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Pulling The Legs Off Bugs Was a Cruel, Harmless Waste of Time

MA

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This poetic phrase,” Pulling The Legs Off Bugs Was a Cruel, Harmless Waste of Time “ first came to me the year my father died.  Its meaning is layered; that children easily pull the legs off bugs without remorse or regret.  But the sentence also implies a kind of denial; that one’s actions  might be cruel, but then again, maybe not. 

For the last seven years, I have been trying to integrate this persistent narrative within my art and explore why it has resonated so deeply for me.  I am now working on a series of oil paintings that reflects my process of creative exploration and how this phrase has developed visually as well as conceptually.  What have emerged are abstract pieces that are textured and rhythmic, densely worked and marked, excised and scraped.

So far, I’ve been able to resolve nine pieces for this series but I’m not finished.  My hope is that I will have enough time and money to develop this work body of work to its completion.  Your support would help pay for supplies, such as oil paint, brushes, canvas and stretcher bars.  Most importantly, you would be providing me with the gift of time, the time I need to finish this work.   As an artist, I am always searching for new ways to express myself and if I am given a chance to succeed with this work, I feel that I will be creating something worthwhile to share with you. 

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    • April 07, 2012

      Tim de Christopher

      Artist

      Turners Falls, MA

      Hi Stacy, I'm out perusing the may projects on USAP, including yours! Thanks again for your thoughts on launching my project. It's in the works! Tim
    • April 06, 2012

      Cristi Rinklin

      Artist

      Boston, MA

      Wow!! Congratulations Stacey! I'm amazed and happy for you. Way to go on all your hard work.
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Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Program
Stacey Alickman is a painter and drawer living in Somerville, Massachusetts
Visual Arts
MA