Fun With Scraps

Everyone I know that works with wood deals with the same debate, what to do with scraps --when are the worth saving and when are they destined for the scrap bucket. It is always a tough call because there is always a theoretical future use for all scraps. However, it is easy to become suffocated by a pile of tiny pieces that will never find a purpose. As I started a couple of new pieces recently, I had a bunch of small pieces that I couldn't allow myself to throw away. Thankfully, they were still laying around when I took a break from the new work, giving me a chance play with them, along with a few other older scraps that were just too chunky to go in the BTU pile.  

 December 2014a

acrylic and varnish on wood

10.5" x 5.5" x 2.25"

2014

I enjoyed pairing them together and examining different ways they could be assembled -- looking at the relationships, interactions, and figuring out the configurations that resonated with me.

  December 2014b

acrylic and varnish on wood

14.75" x 4.75" x 2.25"

2014

I like how they are simple pairings, just two pieces that somehow seem made for each other, by pure chance alone.

  December 2014c

acrylic and varnish on wood

13.5" x 7" x 3.5"

2014

I also like how the sculptures gave me a canvas on which to create playful/thoughtless miniature paintings. I don't know what it is about those shapes, but I do love them, and how they reflect the shape of the overall sculpture. But the thing I love most about them is the blend of colors. They are so full of surprising interactions that I can't plan or predict but just seem to work no matter what I do.

 December 2014c (closeup)

I love the complete line, or wave, of the brush stroke too. I feel that each of the paintings are interesting and beautiful on their own.

  December 2014d

acrylic and varnish on wood

14.25" x 12" x 3.5"

2014

They inspire me to think of ways of blowing them up and making a large one.

December 2014d (closeup) 

I'll need to let the idea sit a while before I can act on it, but I feel it is something I'll need to see at some point, once I figure out how to do it.

 December 2014e

acrylic and varnish on wood

21" x 8.5" x 2.25"

2014

Anyway, these were fun to make, and I find them fun to look at, and they give me inspiration for future pieces. Stay tuned.