is the angled nature of the carvings. They all stand off the board and many are angled one way or the other in the conversations.

If you like this idea and format, I'll work to finish it with a few changes:
I want to add more colors to the piece and perhaps more found objects (see other pieces in this series)

The entire piece will be sealed with a matte urethane for protection.  I've often sealed individual pieces and have developed a way to both seal it carefully-- yet not make it look like it's at the bottom of a swamp.

Price: $3900