Joel Blenz

Cracked, circular painting by Joel Blenz

With a vision of paintings that literally break free of the canvas, Blady + Van Mil invented moulage (molded collage) through experimentation in the early days of the pandemic. It became their way of holding onto positivity as the enormity of the crisis was revealed. Collage captured the idea that many small actions add up to new hope. Moulding the canvas – allowing it to rise and flow – gave momentum to that feeling. Also propelling this new technique was the artists’ desire to reinvent the preciousness embedded in the fine arts paradigm. To create each moulage, they purposely cut up many of their own prized works into small pieces. Professional collaborators, married for 40 years, Blady + Van Mil always start with a big idea and play together to see where it might go, accepting both success and failure as drivers of progress. “In a year of turmoil and division, we realized we couldn’t change other people’s mindset, just our own. We began by dismantling our past works – with scissors – and were set free.” Annette Blady...

This sculpture light is a captivating addition to the Art + Light series, where the interplay of light and art creates a unique and fascinating effect. The wooden cube is covered wit...