What We Found

Painting with Fire

2007-05-01T15:50:00.002-07:00

Episode 23, in which we explore the properties of copper.

This was our last class day before our exhibit, so we were choosing which of our finished pieces to show.

But Joe Willie couldn't resist giving another materials lesson when he saw Emily attaching copper wire to her work. Watch Emily experiment with coloring copper by heating it with a propane torch.

Last Work Day

2007-04-24T17:24:00.001-07:00

Episode 22, in which Cheryl creates the Osama Bin Laden Peekaboo Metronome.

This is our last full work day. Next Tuesday, we will show our finished pieces and make selections for what goes in the First Friday art show at PC Downtown.

Making a Flag

2007-04-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

Episode 21 of What We Found, in which Cheryl discovers the scent of spent shotgun shells. Be glad "scratch and sniff" hasn't come to the web.

This is a U.S. flag made of items found at Table Mesa Road, where people go for target practice without the inconvenience of supervision and clean-up. The background is quarter-inch plywood, bullet-ridden. The red strips are spent shells. I made the blue field by applying cyanotype solution to some targets I found, and the stars are shotgun shell primers I removed. All the items used were found within a 25 foot radius, and there's miles of this junk.

Studio Works in Progress

2007-04-17T07:28:00.001-07:00

Episode 20, in which we all make progress on our projects.

I was trying to make a large oval "button" out of a piece of oak salvaged from the railroad tracks, but ended up dropping and breaking my piece. Not to worry though, that's just wood telling me it wants to be a different shape. I salvaged the busted pieces and they will likely become some nice jewelry.

Cave Creek

2007-04-10T18:34:00.002-07:00

Episode 19, in which Cheryl photographs bugs, er, doing it.

And we see a Gila monster! We visited a riparian area northeast of Phoenix. Since many desert plants are protected, I took only photographs. They're available on Flickr.

More Cyanotype During Studio Time

2007-04-03T17:01:00.001-07:00

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Episode 18, in which Cheryl forgets her camera and vlogs from her cell phone.

I shared cyanotype with my fellow students during studio time today. Dale, Richard and Joe Willie made sun prints with me. I'll post photos of the good ones later.

Surplus

2007-03-27T21:13:00.002-07:00

Episode 17, in which Cheryl sees much but finds nothing.

Today we visited enormous surplus centers, one in Mesa, and ASU's surplus yard. we also stopped by a framing shop with an attached gallery, but by that time I had seen so much stuff I was worn out.

I didn't know what I was looking for, and consequently, I didn't find anything.

Can you believe how much stuff people throw out in this country? Damn.

Music: Los Alamos traffic by Flopsy from podsafeaudio.com.

Cyanotype Sun Prints

2007-03-25T21:26:00.002-07:00

Episode 16, in which Cheryl makes prints from found objects.

After sensitizing my paper yesterday, I spent a few hours making prints from some of the materials I gathered. I hope you enjoy seeing the process come to fruition.

Music: Pueblo by Gringo Motel, from podsafeaudio.com.

Cyanotype Prep

2007-03-24T23:30:00.001-07:00

Episode 15, in which Cheryl prepares cyanotype solution.

I decided to use some of the objects I found to create sun prints, so I bought cyanotype chemistry from Bostick & Sullivan. You mix solution and you can apply it to just about any paper or fabric in order to sensitize it to ultraviolet light. After you expose it, you rinse the light-sensitive chemical off with water.

This video is part one, where I prep some watercolor paper for exposure. My next post will show the exposure process and end result. Stay tuned.

Mid-Term Show and Tell

2007-03-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Episode 14, in which we show and tell.

This video is just over ten minutes long. That's because everyone spends a minute or two showing a project and sharing a little about the materials and creative process. You'll see completed work made from the stuff you've watched us find and work with so far. Enjoy!

Sculpture Exhibition

2007-03-13T00:52:00.001-07:00

Episode 13, in which Cheryl gives you a private tour of the Sculpture Exhibition at Scottsdale Community College.

We're on Spring Break this week, so there's no finding to show you. I hope this video will keep you entertained until class resumes. When I was leaving Scottsdale Community College campus on Friday, they had just finished installing this sculpture exhibition featuring work by SCC Art students. It's running through March 30^th and you can get more information and find out about the reception at the Art Department's Events site.

This episode features the song "Bread" by Stone Jack Jones, from podsafeaudio.com.

Finding New Materials

2007-03-09T21:26:00.001-07:00

Episode 12, in which Cheryl finds some new materials for experimentation.

I'll be messing with this stuff over Spring Break. Hopefully I can come up with something interesting.

Table Mesa Road

2007-03-06T19:29:00.003-07:00

Episode 11, in which destruction contains the seeds of creation.

There's this spot about 30 minutes north of Phoenix that gives access to one of the man-made lakes Arizona uses in an attempt to store water. It's the kind of place my dad used to take us when I was a kid, to camp and fish and enjoy the outdoors. The rule was, always leave the area in better condition than you found it. We used to pack out any trash we saw as well as any that we made.

So I was shocked to see how people abuse the site today. People take everything from coffee cans to coffee tables out into the desert and blow it away with all manner of guns. Then they just leave it there, along with their expended bullets and empty cartridges and shell boxes. The area is a big dry wash, and when it rains, all the water flows into the lake, carrying in every bit of toxic waste left behind.

So the place is a mass of contradiction. The beauty of the Sonoran desert astounds me, and the debris deluge turns my stomach.

You know what an artist has to do with this wealth of material.

Create.

We went out and foraged, then had a picnic near the lake, and Joe Willie Smith and I collaborated on a twig sculpture, which will probably be shot to kindling over the weekend. But you can see it here.

May 20, 2007, Update:

This video has been selected to screen at Pixelodeon!

Spin It and Run

2007-02-27T23:15:00.001-07:00

Episode 10, in which Cheryl tells Joe Willie Smith to spin it and run.

I swear, I love how much I get to play in this class, and that my teacher is free to play, too. Spending my semester this way is one of my better decisions.

Have a look at what my fellow students worked on today:

a ... propeller ... thing
a mask
a kinetic mobile
a metal sculpture

I did more sandblasting today. Specifically, I blasted some ugly green paint off of a wood frame purchased for under $1 at the As Is Yard. The sandblasting revealed the grain of the wood nicely. Joe Willie also sliced a piece of oak for me, and it's gorgeous.

Unfortunately, while I'm doing my own work I forget to yank out the video camera. I'll try to do better next week and show you how my own work is coming along.

Urban Freak Studies

2007-02-20T21:49:00.002-07:00

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Episode 9, in which we perform a classic carnival freak show during lunch.

Today was a foraging day, but I forgot my video camera. Luckily guest vlogger Dale Doubleday had her video camera.

I did bring a still camera, so I can show you photos of where we went and what we saw.

Our first stop was Apache Reclamation & Electronics, which is just this space, both a building and a yard, containing reclaimed items from industry. They had a little bit of everything, including chemistry supplies, and boy was it cool.

Joe Willie and I wanted to make a printing press with some of these rollers.

I dearly wanted a way to take these shelves home. I'd have to rent a flatbed truck.

We ate lunch and performed our carnival act at La Canasta. Delicious food!

We ended the day with some hard core thrifting. It was a blast.

Seed Pods

2007-02-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

No video today. I was too busy using studio time.

Remember my gathering seed pods to make a rattle? Well, I used them today in class. I scanned them, then used Photoshop to turn the scan into a silhouette of the shapes. I used the printout as a stencil for etching glass with a sandblaster. So I spent the entire class time cutting seed pod shapes out of contact paper and sticking them to the green glass bottle I found. Then I put it in a sandblaster and etched around the shapes to put a pattern on the glass. You'll see how it turned out soon.

Meanwhile, the silhouette image is available on Flickr under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license. Drop me a line if you do something cool with it.

Highway Foraging on I-17

2007-02-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

Episode 8, in which Cheryl and her mom find the number 8.

Appropriate, huh?

We met for a birthday lunch, but I managed to turn it into a finding opportunity. And a sunburn opportunity. But we found nifty animal bones and metal bits.

Santa Fe Railroad

2007-02-06T20:44:00.001-07:00

Episode 7, in which we threaten national security.

For today's class we walked a couple of miles along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks, foraging for metal, glass, interesting rocks and wood. It's not shown in the video, but Joe Willie found an amazing 18 inch piece of beautifully weathered oak, and let me tell you, it was heavy. He's going to give me a slice of it for one of my projects. As you watch, keep an eye out for our impromptu xylophone. We left it out by the tracks for any wandering musicians that might happen by.

Studio Work Day

2007-01-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

Episode 6, in which we work in the studio with what we've found so far.

Richard works out his opinions on weighing in. Joe Willie helps out with ideas for transforming objects. Dale creates a beautiful lady out of fabric and natural materials. Esmerelda begins designing an altar. And I'm working with a cigar box, egg shells and an old doll's head, though I spent most of the time removing seeds from their pods.

Music: El Coradobes by Gringo Motel, from podsafeaudio.com.

Random Saturday Foraging

2007-01-27T23:04:00.001-07:00

Episode 5, in which Cheryl loses her nerve.

For class, we are asked to document our resources. I've taken that to heart and am making note whenever I see something that might be of use to fellow students, even if I don't want it. I'm also trying to document anything I pick up for myself, even if I'm not sure how I'll use it. With that goal in mind, here are the resources shown in the video:

Scottsdale Community College, behind the art building:

discarded gym equipment may yield interesting metal bits and other parts, but you should probably ask around and see if it's okay before just nabbing stuff
Desert landscaped areas contain cool natural materials, like tumbleweeds and seed pods
Any college campus is probably a good place to find miscellaneous stuff discarded by maintenance - I found rusty wire and wood

The former greenbelt at Chapparal & Hayden Roads in Scottsdale has lots of:

driftwood
freshwater shells
lost golf balls
the occasional dead waterfowl with pretty feathers

Camelback Road & Arcadia Lane in Phoenix:

red brick rubble
metal
pipe

Looks like a car wreck. I don't know if the brick is owned by a homeowner, the city, or maybe a neighborhood association, but I doubt anyone would miss a bit of it.

Making a Rattle

2007-01-26T13:00:00.001-07:00

Episode 4, in which Cheryl finds a little friend.

I teach at Scottsdale Community College on Fridays. I foraged in a desert landscaped area there after class and came up with materials I can use to make a rattle.

Exploiting Materials

2007-01-25T10:23:00.003-07:00

Episode 3.5, in which we learn about exploiting materials. Shrink wrap, in this case.

This is an excerpt from January 23, when we visited Joe Willie Smith's home studio. He's taking the opportunity to give us a mini-lecture on why it's good to know the origin, uses and properties of the materials we find.

As-Is Yard and Joe Willie's Home Studio

2007-01-23T16:06:00.003-07:00

Episode 3, in which Cheryl is enchanted by a doorbell.

For our second class meeting, we went to the local As-Is Yard, otherwise known as the Goodwill Clearance Outlet at 17^th and Villa Streets. Joe Willie advised me not to use my camera inside so there's not much footage from there, but you'll get to see what we found there in a future episode.

After a quick lunch at the Ranch Market, we got a tour of Joe Willie's home and studio. The wonderful chaos that you see in the video is a drop in the bucket.

Music: Lil' Rooster by Gringo Motel, from podsafeaudio.com.

Alley Foraging

2007-01-20T17:04:00.001-07:00

Episode Two, in which Cheryl forages in an alley and encounters an indecisive dog.

For class, we were supposed to begin by foraging near where we go every day. So I decided to detour into a few alleys in my neighborhood. I found wood from a broken chair, an unusual metal ... uh ... thing, a laptop keyboard, ceramic tile, and a no. 2 pencil.

Introducing: What We Found

2007-01-16T22:16:00.002-07:00

Episode One, in which Cheryl gets a multi-tool.