Bryan: Pencil Sharpeners, Ceramic Planters, Address Plates & Everything Dolly Parton

Nowadays they aren’t as iconic. Objects in general are less about Pop culture. Back in the 80s there were a lot of TV shows and cartoons that had a lot of merchandise.

BRYAN: These are my pencil sharpeners.

ZOE: I like the Mr. T. 

B: That is probably one of my favorites.

Z: How much do you actually use pencils now?

B: Not very often. I have one I use in case I need it. I mean a lot of these are all rusty. This one when you use it to sharpen, the mouse pops up.

{Bryan spins it around his hand.} 

This is the only one I've found with a movable aspect. I'm surprised there aren’t more of those.

Z: How many pencil sharpeners to you think you have?

B: Over two hundred. In bins in my closet. Dolly gets her own wall. It’s slowly growing. I’m going to do more Dolly collages. 

Z: Are there some that you group together?

B: Yeah, definitely—definitely 80s. I have a lot of Garfield. I have a set of these Hanna Barbera characters...I don’t even think people know about these characters. They were in this flying arch. I forget the name of the cartoon. I think Yogi Bear was part of it, too.

I did this project once in school, too, where I saved every disposable cup I used for at least a year. I had them in my house stacked up on the stairs and sometimes they would fall at night. My friends thought I had a problem.

Nowadays they aren’t as iconic. Objects in general are less about Pop culture. Back in the 80s there were a lot of TV shows and cartoons that had a lot of merchandise. If I go on vacation, and it’s like iconic of that place, I'll buy a pencil sharpener. But, if it’s not or if I'm not wowed by it, I wont buy it. 

Z: So, would you say that you started this collection pretty intentionally?

B: Yes definitely. I think so. I got one and then every time I saw one...I just thought they were pretty cool. I think my family was really supportive of it. My mom is a collector. Growing up she had spoons on the wall from traveling, and then she collected thimbles and she collects cow creamers. She has this amazing collection of cow creamers.

Z: Have your pencil sharpeners ever inspired you artistically?

B: Oh—actually, yes.

{Bryan goes into his living room and returns carrying four metal objects}.

I totally forgot about these. I worked at a bronze foundry for a while, and I made a cast of Mr. T; then I cut his head off and added different heads onto his body. So, here is Jesus on Mr. T's body; this is Michael Jackson on Mr. T; here is a monkey and here is a skull. This was supposed to be cobra commander, but it didn’t really work. They are just in the front room on the coffee table. I need a better display place for those, too.  I also cast that skull pencil sharpener to make drawer pulls.  

I did this project once in school, too, where I saved every disposable cup I used for at least a year. I had them in my house stacked up on the stairs and {laughing} sometimes they would fall at night. My friends thought I had a problem. It looked crazy. I had all these paper cups in the hallway. My friends broke into my house and took them all. We had a bon fire that night and burned all the paper ones. They threw away the plastic ones. It was fun. I was ready to let them go.

I got my BFA in art and my BFA show was called the Crumsville Collection. The name of my hometown is Crumsville—before the Naval weapons base moved in—that is where I grew up. In the 90s they didn’t want people living on the base anymore so they started tearing down all the houses. So I started documenting that with photos and video and I'd take off all the address plates off of mail boxes. So I have like 3 or 4 hundred address plates. They are kind of cool. They are blue with lettering. I want to do something on the stairwell. 

I think collecting is healthy. It holds a lot of memories. A lot of them, I know where I was and what I was feeling at the time. Whenever I see Dolly Parton it’s always really joyous ...you just want to hold on to it, like just remember it.

Z: I've been talking a lot with people about the difference between collecting and hoarding. Do you have thoughts on that?

B: I think, like even with those bread tags some people would think those are just trash, but when you have a whole bunch in different jars it changes a little bit. There's a fine line. It could get out of control quickly. I think that’s what hoarding is, uncontrolled collections. You watch those shows and you see that they started with teapots and then all of sudden they can't throw away their trash. Collecting is a civilized way of hoarding. 

Z: What makes it more civilized?

B: I think maybe with hoarding, the first few pieces you never know where they are at. But with my collecting, I remember the history of the pieces. 

Z: Who painted your Dolly portrait?

B: A really good friend of mine. She told me she did commissions. So, I was like, Ok I want Dolly. 

Z: You have a lot of tattoo's as well. 

B: Yeah, I have a Dolly tattoo.  Yeah, I got it with my friend. 

Z: Do you think that tattoos are collections?

B: Yeah, I think so. My legs are all my close friends. It’s all names so I think It’s like a collection of my friends. 

Z: I hadn’t thought about tattoos as being a collection until talking to you.

B: I guess, I'm not sure. I'd say the name tattoos are, but I don’t know about the other ones. They might just be decoration. 

Z: Is collecting social for you, or is it more of a private thing?

B: It used to be more social. But, now I think its more private. Once people know then they hunt for the object you collect... I had a partner that collected snow globes. When people would travel places they'd get him snow globes. It got out of control. We didn’t have space for them, and then it’s like, you didn’t actually go to this place and get this thing, someone else did. 

I think collecting is healthy. It holds a lot of memories. A lot of them, I know where I was and what I was feeling at the time. Whenever I see Dolly Parton it’s always really joyous ...you just want to hold on to it, like just remember it. They don't have a Dollywood pencil sharpener. I have a pencil sharpener that is two boobs...but I didn’t get it there.

Z: That's what you think of as your Dolly pencil sharpener?

B: Yeah. 

Bryan Machowsky developed an early interest in collecting. While in kindergarten his favorite Aunt Shirley gave him a pencil sharpener and he has been collecting them ever since. He was born and raised in Ridgecrest California, which is surrounded by the China Lake Naval Weapons Center and Death Valley. Bryan graduated with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from California State University, Chico in 2000. His interests in collecting peaked during his schooling, collecting as much artifacts from the destruction of houses from the China Lake Naval Weapons Center. His goal is to someday show these artifacts back in his hometown in an art show. You can find Bryan’s creative work and merchandise on his website Bemacho.net.