The Smelt Series
September2021
Created on Lasqueti Island and Vancouver B.C.
Works listed in order
︎ The Large Plexiglass:
plexiglass, oil pastel, collage
46”x 34”
︎ A Good Bud:
oil and smelted cans on dropcloth
30”x 24”
︎ Effigy:
alder carving, oil paint, sheep hair,
broken mirrors, mortar
13”x 3”x 3”
︎ Trash Compactor:
oil paint and beer cans on canvas
40”x 30”
︎ Can Collector:
oil paint, diatamaceous gravel,
collage and beer cans on drop cloth
30”x 24”
︎ Acid Can:
oil, spray paint and beer cans on
canvas
28”x 42”
︎ Butterfly Inferno:
oil and spray paint on canvas
24”x 60”
The Smelt Series was created by combining waste with the decadent traditional mediums of painting and drawing. This effort is directed towards achieving a sense of equilibrium within the two types of material. To elevate detritus to the status of art without destabilizing the place of the artwork.
This series was produced by the generosity of a good friend permitting the use of their unused attachment after having rid it of the pests that had nested there. I used the space as a temporary studio where I created these works living off-grid in the summer of 2021. The drawing component was made possible by the life drawing sessions that occurred weekly on island. In each session, the last drawing was reserved for only drawing what I truly saw. These ‘true’ life drawings feature the metaphysical aspects of the model’s characters.
The value and prices attached to the works also have a correlation to the mediums with which they were produced. Works that are made of newer materials and hardly any garbage are considered more valuable than those that have been burdened with excessive post-consumer materials.
This series was produced by the generosity of a good friend permitting the use of their unused attachment after having rid it of the pests that had nested there. I used the space as a temporary studio where I created these works living off-grid in the summer of 2021. The drawing component was made possible by the life drawing sessions that occurred weekly on island. In each session, the last drawing was reserved for only drawing what I truly saw. These ‘true’ life drawings feature the metaphysical aspects of the model’s characters.
The value and prices attached to the works also have a correlation to the mediums with which they were produced. Works that are made of newer materials and hardly any garbage are considered more valuable than those that have been burdened with excessive post-consumer materials.
