Friday, January 23, 2009

The Obelisk is Finished


After a lot of hard work the sculpture for the Queens Museum is finished. Carol and I are happy with the results and found out what is is like to build and instal a large work while having to take care of a baby at the same time. Dante was with us during the entire installation and required as much if not more attention that what we were putting into the sculpture. So, it was a good thing that we had a little over a week to instal the work because we needed it.
I was very happy I took so much time in the early stages to really plan out exactly how I was going to design and build the structure. There were many drawings done on post-its, napkins and any paper that was handy when I got an idea of how it should be constructed. At the same time the sketches were coming, foam core models were being built while I had free time at work. These models proved to be some of the best ways for me to realize the basic proportions that the obelisk would take. Once the form was down the materials were decided on. 2x4s were finally chosen as the foundation for the structure. One the materials were chosen, the scale models were built to insure the structure would be sound. I was thinking that once the full scale piece was built, I would have to reinforce it with crossbeams but the design turned out to be more sturdy than expected and we were able to keep the sides free from extra lines.
I will post more about the different elements when I have detail photos. Until then I hope you can make it out to The Queens Museum to see the work.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Scale Model


My scale model of the obelisk is done. I had to make a couple of them in order to get all of the pieces to fit together right but I am real happy that I took the time to work out the angles at home instead if during the installation. I was able to fine tune the work and will be better able to handle the problems that may occur while constructing the full size one.
In the picture there is the pyramid in the background that is at full scale and will sit on top of the obelisk. The model obelisk is 3.5 ft tall and will be 14 ft tall in full scale. With the pyramid on top the whole structure will be a little over 16 ft tall. The plan is to leave the construction elements visible with two of the sides covered in drywall from the inside so that the wood elements remain visible on the outside. There will be no cross beams for support but will rely in the two solid walls to remain upright. The base will have drywall all around two feet from the bottom and will be filled with a heavy material to keep it from tipping over.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Big Obelisk is coming to Queens Museum


I have just finished getting all the angles right for the top of my obelisk that will be shown at the queens museum. I still have to work out all of the angles for the obelisk but this pyramid is done. It is the same dimension as the pyramids of the big egyptian ones and will sit on top of the obelisk. This is a pretty stressful project because I know it will be seen by a lot of people and I want it to work out. I am running out of time to work all of the kink out but I know it will get finished. It has to. It really feels good to finish this part of the piece because it was the most complex part for me. I learned a lot or building this or it may be that calculating angles has come back after I thought I forgot how to do basic geometry. Whatever the case I will be building a quarter scale model of the obelisk to make sure I have it right before building the 14 footer. With the pyramid on top the whole sculpture will be about 16 ft tall.

On the note of sculpture, I will have it be known that this is the first piece I have ever made. It is amazing to me how a person like myself who has never considered sculpture an option will be in my first proper NY show with one.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!


Happy New Year! I thought this image was appropriate for the start of 2009. It is another work that is part of the star theme I have been into for a while. It has a large element of randomness in the process in the way the piece was laid out. For example, I placed random 'dots' on the paper with pen and pencil until I liked the placement and groupings that were created with these points. I then let it 'rest' for a couple of days. I knew there was more that I wanted to do with it because it didn't feel finished and when I got back to my studio a couple of days later I decided that I wanted to fill up the page with markers so I started adding five lines from each point. It reminded me of stars and also of the way fireworks start from the center and work their way outward.

I would also like to mention the use of markers as opposed to paint for this work and many other works i have been making in my series. Don't get me wrong I love paint and what I can make with it but I have been falling in love with the way everyday office materials make marks. The pencil is a regular sight on a desk and is such a versatile tool and has been used for so many different things. The ballpoint ben becomes a little more difficult to manipulate but there is a quality to the way it presses on the paper and the way the ink is released that allows for slight variations even with the same amount of pressure being applied to the mark. I also am infatuated with the way markers are absorbed by the paper. The ink doesn't just sit on the surface but becomes part of the paper and eventually the marker dries up but it still creates a beautiful mark.