Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Opening Another Toolchest/Earning Amnesty

Sometime ago, I made some tools from chopped coins.
Recently, while browsing the web, I came across a page where I'd been featured. I could vaguely remember getting an e-mail months back from someone asking me if it would be okay to use my images, but I'd never actually seen the article.
When I clicked it I couldn't believe my eyes. Another artist had made some work strikingly similar to my own.
Was I intimidated? Did I feel threatened? No. Our approaches are completely different. If anything, I was impressed.
It's good to be part of a large, broad movement, whose existence in America is only possible within this particular era. Her name is Stacey Lee Webber, she's a jewelry maker by trade, and she even went so far as to obtain a document from the US Mint assuring her she could mess with money.
So there you have it: discouraged , but not penalized.
So I guess that throws a wrench into my plan to get arrested for chopping up coins and finally get the media to cover my art. That's how I'd planned to get famous.
I suppose it's back to the drawing board.
No, the "Adjustable Wrench" sculpture is not adjustable.
It's just art. And it's totally Legal.
Yes: one side is Heads and the other is Tails.
I'm not sure if I'll make more tools from coins, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody else does.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Can It! (Slogan Parade)

Here's the latest thing I've been able to finish.
Coke is it.
I used to drink this stuff when I was a kid.
Red, White and You.
I guess now instead of citric acid they use phosphoric acid.
Enjoy Coke.
My favorite part is the bottom of the can.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Dawn of a New Direction/sticking it to the world

Looking out the window of my new studio in Brooklyn.
After 2 full years of chopping up coins to make artwork, I've amassed a worthless fortune in stockpiled scraps. Although technically money, this kind of thing is definitely not something that can be spent. What good is a nickel if it's only a speck? How many pieces of a penny does it take to buy a loaf of bread?
So I've decided to distribute the value into another project, in order that thousands of coin particles can merge together and form a priceless art object.
My approach thus shifts, as I begin to stick precut pieces to actual objects. It doesn't get any less toxic than this: Elmers Glue is my initial adhesive.
By building up rows of slivers, I've been able to create an ocean that resembles skewed stacks of nickels.
The land is made from pennies, fit together like a wall of stones.
Mountains are formed by sideways slivers of dimes and Quarters.
Inland bodies of water are denoted by tiny coin punchouts.
When ocean meets land, subtle interplay occurs.
I have been following the actual currents of the world when laying out these waves.
Using the globe as a template, I will continue until I've covered the entire planet.
To be Continued...