Nice weather, a substantial amount of basic material, a collection of experimental artifacts and a weed burner led to these objects. It boils down to the discovery that, sufficiently heated, acrylic plastic will deform and and fuse together, one item to another.

 

 

In this instance I had some acrylic cutouts for a project that wasn’t working out. I melted them together with the result that a draped effect emerged with an enrichment of colors and surfaces. Roughly three feet across.

This represents a free wheeling approach where a number of elements came together. The mish was so mashed that, in the interests of some uniformity, I gave it a single color.  It’s interesting how the whole thing resembles welding in metal in that pieces can be tacked on and integrated through the judicious application of the flame.

 

The heat can bake the plastic somewhat like bread. There are some surfaces here that have assumed an alligatoring like something you might see at a bake shop.

 

 

An application of silver paint to unify the object.  Roughly four feet high. Making allowances for structural and handling issues there is no real limit to how large such assemblages can be made.

 

Overall a rather humble piece with spiky appendages composed of ceramic items left over from another time. This melting approach allows for the incorporation of a variety of elements – in this case stuff that has a personal history.

 

 

A nice gooey example.

 

 

An aspect of this that I rather like is the presence of  a certain subdued detail within a simple shape overall.

There’s a lot of room for more work to be done if not, necessarily, to be stored.