Since I couldn’t afford the postage, my painted hubcap landed in a box of other projects that never went anywhere. Art is like that. It not that I objected to giving something to a worthy cause – I’m often asked and often do. Always, though, I know upfront that is what is expected. Also, it’s relevant to say here that making a living from art isn’t easy – currently it’s pretty much impossible. I still couldn’t afford the postage if I wanted to send it.

This morning I woke to find an inbox full of messages with the request that their correspondence be published. Some of it is not very nice…

Hi Amanda,

Your blog about the legitimacy of the Landfillart Project was recently brought to my attention.

To question whether the Landfillart Project is a scam or not probably should be addressed to me rather than simply suggesting the possibility on your blog.

Had you Googled further, you would have discovered that I own Marquis Art & Frame in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for over thirty-seven years and also have a second location in Scranton Pennsylvania.

A further search would have also directed you to my position as a trustee of the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania as well as my board position of the Luzerne County Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Both, of course, are non-paid board positions.

My passion for art and their creators (artists) is what motivated me to create and fund the Landfillart Project.

Your suggestion that the gifting of 1,041 Landfillart projects “is very profitable” is quite misleading.

Firstly, the projects ARE NOT FOR SALE. As far as profitability – except for a $3,000.00 (USD) grant I received, to date my “out of pocket costs” have exceeded $42,000.00 (USD.) I am hopeful that I can complete the project for less than $100,000.00 (USD.) Why would I do this? Three reasons:

Firstly, because I can afford to.
Secondly, I am passionate about the arts and I am thrilled to be able to “spearhead” this wonderful artist initiative.
Thirdly, the artist friends I have made as a result of this project has more than paid me back!

My invitation to you to join the Landfillart Project is still on the table. If you choose to participate – wonderful! If you choose not to, I certainly respect your decision.

However, please add this letter to your blog or remove your negative blog because in my opinion, it only undermines all the hard work so many hundreds of artists have put into the project.

Respectfully,
Kenneth Marquis

And, then others from artists involved in the project:

Hello,
I am a french artist who has send an hubcap to USA for the Landfillart Project.
Nobody obliged me to do that.
When I had knowledge about this project, I was enthousiastic. So, although I have mutch painting-work to do, I bought a hubcap, I painted it meticulously, with pleasure more, and I sent it without hope of recover it.
Sometimes, if you are an artist, you can work with pleasure for “la beauté du geste”, only for fantasia, bounteousness, and with idealism.
This idea to be one link of a long chain is a beautifull reward…
Best regards.

http://www.benoit-basset.com

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/

http://www.wardnasse.org

Dear Amanda,
I am an artist in Pennsylvania and have known Ken Marquis for more than 30 years. I can assure you he is a very decent man with the utmost integrity. He has been a strong supporter of the arts for many years and only has the best intentions with the Landfill Art Project.
This project will, no doubt, do much to create awareness of the importance of recycling. I can say that I am proud to have my art on a hubcap and part of this exhibition and book.
I have gladly gifted the hubcap and know that it will go toward making a difference. I urge you to consider adding my letter to you blog as I feel it’s such a fine project that I would hate to see it tarnished by things being said that are simply not true.

Sincerely,
Angela Trotta Thomas

Angela included an image of her work – beautiful… you can see more of her work at www.angelafineart.com

Hello Ms. Williams,

I recently read your blog post (http://www.amandawilliams.com.au/wordpress/?p=132#respond) regarding the landfillart.org project and would like to comment on the same.

With all due respect, your issue seems to have more to do with not clarifying your questions with Mr. Marquis before agreeing to participate: “I said yes and in a short flurry of correspondence agreed that I would find a hubcap here and could get the piece done in three to four months.” While noting issue with paying to ship your artwork, your post does not
indicate anyone ever stated you would be compensated, or that shipping would be taken care of on your behalf.

This is a nonprofit project to illustrate environmental sustainability and artistic creativity. When I donated my contribution at my own expense, I did so gladly, as did other regional, national, and international artists that I am aware of. If you don’t care to, or can’t afford to, you can simply choose not to participate.

The website does answer your question as to what happens to the work: http://landfillart.org/index-1.html

“The third phase will involve publishing a book on the project showcasing all one thousand forty one (1,041) completed “metal canvases.”

The fourth and final phase will involve choosing 200 metal canvases that adequately represent the project and create a traveling show. The book and traveling show will publicly portray the global art community’s effort to positively impact the environment through repurposing previous metal waste into great landfillart.”

There is certainly value to being included in a book, and a being considered for a traveling exhibition. I believe just those points alone could justify shipping expenses, especially with the knowledge that this body of work contributes to greater public awareness of sustainability and international participation in an interesting artistic concept.

I also take issue with the tone of your post, which implies dishonesty on Mr. Marquis part (Landfillart scam?). As a member of the community (Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA) where his business resides (Marquis Art & Frame), I can assure you that he is a person of character. I have known him for many years and can personally attest that he participates actively in his community and is an honest person. His motivation with this project as I understand it, is to create and document an opportunity for artists to creatively respond to an environmental problem.

I am confident that this project will be costing him a great deal financially (with no return other than creative satisfaction and the chance to positively impact the environment), while it will only cost participants some left over paint, a bit of time, creativity, and shipping expenses.

I mean this correspondence respectfully, and hope that it may clarify your questions about Mr. Marquis intentions. I welcome your feedback, and or questions as a local participant in this project, and someone who knows and respects Mr. Marquis a great deal.

Best Regards,
David Hage
info@davidhage.com

Hello Amanda
I as well have been honored to be a participating reclaimed material artist in the LandFillArt project. I do hope you have received enough positive responses and information to have better understanding of the mission and committment Ken the founder has continued to work so hard to fulfill. My contribution is perhaps one of the largest to date and though I knew most people were designing a single hubcap I had personal reasons after my daughter suffered a brain injury to dive into this project above and beyond expectations and absorb the cost of time/materials and shipment expenses to complete mine. I personally know quite a few of the artists participating throughout the states and they as well are excited to be a part of this ground breaking initiative. Having followed this project now for over two years it is exciting to see it grow and come closer to its goal. I would be happy to dialog with you and I am sure if given the chance to clear any misunderstandings with Ken and
the intentions of this project you will see things in a different light. Your piece is wonderful and I hope to see it submitted, on the website/book in the near future. Thank You
Pattie Young
Rustic Raven Designs
http://www.rusticravendesigns.com

Hi Amanda,
I am a landfillart contributor, and I’d like to assure you that this absolutely isn’t any kind of scam.
Ken Marquis is the owner of Marquis Art and Frame, but besides that, he is one of the kindest and supportive (arts and otherwise) humans that I have ever met.
I know that it’s far easier for me to know that because I live here in Wilkes Barre, and have known Ken for several years. He is an extremely conscientious person and absolutely would NEVER pull anything remotely smelling of a scam.
Please don’t be alarmed by any mistakes in communication, because that’s all it is–Kenny’s not that kind of person, and he doesn’t associate with anyone else who’s like that–and around here, there are plenty of them.
I was honored to be one of the first few artists that he specifically asked to donate, and several of my friends have given a piece as well-we were happy to do it. Truly Amanda, Ken and this amazing project are straight from the heart.
Aside from hoping to reassure you, your piece is very cool, and what I am offering is maybe I could help pay shipping if that is your main concern. Otherwise, please keep it for yourself and enjoy it.
I don’t have a website, but if you have ANY questions, doubts, concerns, etc, I’d be happy to send you pics–of me, my work, the pics of have of the hubcap display rooms,
anything.

I apologize if I seem to be really adamant, it’s just that if it wasn’t for Ken Marquis, I doubt that I would be able to still call myself an artist (I’m 50)and Ken is one of those truly rare individuals that honestly, sincerely LOVES art, and appreciates ALL makers of it. This is a real labor of love, and one of unity, not dissension. Yes, there will be the book, and yes, the traveling exhibit as well.

Anyway,
please feel okay about this whether you decide you want to be a part of it or not–and all the best to you.

Sincerely,
Karen Poels
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
(you might still be able to find some of us local artists and Ken online–We painted a 100 foot by 70 foot painting of Barack Obama on Jim Lennox’s farm (he’s also a landfill participant) prior to the election in 2008.

I wish them all the best of luck with their project. I still believe the landfillart website needs to make it clear that artists will be expected to donate their work and pay all the costs of doing so. I’m not in a position to do that so mine will be going into landfill. I wish I’d never made it.

Amanda

To make it more interesting to make I tackled it as a “flat” animation rather than puppet and set (because I’d just finished my part of Hollow City Chronicles and wanted to try something completely different). I also wanted the ability to move the background as well as the “puppets” – which were in fact cut up photos – lots and lots of cut up photos…The solution was to break up an old a set of home-made shelves – replacing the timber with the pieces of glass I use when while raising seedlings. (Just borrowed them – no seedlings at this time of year here!) The camera was on the tripod which was gaffa taped to the top so it could look down through the glass. I used the EOS software that comes with the Canon 450D to remote control the camera.

This style of animation is “replacement animation” the image pieces themselves have no flexibility so to change them they have to be replaced with a new piece – very carefully, in the right spot, over and over again to get the effect of movement. Lots of fun but slow.

The other challenge with this was to create some sort of narrative in around 30 seconds. The end result is a mixed up fairy tale – which depends on the viewer recognising Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks (who doesn’t even appear), Snow White and the three bears. You are left to decide for yourself who or what is for lunch at the Teddy Bears Picnic. Its all a bit dark.

The bottom line is that forests are dangerous places. And bears are not to be trusted…

The set for the animation was intended as a sculpture rather than a set. The decision to use it for a film came later.

The puppet was made using the ever-popular wire and cushion foam technology. (Nick Hilligoss has a fantastic series of how-to’s on Picturetrail) The puppet, then, was too big for the set (and couldn’t, workably, be much smaller with that method of construction) so she was filmed against a green backdrop – made by painting some cheap canvases and a piece of 3mm MDF.

The canvases stand up with the aid of small clamps.

While the puppet stands up with help from a magnet – a small but powerful rare-earth one from an electronics store.

The series of photos were then fed into Cinegobs a wonderful freeware utility which removes the green and spits out an AVI file ready for editing with an NLE such as Adobe Premiere. (Yes, Premiere does do chroma keying but, strangely, not as well as Cinegobs!)

I thought I’d take my short film “The Bystander Effect” apart and show how it was made. It’s all low budget (no budget!), learn-as-you-go stuff. I make no claims to be an expert, just curious and crazy.

The opening scene shows the city from above.

The city isn’t real, of course, it’s a sculpture and it was too big to just lean over the ladder and snap the pic. The lamps are ordinary desk lamps on stands (hope no one in the house wants to read…). The green curtains weren’t needed for this shot – they were there from other filming – we’ll get to that.

The camera used for the film is a Canon 450D which comes with software that allows it to be controlled from a PC (including seeing what could be seen through the viewfinder). It made it possible to clamp the camera to a roof beam above the set and still be able to use it! Just add an extra long USB cable… It’s not a dedicated “animation camera” (is there such a thing?) it’s the one the family has – four of us share it (unless one of us is hogging it to make a film… in which case it’s probably bolted to the ceiling!)

Tomorrow I’ll introduce the puppet and show how she got into the picture.

Hi Amanda,

Eighteen months ago I started a global artist reclamation initiative called The Landfillart Project.

The project will involve one thousand and forty-one (1,041) artists worldwide. To date there are over nine hundred artists involved across 51 countries. This artist initiative is by far the largest undertaking of its kind.

As a result of your recognition and accomplishments in the arts, I am contacting you. I am hopeful that after spending a few minutes on our website, you will accept my proposal to join this landmark global artist reclamation project.

The website looked good, the project intriguing and environmental issues area really important to me. I said yes and in a short flurry of correspondence agreed that I would find a hubcap here and could get the piece done in three to four months. I found a hubcap fairly quickly – actually I had to pay for it – dumps don’t give anything away any more! The thinking time took longer, and my exhibition, work and study commitments got in the way before I finally had it prepped and painted. Photographed it wet and sent it off only a week or two late. Back to work. I thought I was done.

The reply from Ken Marquis arrived within a few days…

Hi Amanda,
Your completed Landfillart project looks fantastic ! Once I receive your project I will email you to let you know it arrived and then in a matter of days we will add it to our website.
Please ship to
Landfillart Inc.
122 South Main Street
Wilkes-barre, Pennsylvania 18701 USA

I was stunned. A Google search tells me that the address belongs to Marquis Art & Frame…

Ken,

You’ve surprised me with this request – I had expected that I would only be sending images of the work. It’s going to be costly to ship it from Western Australia, yet I don’t want to lose it. Can you tell me what are you planning to do with it? How long that will take? What plans there are for returning works to their owners?

This morning I have a reply…

Hi Amanda,

Sorry to surprise you. All of the artists that have chosen to participate have gifted their art to the Landfillart corporation. As you know, Landfillart is a nonprofit.
There have been a number of artists participating from Australia & to date, 51 additional countries. The 700 completed projects are on our website & they are all housed in Pennsylvania, USA. I assumed you were understanding of the following: 1) the project involves 1,041 artists worldwide 2) the completed projects are gifted to the Landfillart corporation 3) the artists are responsible for shipping their completed project 4) after 1,041 pieces are collected here, the collection will be considered final. The next phase involves publishing a book about the Landfillart Project showing the complete collection. The last phase involves putting 200 pieces into a traveling show. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

No where in the correspondence I received does it say I would be gifting my work, nor anywhere on their website. And it seems to me that the gift of 1,041 pieces of art is VERY profitable – there are some VERY nice works in their gallery.

So, what actually happens to the art? Does it end up in landfill?

Land Fill Art, oil paint on VW hubcap

*** Followup post ***
*** NO FURTHER COMMENTS PROCESSED ON THIS ONE ***

It’s that time of year again.

The City of Swan’s annual art awards are opening on Friday 5th November 2010 which means it’ll be a busy week behind the scenes. I am, again, one of the curating team which means longs days, sore feet and a meaningful relationship with a ladder… since there are over 200 works to be sorted and hung so that they are all looking an absolute picture (groan… sorry about that, couldn’t resist).

If you want to attend the opening you’ll need to RSVP by Wednesday.

The exhibition then runs until November 21, 2010, 10am to 4pm daily.
It’s at the Midland Junction Arts Centre
276 Great Eastern Hwy
(Cnr Cale St), Midland

More details on the event page at their website.

And made a short film while I was at it. This one is a proper film rather than animation but still made with a digital camera. The trouble was I was working alone so I was film crew as well being the actor… How do you pick up rubbish and film it at the same time. Also, being a bit camera shy, I didn’t want to be seen.

The solution was to rearranged the tripod so the camera was sitting upside down, between it’s legs. It gave me a handle to carry the camera, legs to safely put it down and, with care, a bit of a steady-cam effect so the home-made film didn’t look too home-made. It also only shot low which solved my problem of not wanting to be seen. While filming the big issue was to watch where the shadow of the tripod was falling!

The rest was in the editing. A couple of hours raw became six minutes of finished film and a wry comment on being the idiot cleaning up someone else’s mess.