Friday, March 8, 2013

Friday art has many forms

Today just demonstrated to me that art practice has so many facets and forms. Today I went shopping for 400 nuts, bolts and washers for the 50m placemaking pathway sculpture thingy; Fiona and I attended a planning meeting for the art-culture exchange to Tatebayashi in Japan in late May; we  repainted our photo curve  for a artists book photo shoot of the next couple of days; we also repainted some display pedestals for Susan's works for the Printmaking exhibition at Easter; and I photographed Shards and Leaf Litter - pieces that I finished yesterday - they are to go into rural exhibitions -competitions in April and May. So it is not just all about doing the art work then???

First some photos of the stains the timber and rusted iron from Shards have left on the cement  outside The Shed - the results of rain and the curing process.

©2013 Barry Smith - Wood and rust stains on the concrete slab - 1
©2013 Barry Smith - Wood and rust stains on the concrete slab  - 2
©2013 Barry Smith - Wood and rust stains on the concrete slab - 3
Some photos of the Shard in the small gravelled area outside the Shed where I tend to show my larger works. The Shard pieces now have their heavy rusted metal bases - tends to finish them off and they can be staked into the ground or bolted to a concrete slab.

©2013 Barry Smith - Shards - finished with bases - and book stacks in the background
©2013 Barry Smith - Shards - finished with bases
And some photos of Leaf Litter - a triptych of larger rusted 3mm plate steel. They have now been bent to form and have holes drilled in them for staking to the ground or bolting to a wall or concrete slab. Fiona helped me bend the leaf forms by hand over a pipe in the outside vice.

©2013 Barry Smith - Leaf Litter - bit of movement in the folds
©2013 Barry Smith - Leaf Litter 
©2013 Barry Smith - Leaf Litter 


Shards and Leaf Litter both need to do a bit more curing in the open before heading off to the exhibitions. The photos were taken late in the day with fading light and a little bit of precipitation. Off now to have a red wine and a casual dinner with Fiona's folks.

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful rust today, Barry!! Both pieces are beautiful. Love that the leaf litter looks as though it might just blow away. I imagine its a bit heavier than it appears? Well, hard to get the scale from the photos. Hope dinner was lovely.

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  2. Hello, Barry.

     Your heartwarming works fascinates my heart.

     Thank you for your kindness and support.
     And i pray for you and yours peace.

    Have a good week-end. From Japan, ruma❃

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  3. You seem to have been very busy, all looking good, we brought the humidty home but no rain to speak of.

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  4. My first visit to your blog, I came here via Ruma's blog.
    Lovely pieces of art! Loved those Leaf's so real and life like!!
    I will visit again, have a lovely weekend Barry :)

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  5. VA, AA, Ruma, P & A - rust lovers of the world unite. Thanks for your feedback. VA - the largest 'leaf' is over 1m long - so the triptych is quite significant - won't blow away easily. AA - thanks. Ruma - thanks and positive vibes to you and your folk. P - hope that humidity turns into a little rain - we are still having rain showers every day. A - thank you for visiting - great that you could come via Ruma - hope to 'see' you again. All - go well. B

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  6. Great rust, B, both your finished work and your marks on the ground. The leaves are wonderful and the shards are magnificent. Your work is so varied, from precious tiny things to huge, but it all sings. Well done.

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  7. Your leaf litter is wonderful Barry. I love the idea of coming upon it in a natural setting and discovering it. When you say "cure" does this mean it has been treated to stop further rust, or will the leaves continue to change? I suppose a purchaser may expect permanence, but I prefer the thought that your leaves, like nature's leaves will eventually return to the earth.

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Comments are welcomed - it is good to connect with fellow travellers.