SHINGU!

For several months now, I've been running an ongoing experiment/art project with my good buddy Gary. The story of the origins of how we got to this point in the Shingu Strategy is long, funny and worth telling, but I'll save that for another time.

What I'll mention now is that I had sent a book about the Japanese sculptor Shingu to Gary to let the elements in Hawaii work their magic. He left it outside in the wet environs of Kauai for many weeks and then sent it to me in Salt Lake City. It was in pretty hammered shape by the time I got it but I took it to the next level.

I don't normally "alter" books but… as I said, this is a spare copy and the back story demanded something be done…

Above, you can see it as it was upon arrival from Hawaii to SLC a few months ago (March of this year), still in it's wrapper from Gary and covered in spring snow.

Once I unwrapped it, I could see that it was slightly moldy, water-logged and a bit worse for wear, but mostly intact and still colorful:

 

 


Let's just say it needed some help. Hydrochloric acid always moves things along nicely:

Not to mention a months-long soak in rusty water and acid in my driveway:

After all of this, plus some quality time on my picnic table on my back deck, we are starting to see some interesting results for sure. Not sure what's next for our buddy Shingu, or how I'll ultimately use it, but… just like in French cooking, nothing will go to waste!

Here is a cool shot of the state of the cover:

And the state of the the few spreads that aren't currently stuck together:

Chop 'em if You've Got 'em!

Photo by Gary S.

As much as I LOVE my new shop, I still have pangs of nostalgia for the old shop, especially when I run into pics like this one taken a couple of years ago by my good buddy Gary, who was in town for a few days. 

I've been working with steel since 1997 and rarely get to see myself or my tools in action. As a result, shots like these are quite compelling for me and really capture the essence of the experience. Thanks, Gary…

The old shop served me very well from July of '97 until about May of '13. Roughly 16 years of creative output from a small garage. Now it is returning to a less creative state as it will be used solely for parking once again. So it goes… 

The Daily Grind

And we're not talking about 10 hours at the office or a cup of coffee. Fortunately it's not REALLY a daily occurrence. One secret they don't let you in on when you decide to work in steel as an artistic expression is the amount of grinding involved. If you're doing fabrication or 3D volumes, it goes up even more.

Having just finished a new sign for BD this weekend that took about 100 sanding discs and 15 hours of grinding (more on this project soon!), I thought this photo summed up the past few weekends AND steelwork in general. The photo is by my good buddy Gary who was visiting in 2012.

Bringin' the Heat

Here's another shot my buddy Gary took last summer during his time in the shop. I don't often need to break out the torch but it's always high value when I do...

The Grind

Here's a recent shot of me grinding on a project. The photo was taken and treated by my good friend Gary during a visit last summer. I do SO much work alone in my studio that it was fun to have someone take a few shots of me actually working instead of just me taking shots of the work after the fact.