Avante Garde / Garbage Abstracts

Mamaroneck, NY

Mamaroneck, NY Note: Indian Summer is unseasonably warm weather that occurs during autumn to give the false pretense of hot summer days ahead. The flower represents summer warmth. However the flower's color is orange indicative of autumn. The falling leaves also indicate it is autumn. The background colors give way to winter grays and whites. It also consists of falling snow flakes (the small white specks as well as the large broken pieces of pottery) and abstract houses (right side) where people enjoy the ambient warmth of shelter during the coldest, snowiest winter days.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: The title comes from a discarded coffee cup whose powerful message takes the title of John Lennon’s hit song, All You Need is Love. It was performed on live television when the BBC linked five continents together for the first time in 1967 using various satellites for the One World broadcast. The Beatles performed this epic song at the conclusion of the broadcast that reached 350 million households in what is described as “the greatest single moment in the history of popular music.” [1] The lyrics are timeless and universally inspirational – “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done… No one… that can’t be saved… You can learn how to be you… All you need is love.” Dreams and aspirations are not impossible and individuality is something to be treasured. And yes, love is all we need based on the words of 12th Century CE Sufi Poet Farid ud Din Attar – “On [l] ove [we] all depend.” This abstract uses vibrant reds and oranges to symbolize the power of love, discarded garbage including a cup that makes up the title, an unused soggy Valentine’s Day heart that symbolizes love itself, a circle to depict the continuous eternal nature of love and the fact we are one world and one human race and a broken plastic casing that resembles a staircase to transcend violence, hate and all the evils that remain all too common. Finally, the abstract includes a signature happy face since love is the origin of the universes and life, the sole necessity of our sustenance, the ultimate driving force of good, and the only example of unbroken, lasting perfection in an imperfect, transient and broken world. _____ [1] All You Need is Love History DKR Products. 5 August 2018. www.beatlesebooks.com/all-you-need-is-love

Mamaroneck, NY Note: This abstract was created using discarded garbage and litter consisting of plastic debris, a rubber spacer ring, red foam heart, broken tiles and lima beans. When I created this work, I intended to break numerous rules, starting with the title Cela , inscribed on one of the broken tiles, which is derived from the French contraction Ce + là , which means “That.” In this case “That” is 1 John 4:8 and 16 – “God is Love.” Accordingly, the heart that represents God’s unconditional, unfailing and unending love based on Psalm 136:26: “Give thanks to God… for His steadfast love endures forever” was converted into a colorless heart because in reality His sacred heart is immaculate and pure and untarnished by even the slightest ill, evil and negativity, the black spacer ring that represents light and eternity maintained its color despite conventional views since black too as does every color, connotes brightness and goodness. The cross represents God’s great sacrifice that broke the chains of death while the widespread red represents God’s passion and love exhibited so clearly when He gave his life for each and every one of us and the power of the Holy Spirit that guides, inspires, purifies and sustains our existence – “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire…” [Acts 2:3] “to purify…” [Titus 2:14] and , based on Psalm 51:10 “create in [each of us] a clean heart." The faint wavy flows symbolize rebirth to eternity based on John 3:5 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” All of us are body (75% of water) and soul! The lima beans represent seeds of faith based on the parable found in Luke 17:5-6: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’ and it will obey you” while the simplicity proclaims the words of Matthew 11:30 – “ [M] y yoke is easy and M y burden is light.” Finally, the face represents the blissful attainment of eternal life in the presence of God captured by Psalm 16:11: “In Your presence is fullness of joy.”

Mamaroneck, NY Note: This abstract was created from garbage consisting overwhelmingly of discarded computer boards. The ribbon and cord represent water currents and the discarded computer fans represent wind or breezes., The CDs represent continuity and dreams. Digital images may be uploaded from CDs and dreams come from within our minds. Both have endless possibilities, the former with regard to creating a virtual world based on creativity, the latter with regard to the real world that we can make a better place with determination and effort. The swan represents the manifestation of one such digital image while the happy face represents accomplishment from our dreams.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: The colors are intended to project warmth and heat fueled by the shining sun above. The vertical strips are used to create a quilt-like surrealist effect while the grated, flowing lines are meant to simultaneously represent desert sands as well as metal grating from an urban setting -- both environments subject to intense summer heat. The pieces of the copper tray are formed to symbolize a large container of refreshing water represented by the cooling purple colors.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: The discarded rags represent the rolling waves and surf while the circle represents the continuity of tidal patterns. The abstract geometric patterns represent the diverse fashion and design of beachware that adds to summer beauty. The tan and earthen tones represent the smooth sand, the turquoise, aqua colors and slate blue the refreshing waters, the trace of dark blue spotty chill, and the traces of red the summer heat. The face represents the joy and comfort beaches provide from the oppressive summer heat while its lips with their yellow color represent the sun above.

Mamaroneck, NY Note: Created from discarded garbage including a basket and rim. Aside from the obvious basket and rim, the strong horizontal lines represent the backboard, the disc at the right represents a basketball and the fact every game starts at zero while the happy face represents the joy, unity and good-natured rivalry sports bring to society. The abstract patterns symbolize the unpredictability of each game's outcome since until the buzzer sounds and the result is final anything can happen since statistics and projections are not substitutes for actual play. The pale reds and oranges represent the rim while the flat purple represents the hardwood floor the game is played on. The vibrant red on the disc (the basketball) that is the focal point of the game represents the "fantastic vibe of the game and spectators."

Mamaroneck, NY Note: The large "9" was among discarded numbers from a window display advertising a sales event, the two pieces of metal representing the Twin Towers (WTC) were a natural blue, the discarded plane was tinted red through infrared effects so that the entire 15th anniversary tribute image could be in the colors of the American flag, the scattered metal and broken glass represent how global safety of civilized, progressive nations that stand for freedom and human rights was shattered that fateful day, and the twisted, melted can underneath the Twin Towers represents the fallen jet engine. The olives and grays represent the ugliness of that day while the reds, whites, and blues represent the colors of the American flag.