Having always been interested in art from a very young age, I began to take classes in art and creation while attending college at Loyola University in Maryland. I have continued to use the techniques and skills I have gained there to forge a new take on art, one that combines the old, tarnished look of the past with the contemporary. With this dichotomy, then, I have been able use art not simply as a medium to convey my interests and individuality, but also as a means to gain the attention of all types of audiences. Combining antiquity with more modern, even unconventional, media, I have begun to change the way I view the art world, and hopefully have begun to change the views of my peers.
This wall piece combines the techniques I have developed over the years working in a neon sign shop with the art movement known as the Found Object. The Found Object simply is taking found items and putting them together in a way that is new, unique, and different from the original purposes of the objects. In this particular piece, I have taken plexiglass circles and used them as a frame to sandwich white neon, giving a bright, halo-like glow to the surrounding wall’s backdrop. The plexiglass was then treated with acrylic paints to give a weathered, rustic look to the piece, with accents of patina green to complement the copper channels that surround it. Inside the “window” at the center of the plexiglass are clock gears created by manipulating copper metal and gold colored aluminum to foster an industrial feel for the interior. These gears can also be seen on the outside of the piece, springing from the inside and complementing the nuts and bolts that are fastened to the exterior. The objects that were found for the piece are those that can be seen on the outside, namely a camera, old black-and-white photos, and a functional clock at the upper right corner, as well as a non-functional clock at the bottom left. The idea behind the piece was to combine different media, some created, some found, that tell a theme. On the left half of the clock, I have chosen to depict time standing still, locked into place as a fleeting memory that slowly turns to black-and-white, but still always remains a part of one’s stable conscious. On the right side, time is seen as a constantly moving entity, always perpetuating forward and moving contrary to our ephemeral memory. The piece represents the sharp contrast between kairos and chronos, and suggests that time is not something easily defined, but rather must be experienced and deciphered.
This wall piece combines the techniques I have developed over the years working in a neon sign shop with the art movement known as the Found Object. The Found Object simply is taking found items and putting them together in a way that is new, unique, and different from the original purposes of the objects. In this particular piece, I have taken plexiglass circles and used them as a frame to sandwich white neon, giving a bright, halo-like glow to the surrounding wall’s backdrop. The plexiglass was then treated with acrylic paints to give a weathered, rustic look to the piece, with accents of patina green to complement the copper channels that surround it. Inside the “window” at the center of the plexiglass are clock gears created by manipulating copper metal and gold colored aluminum to foster an industrial feel for the interior. These gears can also be seen on the outside of the piece, springing from the inside and complementing the nuts and bolts that are fastened to the exterior. The objects that were found for the piece are those that can be seen on the outside, namely a camera, old black-and-white photos, and a functional clock at the upper right corner, as well as a non-functional clock at the bottom left. The idea behind the piece was to combine different media, some created, some found, that tell a theme. On the left half of the clock, I have chosen to depict time standing still, locked into place as a fleeting memory that slowly turns to black-and-white, but still always remains a part of one’s stable conscious. On the right side, time is seen as a constantly moving entity, always perpetuating forward and moving contrary to our ephemeral memory. The piece represents the sharp contrast between kairos and chronos, and suggests that time is not something easily defined, but rather must be experienced and deciphered.