"Bolt and Screw"

Bolt and Screw (2011) Oil, gold leaf, pumice stone on canvas 24" x 24"

So this painting is a little different in that it is more abstract and more textural.  I used goldleaf to add a sumptuous important quality to this very ordinary overlooked element in bridge architecture.  There is pumice stone mixed into the acrylic base to give it a gritty texture.  This rusted bolt and screw are on a walking bridge that traverses the thruway at Riverside Park in Buffalo.  Riverside is a Fredrick Law Olmsted Park, and it was the "park with a view" looking out over the Niagara River.  You can still go down to the river, but you have to walk over a bridge over the 190 to do so.  This bolt and screw was honestly the most beautiful thing I saw in this location.  I'm looking forward to doing a few more of these that sit on the abstract fence.  I'm finding that all of my work is seeking a history, a true history, a false history, a skewed history, but a history nonetheless.  I'm excited to work on this series as I think it has real potential to juxtapose the intention of the space with it's current condition in a way that relies more on perception... in taking this "park with a view" and confining the viewers' view, I think I can make some pretty decent commentary on city planning, shortsightedness, and the destruction of a piece of art for commercial gain (as a well designed city or park is).