Concurrent Casting

As a result of attempting to free my mind in order to achieve the type of creation process required for the found object assignment, I ended up creating a rather interesting amorphous wax form using a dipping process to build up texture. Later I went back into the piece and used a soldering iron to create as many crevices as I possibly could without sacrificing the strength of the structure. Eventually I achieved creating what is likely to be one of the most difficult and annoying cast to remove shell from, but that’s what I do. Without at least some level of difficulty I probably wouldn't be very interested in creating the sculpture.


Along with this forced bout of free thinking I came across a personal discovery. While cleaning up the work space I came across a thin piece of wax floating in a tray of water, intrigued by its organic form I began thinking how about I could use the properties of water and wax to create my own organic free form. I then boiled a pot of wax and poured the liquid wax into a large bucket of water; the wax became instantly solidified upon hitting the water. After achieving what I hoped would happen I further experimented with water temperature to see how the wax would react. Hot water allowed the wax to expand more before solidifying while cold water created more constricted forms; as could be expected. I personally favored the outcome of wax poured into room temperature water. The formations remind me of the release of molten lava along the sea floor due to plate tectonics. I assume the lava would react to the water creating a similarly shape form. Within these structures there is so much negative space that it would almost be impossible for myself to cast and clean. So I have yet to find an artistic application for this new found knowledge.


As always more pictures are provide on my webshots site (under the album "Amorphous Figures)----> http://community.webshots.com/user/SocialAwkwardness

Found Object (New Direction)

I've taken apart and packed up the compiled collection of objects which had produced the images for "Young, Single, and Pregnant" and am now headed in a new direction. This direction is based upon the collaboration of a couple smaller parts of "Young, Single, and Pregnant". These parts consist of a pink wax candle, an intricate test tube, and a bit of red wax. Although these are parts different from more overall original set up they will still hold the same theme. I will be making somewhat of a replica with re-creations of the mentioned parts fastened together. Rather than a transparent glass tubing I will be making an object similar in form, consisting of concrete form tubes, chicken wire, something to connect them together and probably plaster for contour. I will also be making a larger version of the wax candle. If there were more time I would like to sculpt a wax figure of fertility out of bronze and then mold it into the base of the candle so that it would slowly become revealed upon the melting of the wax. Also I'd like to possibly place a portable DVD player inside the hollow tubing, featuring and film about teen pregnancy or just birth. In order to do that I would have to find my long since missing portable DVD charger. Surrounding the DVD player would be soft fabric of warm hues, again creating a womb-like state. To see the video one would have to crawl to the ground, but I believe propping a mirror on an angle in front of the tubing opening so that the DVD player screen will project the image upward and provoke viewer to come down to the proper level of viewing. If I can rig speakers up the other run offs on the tubing it would help spread the sound. Finally reaching this idea with but a week left I highly doubt all these sub-interests can be achieved. The main thing is that I get the tubing and flower down, the fertility figure, and DVD will only act as supportive additives if I am able to manage it into the available time left. Images of the model object are presented on my webshots page under the Found Object album.

Found Object Formalization (Young, Single, and Pregnant)

I believe that I will base this work upon the 14mm classic entitled “Young, Single, and Pregnant”. Thus far I’ve wrapped the leftover carpet padding of my last work around a block of the provided white foam, threaded film through wire and then wrapped that about the carpet padding. Looking upon it now I think I should make the roll of padding more bulbous in a specific area so as to connotate pregnancy. I’ve also gathered a beaten pink painted typewriter used in one of my older works. I intend on replacing the typewriter's spool of tape with 14mm film and perhaps writing the title of the film in painted letters on the film as it passes through the typewriter. Probably ya know a lot like this...

David La Chapelle
Gisele 1 (Arena Magazine)

Found Object Exercise, Excursion and Execution

Finding myself still discouraged by the found object assignment, upon instruction of Gabrielle, I began to fiddle with a few objects found in the sculpture room. She figured it would help me loosen my control of the objects, while gaining a better understanding for what Rees is looking for. These objects included a salt shaker, cd player, block of wood,dust pan brush, mango flesh, and a bobble head.


After performing the above exercise I realized that I need to gather some found objects a bit more aesthetically and conceptually interesting, leding to a rather fruitful late night excursion. Unable to obtain all that I needed in one trip I later returned to the location with housemate/classmate Ariana.

Before my return to the carinogen laced building I took a trip I set out on a trip to Walmart to retreive some fish. I thought that I could use the functional aspect of the chemistry materialfor a purpose different from their original intention. Under the instuction of making a sculpture based upon progression and the morphing of a structure, I figured the most distinct progression was from life. Beside the Walmart was a "99 cent Warehouse". Dollar stores are perfect hunting grounds of interesting ready made objects. It was here that I came across a tub of bright orange hair gel, doilies, a pink wax flower candle,stockings, matches, and methanol canisters.

Later in the eve Ariana and myself pursued some neglected goods. Together we gathered found objects unlike what we could have imagined. Mid-way through the dilapidated building, which habored our delightful treasures, our flash light died and with the knowledge of possible squatter presence we became quite frightful. Yet with the ever enticing lure of art objects we proceeded to probe further into the darkness. In addition to the satisfaction of our art incentive findings, we also gathered enough books to start a small library in a spare room of our house. We will simply need to construct a few book shelves and then we’ll be in business. After the crafty gathering and removal of materials we returned to the studio to begin our toil. Due to the problematic element of water I was unable to leave the studio until 6am, failing to gain any sleep before my 8am class. Although this did give me time to fix a rather delectable breakfast for myself. Leaving the building early that morning I felt pretty satisfied in my exploration of new materials, spaces, and collaborations.



Upon the commencement of class later that morning I only came to find that this effort was yet another failed attempt. Though I seem to repeatedly lack the ability to successful complete the assignment, I am still extremely interested in the object I have produced. In fact it has inspired a few ideas for installations on my personal time. Perhaps I could create a series of fish and style gel filled glass objects. I must test to see if the alcohol in the styling gel alone will preserve the fish.

Found Object Project

I seem to be having a bit of trouble with this next project. The assignment is to choose at least six found objects and attach them together in at least 12 different scenarios, documenting each via photograph. The compositions individually must work as a sentence, the connection of objects creating words.

While watching the movie "Harold and Maude" I became inspired by a particular scene in which Maude is seen walking amongst a group of mourners returning to their vehicles after a funeral. The mourners walk solemnly with black umbrellas in hand whilst Maude deploys a bright yellow one. Upon viewing this scene I became interested in the quirky nature Maude's umbrella symbolizes. Somehow I came to the conclusion that I would like to propel a similar umbrella by means of a powerful fan, one that just so happened to exist in my basement. I would then attach the umbrella to the center of the fan's face plate. For aesthetic I would then attach a plaster hand I had once found in the trash, missing all but the thumb and palm. To complete the missing parts I would drill into the plaster and connect copper wire pieces to simulate a bone structure. All the while I concerning myself with the weight on the over all object.

Later in the eve I assembled the test contraption but was unsuccessful in its movement. Then Gabrielle and Reed helped me by exchanging the original wooden base with a child's plastic shopping cart toy. With this new base and a little shove for momentum the cart gathered speed and began to roll down the hall. SUCCESS! Now only to formalize the idea, administer more solid connections, and create a custom base with more fluid turning wheels. If only I new more about simple motors I'd like to make this work without depending upon a nearby outlet. I guess I really just need to waltz about scantily clad in a couple Engineering buildings, I meannn.

More pictures--> (album title: Found Object Project) http://community.webshots.com/user/SocialAwkwardness

In the end this effort was shot down as it was not executed in a manner pertaining to the project. Yet it will remain an effort I would like to pursue in my own time regardless. Eventually I would like it to be mostly black, cold, threatening, and creepy; commenting on urban business bodies hustling through city streets. Once accomplishing that much I'd then take it to just such a location and set the beast free!

So I was forced to move onto a new idea addressing the assignment. Left in a rut I decided a late night excursion with Matt West and a boy named Justin would determine the direction of my next idea. This adventure proved to be extremely inspirational. I acquired many a thing that night, the most cherished being a wealth of knowledge found within the bindings of a few books on inventions. New implications of simple inventions is the direction I would like my line of work to follow. As for the benefit of the found objects assignment, there were quite a few beakers and machines that I will incorporate.

I believe I will now be using Petri dishes, beakers, clear plastic tubing, live fish, water, a fish tank aerator, faux fur, string, glue, wire, and a bobble head doll. We'll see how this goes over. I just can't seem to work in the process in which Michael would like to see. Rather than discovering the process my work though making I usually resolve any plossible problems on paper or in my mind before starting construction. However, I will proceed to make the effort though I doubt it will satisfy me, upsetting as this is my main source of gratification. Though, I wish not to be ignorant towards new methods of thinking. If my best efforts aren't enough so be it.

Rock Lobster

I've decided to cast a bronze lobster for the second "Casting and Carving" project. Last night I purchased a loster, released his claws of restriction to give him a fair chance of defense and then boiled him alive while in the sculpture building. His name: Roger. Simultaneously, one of my pet hermit crabs died that night. I had received a pair as a Christmas present, despite the unfavorably cold temperature of my dwellings and my disinterested in keeping up the maintainence of these unaffectionate pets. I believe I will be casting both, the lobster done in bronze and the hermit crab cast in alluminum. I would later replace the hermit crab back in its shell. To complete the lobster i must first make some sort of rubber mold. For the hermit crab i was thinking of possibly purchasing others for the purposes of casting, perhaps dead ones from a pet store to remain slightly humane. Then i could create a habitat of bronze and or alluminum hermit crabs. Here are pictures of "The Boys" when they were both living...

Undocumented Work Pre-January 06

These are just a few works that never made it to my website of artwork, now that I’ve forgotten how to do updates.

- This first work is a sculpture I did during the summer while taking the first half of sculpture 1 with Joe Egan. I would describe it as a home for fairies. Originally I intended the work to serve as a pedestal for a particular plaster carving I had made a week prior to this piece. As of right now, it doesn’t really serve a function other than being a rather large (4ft tall) lawn ornament. Yet if it were actually a hollow space inside then it just may very well be inhabited by fairies. As a kid I often would play near creeks, using rocks, flowers, moss, sticks and other found forest objects to create small homes for fairies. The fantasy of creek fairies in a lush green forest was but one of my once much beloved beliefs.





-Below is the plaster sculpture for which the house above was originally supposed to serve as a pedestal for. Due to the current location of the fairy house these two sculptures now are presented individually. As my first attempt at plaster carving I didn't get too in depth concerning the concept. It simply is about the manipulation of the human figure, inspired by the aesthetic aspects of ancient mythical Assyrian creatures (in particular the Lamassu) depicted within the textbook of an Art History class I was concurrently taking at the time. When submitted for class the plaster figure sat upon the roof. This placement of the figure was most appropriate as a considerable amount of its carving took place during summer evenings on the roof of a house where a group of friends reside. The roof faced westward, serving as an optimal view point for a New Brunswick sunset and most enjoyable carving atmosphere.





-This is a social juxtaposition of an article I found in a pornographic magazine I had initially found in a stranger’s trash bin. The magazine is quite possibly the most disturbing and hilarious piece of literature I own. For one the images are printed in black and white and the must have been taken in a time between the cease of classic beauty and photo shop because they are so graphic it’s utterly appalling. I chose this particular image due to the adjoining article I had read along with it. Within the article the featured model is quoted stating, “I believe a tan makes and girl feel healthy and sexy.” Quite obviously this girl has been seriously misled by society and yet through this magazine the belief continues to be reinforced via the circulation of media. So I decided to take the model's mind set and exploit just how unhealthy and unattractive cooking one’s flesh truly is. This is represented in the extreme tan lines of possibly 2nd to 3rd degree burns, a hue resembling rotting meat, and adeliberate use of detailing and particular brush strokes to direct the viewer’s eye.


Oil Painting
3ft by 2 1/2ft

- While taking a class is cognition I came across some rather interesting knowledge about how the mind perceives` words. I learned that generally while reading we perceive words as a repeated pattern as oppose to each individual letter. Due to that generalization we can still read high frequency words easily even if the letters are jumbled, as long as the first and last letters are in their correct places, it remains the same length, and contains the correct letters somewhere within the first and last letters. A word incorrectly spelt within those parameters is likely to go unnoticed at first. This work was displayed in the Fall Undergrad show of 05, asking the viewer to question their visual perception of the world. It’s also meant to control the length of time the average viewer spends looking at a work of art. The average English reading person should somewhat easily read what is stated in the work and hopefully fail to realize the mis-spelt words, realize somewhere within the sentence that something did not feel right and then take notice to the inaccuracy of the spelling. Usually I shy away from the idea of incorporating text in my art, as I often find that text tends to act as a crutch for somelacking the ability to visually portray their intent. This appears to be common for someone without an extensive knowledge of symbols, colors, gestures, and the brain's innate reaction to each in combination. If text is an appropriate and necessary concept of a piece then that is of a exceptable scenerio. As this work’s basis is language and grammatical error, text was absolutely necessary. On a 7ft by 2ft scale I had printed the sentence,

"Can you tusrt taht yuor pecerptoin of yuor evnirnoemt is wthiuot erorrr?"

-For the longest time I was unable to locate the storage location of the next work. Thankfully I have recently found it and took to photographing the piece promptly. It is a hard charcoal pastel in color, Dr. Ortiz's Drawing I main focus work. Building up to the patience require to take on such a project the class was structure by exercises in color charting, dream collages using media clippings, and media half image completion. Each assignment was necessary for showing the progressive adaptation to using the charcoal medium, and dream imagery interpretation collaging. If Ortiz felt that progression in one's skill had not been achieved he'd simply ask the student to repeat the assignment. Only after having had a particular number of assignments approved did he allow the students to move on to their large drawing (approx. 3ft by 3ft).
Using an opaque projector I traced a media clippings collage onto a larger piece of paper and then began drawing in with color. Overall it probably took me about 3 months to complete the entire drawing. I am uncertain as to how many hours went into it. I'd guess that I had worked on it about three hours a day and. My only distinct memory is that the rightt eye of the black haired female took me a good hour to complete.


-Although I only completed the next piece at the end of last semester I had forgotten to document it until a few months later, and by that point I had also forgotten how to update the art website. Anyways, this is a piece I had submitted as my Painting 1 final. It consists of a 3/4 inch thick, 4ft by 8 ft plywood panel covered in successional layer after horizontal layer of applied 6 inch dinosaur border covered in a couple layers of clear gesso to ensure permanence. As the border was already completely inundated with interesting details I didn’t want to distract the viewer's eye from the already existing imagery. So I began to work in subtlety, clipping out dinosaurs from left over border and pasting a few next to their match, slightly off kilter. I then went in with a heavily diluted linseed oil and burnt umber oil paint solution and built out an amorphous bubbling linear form that traveling throughout the borders, and only in the background of the border landscape. With the use of linseed oil the painting played with the strength of surface tension when wet and eventually took on a wrinkly, hard texture when dry. The idea was to paint into the work as oppose to painting onto the border. With this idea in mind the dinosaurs remained without obstruction in the foreground, maintaining the evidence that I was infact working with 6inch border. As the work is currently situated in my small bedroom of adolescence, the provided picture is only a small portion of the painting, but conveys the concept well enough.


-My oldest undeocument work in a duct tape dress I had made for junior prom once long ago...






- I bleieve this to be my final document of past work. Yet again I've chosen to work with the duct tape medium. As a participant of the first annual "This-Town-Needs-A-Parade Parade" (October 2005), I joined the mob dressed as a scuba diver. All the accessories including googles, air tank, and flippers were of cardboard and duct tape construction. The rest of the outfit consisted of red spandex, naturally.








Photos of all the parade participants can be viewed at the following website--> www.thistownneedsaparade.com