I thought I had a line on what Kathy Boortz' art was all about. Until I saw this self-portrait sitting in a box on the floor at the The MAC's Picture Yourself piece-gathering, after I signed my own work into the show, and well before the exhibition was hung.
To be fair, the piece - Self Portrait - wasn't intended to be displayed looking down on it on the floor. Plus there's a golden wood frame around the black metal stand seen above. I Photoshopped that out and blurred the nasty, marked up gallery floor, so we could concentrate here on the figure.
Which is very unlike the images below, except she has used found materials. I suspect the wood stand frame would be much less noticeable once the piece is mounted. The black metal claw that suspends the bird-encrusted, falling back figure does so only tentatively. It's a fragile looking piece that could easily slip its surrounding but not sturdily attached stand.
The fragility, of course, may well be part of how she sees herself. The dangling feet, the brightly spotted face and hands and all those tiny birds standing on and suspended from her branches likely have private meanings to the artist, whom I've only met, never really interviewed.
I still like my photograph above. But this shows
the piece in its correct, vertical aspect
I didn't like the red wood frame around the black metal stand any more hanging on the wall than I did lying on the floor. But at least the piece's birds are standing up correctly and her feet dangle much more realistically this way. Kathy later told me the wooden backing I disliked was meant as a temporary solution for the installers, since she couldn't be there to help.
Still, it was certainly one of the most intriguing pieces that had been delivered by the second afternoon of the gathering for the exhibition that opens August 3. I'm eager to see how it is presented then. -JRC
We first discovered Kathy Boortz' Berry Press Pelican at the 2001 White Rock Lake Artists Tour.
Then we discovered a great Bird Snipper at the 2002 Garden of EASL benefit exhibition at Farmers Market.
Kathy Boortz - Langur
( Kathy Glegg Collection )
Cedar, clay and metalThis exquisite Langur was in the big middle of the Bath House Cultural Center's mid summer competitive exhibition, Outside The Lines.
Kathy Boortz - Adjunct at Rest
found wood, wire, metal, old can,
beads, pinecone, feathers
At Exposed, the 2002 DCCA membership show, we found still another of her fine birds. And there's a great monkey in the Bath House's Outside The Lines Show.
At the 2002 White Rock Lake Artists Tour, we found even more Boortz animals we liked.
This turtle was in assembly, lying on a busy work table.
A crucified found wood and feathers bird is Semi Free. We liked the colorful simplicity of this plier parrot, Scream. But by far the most beautiful creature at Kathy Boortz' studio that trip was this Stork, that seemed to be guarding the backyard and studio.
I suspect we'll keep finding more of her work that will amaze us all.
