After having invested heavily in plastic as a medium for my chains, I am temporarily reverting to wood.

1-2-11 chain P&R

Lightness, malleability, relative strength and the ability to take paint: these factors figured the choice to work in this medium during cabin fever season.

A quest, in whatever medium, has been to find a decent relationship between color textures and chains as such. Chains that pull and drag things around tend to have layers of worn paint, revealing portions of the underlying metal. I discovered that I can produce a rough analogue of that by floating oil paints on water and dipping the chains into the oil/water combination. Patterns and visual qualities emerge as one continues this process and a sense of history develops.