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:

"Bifurcation III" Is Almost Done!

The shadow knows it's bifurcated, eh? (Josh, no peeking!)

This is Bifurcation III in its pre-rusted state, casting a long shadow in the driveway of Compound II. It has been a fair amount of work and I'm glad the grind of grinding/sanding is finally done!

Obviously, it's the third in a series of similar pieces. Bifurcation I was in the first show I was ever in, The Heavy Metal Show at the now extinct Unknown Gallery. Bifurcation II is weathering proudly in a good friend's girlfriend's back yard. SUPER proud to have it there. Number III has a plan which will be revealed after it has come to fruition.

Anyway, here are a few more detail shots, including the rusting underway…

Rust

Those that know me and my art know how enamored I am with rust (or any iron oxide really...), at least part of the time. This is a shot of some rusty split washers doing their thing on a pieces of Arches cover. I've been making "rust prints" for many years that are basically transfers of rusting steel onto paper.

Recently I've been trying more controlled experiments with the test pieces being covered or uncovered, leaving them in contact for varying amounts of time and using different solutions to accelerate the rust formation. In the photos below you can see the set up. I tested all combinations using the same paper and the same washer so I could get somewhat comparable results, comparable in the sense of being able to limit that one variable so I could more easily see the aleatoric results.

I ran each piece with four different solutions: white cooking vinegar, Birchwood Technologies Presto Black, strong black tea and Birchwood Plum Brown. Interesting how the palette of each solution was consistent and hopefully somewhat repeatable.

Anyway, I continue to learn more and more about the interface between iron, water, oxygen and cellulose.

Starting the process...

Clockwise from top left: black tea, white vinegar, plum brown, presto black...

Happy Thanksgiving

Giving thanks today for a number of things... like my recent introduction (thanks, Catherine) to the work of Alice Fox, for example. She is a UK artist who I think makes beautiful, evocative and compelling work. See more at www.alicefox.co.uk