materials

Sometimes folks ask me about materials.
Originally, I wanted things to actually work: the pencils, the matches, the slingshot, the shotgun, the bass guitar, but this is beyond my skill (and not too safe). the slingshot is made of stretchable material (nylon and poly-vinyl acetate) but I doubt you could throw a pebble very far with it! I made the pencils early on, and stuck real graphite and real erasers in there so they'd "work", and it satisfied me at the time. A few months ago I replaced one eraser with bubble gum. thanks to Steve L and Demetri K for the idea, and to Brian B for his comments. I'm glad i did it, it's more consistent with how the project is now.


But I don't need everything to be what it isn't. I don't want to hinder the process by strictly avoiding "things that aren't what they are". If I do that I will never finish, and it won't be fun. Ultimately they're just props in a story.
For instance, the beer can is aluminum, but it's cut from flashing, then painted and rolled and glued. the envelope is paper, but it's an envelope shape cut from a larger sheet of paper and then painted and folded and glued. the "toilet paper tube" in the Trophy is cardboard, but it's cut, painted and rolled bristol board embellished with blotter paper.


next pencil I make will likely have burnt wood for a tip and, yes, bubble gum for an eraser, but the crown will still be aluminum, just like in a real pencil, because it's fun to shape and emboss and affix, and because it's such a beautiful material. I try to find a satisfactory balance with each piece.

traveling scholars show is up

Here are links to excerpts from Drey's diary and from Brian's movie project. also excerpts from the Sparkleton Crier: Erasers arrive in Error, Yo-yo Found in Woods, Wooly's on Fire for Several Minutes, and an interview with a resident of the Sparklehampton Rest Home.















The bed, rug, diary, hunting cap, slingshot and cake balls are in progress. when finished, the bed will have the same "faux" appearance as the other furniture. the rug, which is painted newspaper, will be larger.

for this show, my sketches for things to make and things already made are on the outside walls, along with ideas for drey's bird comic, squirly mag, taxidermy, etc. All the written excerpts (the computer printouts) will eventually be incorporated into the diary, newspaper and screenplay by hand-lettering.

traveling scholars opening

many thanks to Joanna Soltan, David Powers, Ross Normandin, Asher, Amelia, the rest of the exhibitions staff, and to David, Kate and Nathan. many thanks also to my friends and family who were kind enough to pose for blurry pix.























black framed pix by eve or bart