Sunday, May 12, 2013

Deciding my future is like reading a scattering of bones

Every year I start out in a similar way by incidentally cleaning up my backyard and finding my work from the previous year. I usually have no interest in continuing my work on frescoes and/or pieces of artistic fabrication, but as I pick up the broken pieces the ideas of what I had done previously perk my curiosity. I sort through my yard, which resembles more of a war zone to prepare for a dump run and analyze as I go what survived the water, mud and wind. What survived and what didn't? What is useful and what isn't? What is aesthetically pleasing and what isn't? These are my three major deciding factors and not surprisingly there aren't many things that are worth continuing into any future production.

The year I realized that the things that were made extremely thin, buckled and broke. Things that were made without anchors came apart or separated from their frames. Things that were covered by thick layers of protective coatings had no texture and were not appealing, even though they survived and were easy to clean. I still like things that are useful, because things like tables and windows are around because they are in use. Some things are good half baked ideas, but due to the expense or lack of defining motivation, I haven't any reason to pursue them. So where did the bones land and what is worth pursuing into the future?

A few pieces with epoxy coatings as the top surface are the most interesting survivors because they did not bend or break and could easily be picked out of the rubble. Some cement pieces were also survivor's but their overall weight was not appealing. Some pieces that had plywood holding them together were indeed the strongest when it came to structures, but that is for more of a backing and building concept, not an aesthetic factor. As the day lingered on and I found some of my left over materials I started the cycle again by pouring a thin gel-coat layer of epoxy in a brick mold using marble and red pigment for a brick like finish.

In the end an exterior tile is sort of what I am after, but without a kiln. I found a piece of backing that is supposed to be used as a backing when attaching tile to a bathroom wall and I am thinking about sandwiching that as a panel in between the epoxy and a grout filling on the other side. The epoxy is a very-weather resistant material, but because it absorbs heat it's most likely not a good exterior finish. The layering of a flat surface that can work as a backing for other materials like grout is a way to keep the epoxy stable, as well as, provide an interface for finishing the other side. Even if the other side is sealed with plywood instead of cements or tile like materials the idea that the epoxy is bonded to something that can work like strong back surface is good for keeping the epoxy in the frame. I have considered using inserts for the back side, but the back side finish is only important once a purpose or final use for these frames is determined and I haven't figured out where these pieces can find a final use. I am building them with the idea that they may be a component of a larger piece, used on their own as a table or even used as decoration without a specific functional used. Ideally this layering of materials should create a stable weather-resistant pieces that are dimensionally stable for years and years.

Other projects worth mention are the epoxy emblem base and the carbon fiber backed canvas. Both of these items are potentially useful in making emblems or stickers and possibly they can even be used together. As for t-shirt creations that are only mentioned here because I don't have time to post these concepts elsewhere is the split peel transfer as a way to make a soft feeling screen printed design that can be processed like a heat set transfer. The fact is that t-shirts are still my cash crop, so I am better served to print and develop t-shirt ideas for my day job and to keep this photo fresco stuff as a extra-curricular activity. I am working on a way to compete with DiscountMugs.com, a discount t-shirt printing company, in order to increase my sales of custom screen printing jobs and by doing this I should be able to keep moving forward, without having to sell anything, with my research into the photo-fresco concept.

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