For Those Who Doubt, In Progress - Stage 1.

I'm deep in the journey of making a sculptural object, and I'd like to get it up here for all of you.

About a year ago I was invited to donate a piece made from a very specific piece of trash: an old hubcap. My old friend Boris Bally had put them on to me. The organization, Landfillart.org, was sending artists re-chromed trashed hubcaps to turn into art and send back. The resulting exhibition and publication would raise awareness about recycling (not that recycling needs much more awareness nowadays, but a great cause nevertheless).

My stipulation was two-fold: that the hubcap be from as old a car as possible, and that it not be re-chromed. Ken Marquis, the orchestrator of this project (now grown to a whopping 1,041 artists worldwide!) personally sent me his oldest hubcap. What a beauty.

I'm off and running...

The old V8 hubcap - I'm guessing about 1939?

What a logo. The deepness of the bowl allows me to make an interior environment. I don't want to lose the logo, so that'll have to be part of the design.

Luckily my brother is a big-time master electrician on Broadway - I've been saving these follow-spot lenses he gave me for about 20 years, using them as the opportunity presents. Thanks, Mike!

Look at this fit. The dome is even the same curvature as the lens. Time to get cutting.

I've designed the shape to be cut away. This'll be tough work, as I'm dealing not only with two pieces (the silver decorative cap and the underlying heavy steel hubcap), but both these pieces are curved. I've also decided to flip the orientation of the piece, so the logo will essentially read as an "A".

Ready to cut.

The outer cap is fairly straight-forward.

The main cap - is not. No saws are up to it, so it has to be ground away.

Back indoors after the grinding.

After choosing a title, I set about etching it into heavy brass and designing it to arch over the opening I've cut in the cap.

Sawing it out.

The tabs that were cut on the bottom are bent around to create 'eyes' through which a heavy wire will run. Only the center tab remains straight, to go through the hubcap itself.

Ready to mount.

Wired into place. Notice the tabs I'd left on the silver cap are now curled back to hold more wire around the circumference of the lens.

Three of these wires will pierce the hubcap and lock the lens in place.


Next week: The interior assembly comes together, centerpieced with another of my new large fused-glass images.


Ciao!


Keith

Pictures At An Exhibition

My exhibition in Hervey Bay remains open for one more week. Below are some images from the opening. Photographed beautifully by Phil Syme.

Untitled (raccoon), 2000

Describing the changes in my work as a result of moving to Australia in 1999.

BEFORE THE MIRROR, 1998

WHEN MEMORY FAILS, 1996

A VOYAGER'S DREAM OF LAND, 1999/2005

Peering into THE HIDDEN ROOM, 1995

Discussing the digital work.

One of several collaborative pieces in the show, here's a detail of a neckpiece made with found object pioneer Bob Ebendorf.

A wearable book collaboration with book artist Dan Essig.

Explaining how I began making found object work.

THE AERIAL OCEAN (MAY IT WATCH OVER YOU), 2009

 

A moment with my family - partner Irena and our three kids - Mira, Audrey and Miles.

 

Spoonfed, 2009

 

 The Pearl that Worldlings Covet. 2006

 

Examining THE INNER SIGHT, 2009

 

 An homage to Melville and Moby Dick, untitled (pipe), 2005

 

 My dear friend, book artist extraordinaire Adele Outteridge.

 

THE PARADISE OF FOOLS, a 1997 collaboration with glass artist Sally Prasch.

 

untitled (nautical instrument), 1996

Two Sides of History, 2009

 

A collaborative brooch made with luminary basket artist Dorothy Gill Barnes from 1997, surrounded by a whimsical neckpiece I made that year using actual lobster antennae as chain links.

 

 Demonstrating my new piece, POETICAL MODESTY, in action.

To hear the floor talks pictured above, and to see video of the exhibition itself, a new hour-long DVD of the event is available here. (and a preview of the DVD can be found on YouTube here)

I'll be back to posting some new in-progress work as I get myself back into the studio later this week.

Thanks for visiting!

Keith

Kids Attack Found Objects in Hervey Bay

Before I jaunt off to the US to teach next week, I thought I'd post up the brilliant work done by an enthusiastic group of fifteen 8 to 14-year-old's up at the gallery where my exhibition is taking place. Called the 'Mudskipper's workshop', the kids were challenged, in the two-hour class, to use their own ingenuity to cobble the piles of junk in front of each of them into something interesting.  Without glue.

Check out what went down. (Click on images to enlarge them)

A few mums stayed and got their hands dirty as well.

Serious concentration.

A spaceship, complete with control keyboard, takes shape. Check out the smart use of electrical tape.

My oldest daughter Mira, right, finds a new buddy.

No timid moves here - it's unchecked creativity at work.

Decisions, decisions.

An impromptu exhibition was set up on a table so we could all admire the handiwork.

Puppet, with stand and pet!

A house for secrets.

 

A portrait in sheep spine, of her dad, apparently - are my eyes really that screwy?

A beautiful assembly of fresh plants, which can be replaced at will.

A hanging garden of treasures.

The amazing flying lion!

A complex little contraption.

A gorgeous little viewing portal and treasure trove.

The spaceship - that's a steering wheel and hubcap put to really good use.

A beautiful and sensitive fish sculpture.
 

An intimate Pandora's box.

 

This catapult shoots something long and thin that I can't remember - was it pick-up sticks or knitting needles? Don't try this at home!

A lovely display of tiny sculptures - what a set.

The Hervey Bay Artists Gang, in da house. Congrats to them all!
I'd encourage any of the artists above to post down below and let us know which one you did.
See you soon,
Keith