Dec 25 2008
The Alley Shopping Art Materials Store
So how broke are you as an artist? And just how creative are you…really? One of the biggest road blocks to being a prolific (create a lot of art) artist is an affordable source of materials to work with. If you are independently wealthy then this particular post is probably not relative to your creative world. Although it would not hurt to read it anyway because not every creative material can be purchased in a store. So…back to it.
Many times in my life creating a piece of artwork has come down to… do we buy groceries, or do we create something? Groceries usually won out in the debate…especially when I was still raising children. On those occasions when there were no dollars to buy materials I went alley shopping, and still do so today. And now, regardless of what my finances are, I go alley shopping on a regular basis. I have found astounding wealth in the alleys of the world for art materials. And on boulevards as well. If you are a painter there is an endless list of surfaces to paint on to be found free in alleys. Everything from old furniture such as end tables, coffee tables, chairs, dressers, etc. to actual stretched canvases with those paint factory paintings on them from California and Mexico that just beg to have a true piece of fine art painted over them. If you are a sculptor then alleys are an outstanding source of materials for you as well. It helps to be interested in found object sculpting to take advantage of the alley art materials store. But if you are so inclined then you might be interested to know that alleys offer everything from hard wood pcs from furniture and such to metal bits and parts to weld, solder, grind, bend, reshape, or anything else you might be compelled to do with them.
I have actually found many art materials in alleys that are straight forward art materials that do not need to be modified in any way to constitute being called art materials. Cans of paint, of many types. Paper (of many types), pencils, charcoals, pastels, pens, inks, beads, glues, brushes, etc. etc. etc.
If you live in a metro area with commercial endeavors that fit in the graphics or printing industries you might want to take the alley shopping one step further. Contacting these businesses has provided many free or very low cost (scrap or salvage price) professional materials to work with. Paper end rolls for instance. These printers rolls of paper come off of a commercial press and do not have enough paper left on them to do a complete job in the press shop. But they still have a significant amount of high quality paper on them to provide you with many pieces. of artwork. Everything from nice linen texture papers from end runs to end run rolls of excellent clay coated stock that is great for doing ink work on.
The key to being successful at alley shopping for art materials is to allow the environment you are shopping in to stimulate your creativity. When rolling down the alley looking at everyone’s junk waiting to be hauled away see everything as a possibility. When I see an old table laying there with it’s broken leg or a scarred and scratched top I try to allow the table to tell me what image in my head might fit on it. Or what faux finish would be good on it. Or I might allow the shape of the table legs show what they need to be decorated with. Or what that strange shaped lamp stand might look like as a goth style candle holder.
I hope this post inspires you to step outside the box a bit with your creative endeavors. I hope it allows you to see it as o.k. to look at the unusual as an acceptable material to be creative with. Keep in mind that virtually everything that humanity has invented has been rooted in the mental meanderings of an artist at some point in it’s life. And regardless of what it is that item may be, after it’s normal usable life, it can be returned to the creative studio and re-invented into something new, fresh, and intriguing. Happy shopping. And remember…”Every problem is an opportunity to discover.”
