Marlaine Cox
Scope.
Metal, spring steel, magnifying glass,
Look(again) residency: Low tech/high joy collaborative, 2013
Name: Marlaine Cox
City/State: Minneapolis, MN
Email: marlainecox@gmail.com
Website: marlaineblog.wordpress.com
MNartist.org profile:
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=186466
Etsy Page: Scrap Yard
Siren
Bio-
Marlaine Cox is a Miami
born metal artist who transplanted to Minneapolis in 1990 because her car broke
down while driving through. After
settling in to the eternal winter she began constructing found object
assemblages, finding inspiration in the broken tools, farm implements and
detritus around her. She never managed to fix the car but continued her life
anyway.
Tell me about your work?
What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
My work is mostly about
transforming salvaged bits and metal scrap into functional objects. I like the challenge of turning a broken tool
into a new and unexpected use while trying not to manipulate the objects too
much, letting beauty of the original forms show. My goal is to fit as few parts together as
elegantly as possible. If the objects
become humorous or absurd by my subtle manipulations then even better.
Right now I’m working
with artist, Karen Kasel, as part of a creative placemaking team called low tech/high joycollaborative. We are in the middle of a
six month artist residency called Look(again) at TuckUnder Projects . We created scoping
devices from salvaged metal, inviting visitors to peer into the yard, finding
unexpected oddities and small surprises.
Karen and I have
collaborated in the past(The Shanty of Misfit Toys) http://www.artshantyprojects.org/ so formalizing this partnership is very
exciting. We explore details in the environment that are often overlooked.
I’m also working on a
series of wall sculptures for an upcoming exhibit at Gallery 360, opening on August 24, 2013. My
compulsion is to inject a ‘function’ into everything I create so these purely
decorative sculptures are a departure for me.
To combat this, the pieces will have some kinetic component in them, a
pulley or a hook, so they still ‘function’ just a little.
How did you decide to
become an artist?
When I was a kid I was
preoccupied with manipulating my environment. I built hidden book shelves and
cubbies in the bottom bunk & I transformed our patio into a ramshackle
greenhouse, building shelves into the screen walls and filling it with plants
from the yard. I carpeted my high school
locker. Since I was a bookworm I just
thought I would be a writer or teacher or work in publishing. It wasn’t until I moved to Minnesota when I
was 23, disgruntled that college sucked all the fun out of reading and writing,
that I realized how much I loved working with my hands. I loved the immediacy of it, and getting out
of my head.
What was the best advice
given to you as an artist?
Try to create something
beautiful every day, no matter how small or ephemeral. The artistic process doesn’t need to be
filled with angst and suffering, it can sometimes be simple creative activities
that have nothing to do with theory or art history or big ideas.
Many artists struggle to
find ways to sell their art. How do you sell your work? How do you
market yourself?
I sell my line of
post-industrial accessories at Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/scrapyardsiren
and in local shops: http://www.ilikeyouonline.com/
I accept commissions: http://marlainecoxmetalworks.com/
Who are some of the
Minnesota artists you enjoy?
Karen Kasel http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=2485
Julie Buffalohead https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Buffalohead-Artist/191704760864481
Faye Passow http://fayepassow.com/
Peter Haakon
Thompson http://www.peterhaakonthompson.com/
Jan Elftmann http://www.corktruck.com/
If I were to follow you
around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
Franconia Sculpture Park http://www.franconia.org/
Chicago Ave. Fire Arts
Center http://www.cafac.org/
Art Shanty Projects http://www.artshantyprojects.org/
The Ledge Gallery http://www.theledgempls.com/
Walker Art Center http://www.walkerart.org/
In addition to
www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources,
whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world
locally and otherwise?
MN Artists http://www.mnartists.org/
L’etoile http://www.letoilemagazine.com/
What can we expect to see
from you in the future?
August 1, 2013: Low tech/high
joy collaborative continues the Look(again) residency at TuckUnder Projects
August 2, 2013: AlteredEsthetics-Time Honored Exhibition-I’ll be showing three pieces from my
post-industrial accessory collection
August 24, 2013: Gallery 360- Wall Sculpture Series
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