exquisite corpse cubes

With lots of help, I’ve been preparing for the next ArtLab for All Ages at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, which will take place this coming Saturday, from 2-4 pm. The idea: exquisite corpse painted cubes, that in spirit, are not unlike the ones I wrote about here. The difference is that these would be made out of blocks of wood. For the past few CMCA ArtLab projects, I’ve been so drawn to wood. It always sounds like a good idea, but then it always takes much more time to prepare then I imagine. (Of course it’s worth it.)

From our local building supply store, I ordered four 4 x 4 x 8 foot long beams of hemlock, which were planed to smooth out the surface. I roped my son and husband into the whole next phase of prepping. 🙂 An initial priming of the wood, and then measuring, cutting and sanding.

From there, we had to prime the two exposed sides of the blocks.

And then it was time to test them out.

This first set was pretty straightforward, with animal/creature sections.

I’m looking forward to creating another set, more abstract, perhaps like these here.

But I’m really looking forward to seeing what ArtLab participants create. Just think: 6 sides x 3 blocks = zillions of possibilities.

I hope to see you there!