On the Subject of ART

Interior Motives

For the 21214 ArtScape Gallery Network show at the Hamilton Gallery.

These use the same approach as that of the The Death Watch Beetle diorama, where there is a paper door attached to the Altoids tin that opens to an inner world.

I. FLIM FLAM

I. Flim Flam

II. VIP VOP

II. Vip Vop

III. SLIP SLOP

III. Slip Slop

IV. HOT & TOT

IV. Hot & Tot

V. NOIR

V. NOIR

Work in progress, a view inside altoid tins

The above photo shows the interiors of the tins, minus the faces/doors. Below are photos from the opening night…

All 5 tins on display
Me, standing next to the work which is hanging on the gallery wall

Actor Factory

Silicon molds and plastic mixture

I’ve written previously about my lifelong proclivity for melting army men and cowboys into new creatures. I’ve recently discovered a new twist on the theme – making molds from them, and casting new figures in plastic!

I know, I know – the world doesn’t need more plastic waste, and I won’t make a career out of this. But, it’s immensely satisfying to have single form characters, with no melted parts and weak joints.

I’ve been reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth again. In chapter four, he says two things that I find relevant to what I’m doing here. First, he says:

We need to honor the world of things, not despise it. Each thing has Beingness, is a temporary form that has its origin within the formless one Life, the source of all things, all bodies, all forms.

He goes on the write:

In most ancient cultures, people believed that everything, even so­ called inanimate objects, had an indwelling spirit, and in this respect they were closer to the truth than we are today.

I feel a little like Dr. Frankenstein doing Weird Science – making hosts for indwelling spirits.

I’m still getting the hang of the casting process. Below are some early efforts.

Lobster tail with human legs attached

One example – I took the legs from a cowboy, and fused them with the tail of a plastic lobster.

Green, White, Pink and Orange Lobster tail men

I tried creating an anthropomorphic foot guy. Below, the one on the left is the original, and the other two were early casts.

Giant foot people

I liked this guy so much that I took the idea further. I found the most perfect Bond-like villain figure. Meet, Dr. Stinky (and his pet, Smelly). First, the original made from several different figures and parts:

Sexy Villain

Here are smaller figures, which didn’t quite turn out as I hoped.

And here are some work in progress photos.

One of the lessons I’ve learned is, when Smooth-On says something has a 3 minute “pot life,” then I really need to get it mixed and poured in 2 minutes 45 seconds. Another lesson – make sure there are vents (made with straws or coffee stirrers) for air to escape.

Next, I’m going to try slightly larger figures.

Update: I made a trailer for the villains…