Basement Language

Examining More Than One Truth (Hypertufa II)

My artwork is made from garbage, the waste of consumption (including my own) and scrounged detritus from a carelessly littered landscape. Oddly, it is a collective portrait that exudes a sense of abandonment and loss. To further strain the edges of the gorgeous and the absurd, these paintings won’t survive unless kept indoors, hanging on a wall or put into storage bins. With a sidelong glance, I was looking at paintings that began with a question: What is sacred? and sensing them as mere precious objects.

After an exhibit of my paintings—and in general—I am asked (first) if I’ve sold anything. After I mention that I’m pursuing an MFAIA, I am asked (first) what it will be used for. Those moments clobber me, everything stops. And a space opens up:


What is Enough???


Hypertufa is an artificial stone material that is made of several different aggregates (I used peat moss + perlite) and mixed with Portland cement. It is much lighter than cement but can still withstand harsh weather conditions.

Imagine having the sense that you came here to say something, only to find it has slipped your mind > > >


Tufa, also called travertine or dripstone, is calcium carbonate, CaCO3, formed
* in stalactites, stalagmites, and other deposits in limestone caves,
* as incrustations around mouths of hot and cold calcareous springs
* along streams carrying large amounts of calcium carbonate in solution

Hypertufa has been around in Europe in various forms since the early 1800’s. It originated as a replacement for tufa sinks and troughs, which where expensive and difficult to find.

Portrait_Unknown

Parcels of Air