Artist Beth Shaw in front of her artwork
"What is a Found Construction?
It started on a construction site. Strands of brightly colored string wrapped around a boulder first caught my eye, followed by a pickup truck’s chipped paint and a shard of glass reflecting light in a puddle. I felt compelled to photograph these small discoveries.
Soon I began noticing things on walks—from city streets to parks, country roads to dirt paths in the woods. Each time I spot something, I take a photo of it exactly as I find it—no rearranging, dusting off, or moving. Capturing these findings became a practice.
When I shoot, I never know how the image will fit with others I’ve taken. It’s only when I sit down and start to pore over the thousands of photos—grouping them into a grid of nine—that I get to build out a visual story of place, color, form, mood, or point of view. I swap out one, switch in another, reconfigure and rework until a cohesive tapestry emerges.
On closer look, the kelly green undercoat that peeks out from the chipped black truck is a map, a verdant landmass surrounded by a black ocean. Placed next to the hot pink twine neatly tied in a bow around a gray rock, the electric cobalt glass caught in a rain shower, and the burnt orange remains of a Midtown mesh fence, a neon narrative begins to unfold. It can take me months or years to finalize a group of photos that belong together. Once I do, I call it a “Found Construction.”"
-Beth Shaw
Beth Shaw's artworks displayed at Clio Art Fair's 17th Edition, September 5-8, 2024
Beth has showcased her works in the past Clio Art Fair's 17th edition in September 5-8, 2024. Here is our short interview with her!
Beth, can you please describe your art in four words?
Found objects constructed digitally
What inspires your art?
I’m inspired by busy city streets —when I find an ordinary thing, be it a coiled ball of string or a broken sliver of glass or a splotch of paint I shoot a photo. And I then arrange these photos into a grid of nine to tell a story of color, form or texture. I call these Found Constructions.
How would you describe your experience at Clio Art Fair?
Clio art fair for me was about meeting a community of dedicated artists and sharing (and selling) my work. It was pure joy!
Beth Shaw, Found Construction #122- Drips, 2015
Photography/digital media, 32 X 32 in
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