2021 Worn Thin
2021 has been a challenging year. Folding, forming, and crunching metal has been a way to release tension and to express the stress and feelings that have struggled to come out into an art form. There were many mishaps along the way and with each ‘mishap’ the piece became stronger more personal and continued to describe the struggles of the past 2 years quite aptly.
“2021 - Worn Thin” PPE/mask seemed like the next logical project for me to make out of copper and enamel. I used a flat, folded PPE/mask as a model. Pretty simple folds, but I’m the type of person that can measure something 20 times and come up with a different number each time, so this was still challenging for me. I still had to make about 4 masks out of paper before I got the numbers right. I used copper foil and carefully made the ‘mountain’ and ‘valley’ folds in the proper places, then opened the folds in the middle and sculpted it till I got what I wanted. I have over 20 layers of torch fired liquid and sifted enamel on it. There were mishaps along the way - I like to think of it more like it taking on my personal touch - things melted, holes burned through, pieces were patched. With each ‘mishap’ it became stronger, more and more an individual, something personal, something with a story. I think in the end it described the struggles of the past 2 years quite aptly. It was an appropriate melding of technique and mental stress.
CUT
Making tools, artifacts of 2021 - a little uneven, a little rough around the edges Dimensions: 4x2.5x.75in Material: Copper foil, mesh, wire; crumpled & cold connected; torchfired vitreous enamels |
LETTERS FROM 2021
Envelopes from folded copper expressing the mood of conversations in 2021 Dimensions: 6x6x.5in Material: Copper foil, torchfired liquid vitreous enamel, painted wood |