Too many things in my brain and at my fingertips...my sculpture background has been barking at me lately and I thought, well...let's try out some stuff.
There are plenty of doodads out at the farm that aren't really sellable (boxes of rusty nails, bolts, washers, etc.) but the idea of just chucking them is painful. So I thought I'd try to make something using these "trash" items.
Here's my thesis piece:
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| Piece of wood from my basement. |
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| Page from a French textbook, 1921. The verb seemed too perfect. |
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| Piece of wood found in the shed, cut up and pieced together. |
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| Found a way for it to fit together without much effort. |
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| Perfect frame! |
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| Turn it over and nail that sucker! This way no nail heads show. |
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| Proof that the nails worked. Nothing falling off! |
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| Junk to choose from for added flair. |
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| Funky, rustic tacks. |
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| Laying it out. I thought about using the washers and nuts but decided against it. |
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| Uh oh, unfinished side! Naked edges are a no-no. |
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| Cadmium Red Light Nova Color mural paint left over from a former job. |
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| Blue and green mixed with white for a "folksy" addition to the top layer. |
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Day two: I sprayed the whole thing (except the paper) with a few
coats of lacquer. I don't want any more old lead paint flaking off than
is necessary, plus I like the shiny look. |
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| After adding the tacks. |
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| I rather like the shadow play here. |
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Super close-up!
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| I have it now leaning on a shelf above my computer in the studio. |
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Looks like it fits right in.
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For the work I make in this vein going forward, I think I'd A) use glue in addition to the nails, and B) put a hanger on the back in the early stages. There are many options to hang anything, and if I eventually want to sell these, this is a big consideration. I had to actually sit and think about my process while making this, which is different from my normal brain activity when making clocks (I did all my thinking about that process years ago).
I'm really excited about going forward with the found objects, but right now I need to focus on my upcoming shows!
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