Pittsburgh based artist David Burton’s striking assemblages are made out of vintage toys and other found objects as he happens upon them, layered into puzzle-like creations. His near-obsessive layering of objects recalls the work of other assemblage artists, like Kris Kuksi, infused with a sense of playfulness despite their dark color. Sourced everywhere from local thrift shops to his walks on the beach, the objects that Burton features are also his main source of inspiration.
Depending on each piece, Burton explains that he chooses objects that will create an interesting variety of texture, design, shape, and form. One such piece combines natural items like barnacles to regular, plastic toys, textured to look like they have been on the bottom of the sea floor, visited by familiar characters like Barney the dinosaur and the iconic yellow submarine. Typically colored in black, he says that his latest works pay homage to artist Louise Nevelson, known for her monochromatic sculptures, “with a bit of a twist.”
Burton shares: “always searching, ever changing, never know whats next… this pretty much sums up my approach to my art because I’m always looking for new items to work with, which may lead me into a whole new direction. Currently, for the last 8 years, I have been reassembling found and broken objects in a similar fashion as Loise Nevelson only using modern day pop iconic items, toys make up the majority of the work. With no end in sight, I collect daily and create daily.”
David Burton’s work will be on display at Lakefront Festival of Arts in Milwaukee this weekend, from June 17th through June 19th.
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