I’m Marty McConnell and I’m an artist in the Minneapolis area. My art is what’s
known as Assemblage. It’s a lot of found objects, repurposed items, broken things
other people would think aren’t worth keeping anymore. I take them and give
them a new life. I work on canvas, make sculptures, redo old cigar boxes'; I’ll work
on pretty much anything that speaks to me. I also used textured and handmade
paper, Aves Clay, paint, wire, a lot of E6000, and just about anything I can get
my hands on that I think will work to hold it all together.
Much of my art is inspired by my love of darker things. One of the best compliments
I ever got was someone who spent about 15 minutes looking at my booth and
then turned to me and said, “You’re kinda morbid.” I think I scared him with how
big it made me smile. Yes, I suppose I am a bit morbid, but I think in a good way. I
love Universal Monsters, Poe, Del Toro movies, Daphne Du Maurier, Shirley Jackson,
and all things horror. I’m a night owl, a coffee addict, and a HUGE fan of RUSH (the
band.)
My art is also a being of healing to me. I was diagnosed with depression at a very
young age. As I aged and mental health treatments grew out of the dark ages,
I would up with the diagnosis of Dysthymia (well, that’s one of them anyway.)
That is when someone is pretty much always in some state of depression. There
are highs and lows, but it’s always there. Over the years I found art helped quiet my
mind and kept me from sinking when the bad lows hit. So - Dysthymic Bliss came
to be. And like my brain it’s always finding something new to try, to learn, to latch
onto, or in some cases, let go. So you never really know what you’re going to see. ;)