"drifting"

drifting" 36" X 45" X 55"  found object wire cloth

drifting"

36" X 45" X 55"  

found object wire cloth

This piece is made from upcycled wire cloth I found at Txrx labs. They pour aluminum and use these wire strips to reinforce their molds. They break out the castings and leave the wire mesh in the yard. I always pick it up when we pour bronze because it is sharp. I started playing with it while we waited for the bronze to heat. I fell in love with it's malability, rusted patina and chunks of plaster embedded between the wires.  

I sculpted this when I was thinking about urban ecology and  how successful birds and especially pigeons have evolved in urban environments. In contrast many of the people we see in these environments with pigeons appear to be struggling to stay present.  

This figure leans in on his left side where he is clearly involved in the environment around him. His right side is patently struggling to stay present and his head/brain and right side upper body are not visible to the viewer. Evidence of their absence is depicted through the torn collar and shredded back right of shirt. 

I can't to come up with the perfect base for him. Right now he is temporarily sitting in a box wrapped in paper.  

 

If you are in NYC check out my piece @ Site:Brooklyn art gallery

 
The Figure: Interpreted Through Contemporary Mediums

    Juried by Barbara A. MacAdam

    Site:Brooklyn
    165 7th St
    Brooklyn, NY

     

    for details see the link below.  

     http://eepurl.com/cvMw0f

     

    Site:Brooklyn

    Artist Reception – Wednesday January 18th 6-9PMJan 19 – Feb 19, 2017

    Gail Nadeau - "The Red Kimono"Artists:

    Steven Palumbo, Kang Sean, Courtney Bae, Elise Thompson, John Gallagher, Petrea Noyes, Carol Coates, Phillip Connell, Tom Acevedo, Barbara Smith, Ronald Gonzalez, Cindee Klement, Andrew Hockenberry, Deborah Druick, Robin Dintiman, Kathy Collins, Claire Gilliam, Candice Flewharty,
    Farnosh Olamai Birch, John Power, Philippe Hyojung Kim, Ola Aldous,
    Greta Young, Gail Nadeau, Mary Lou Greene, Tomas Modzelewski,
    Claire Apana, John Patrick Snyder, Alain Rogier, Diana Burchfield,
    Alexa Hoyer, Sophie Brenneman, John Kayrouz, Brooke Alexander,
    Joshua Dean, Owen Brown, Sharon Bartel Clements, Rajab Sayed,
    John Edwards, Gill Alexander, Lee Ann Carr, Colleen Kelly,
    Michelle Muri-Sloane

     

    peace pigeon project # 15

    Peace pigeon project - Friend

    Peace pigeon project - Friend

    One thing I like about art is the people. The Houston art community is very supportive.  We all help each other and cheer each other on. A few weeks ago leaving TXRX I saw a big wooden wire spool by the road. I thought it might be a great pedestal for one of Barbara's found object pieces. I saved it for her. She ended up cutting up the spool for another piece. Peace pigeon #15 is a scrap from that spool. Barbara saved it for me. It is a beauty just like Barbara. I was very touched that she would go to the trouble to capture this pigeon for me. 

    Thank you Barbara.  

    peace pigeon project #6 - grounded

    Roots  

    These roots have been taking up space in my work area for at least three years. It feels so good to finally use them.  

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    Rear view  

    Rear view  

    Drawing that inspired the series.  

    German beak trumpeter pigeon with leg muffs

    German beak trumpeter pigeon with leg muffs

    peace pigeon project #5 - - found object

    Peace pigeon # 5 - found object

    Peace pigeon # 5 - found object

    I think they make a great pigeon. I will not weld these two pieces together because part of the beauty is the balance of the body on the legs and the light that breaks through between the two objects. Welding would ruin that. 

    It even has the leg muff that the German beak trumpeter pigeon has.  

    It even has the leg muff that the German beak trumpeter pigeon has.  

    This guy is resting not in motion as are the other pieces in the series.  

    shake shake shake IV started

    10/5/1016

    image.jpg

    10/11

     

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    End of day 10/11

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    I want this one to have it's front right paw off the ground. In order to achieve this the paw will be lightly defined to keep it physically light and the left side will have to be very sturdy- tricky

    End of day 10/12

    Right paw lifted.  

    Right paw lifted.  

    Awkward view.  

    Awkward view.  

    Working on the backside.  

    Working on the backside.  

    From the back  

    From the back  

    10/24  

    Left side 

    Left side 

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    Cranescape - lenticular

    This lenticular is made from two pieces "dance of the cranes" interlaced with "sunset cranes".  

    I am trying to decide on a title for this piece ???????????  


      Growing up in a small border town, seeing a  skyline of construction cranes is invigorating and exciting. The cranes as a subject matter are a symbol of opportunity to me. I drew the four pieces in the series spring/summer of 2015 because of my personal connection with the Houston cranes.

    This past year while traveling I noticed that Miami, Washington DC, Dallas, Ft. Worth, and New York City all have  skylines littered with construction cranes. With a bit of research I learned that the US is experiencing a construction boom.

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2016/02/10/building-boom-towns-the-metro-areas-with-the-most-new-construction/#e0dba195a5e0

    These Cranescapes record this moment in US economic history (469.5 billion in construction starts in 2015). My abstract interpretation of this moment could be any city experiencing a construction boom. This gives the work universal appeal for anyone interested in American contemporary art.