In Core Sample A and Core Sample B, a connection is presented to the observer. They have been created with what has been at the core of my art practice: that which supports the painting without the painting, bringing to the fore the unnoticed; on the other hand, the compression of these materials, mimicking core samples of the earth and the epoch we are in, represent a new direction for me. The materials placed within the folds of canvas are a mix of alloys, gesso, and wall plugs alluding to the polymers that presently make up a shocking 28% of the earth’s crust. The pieces should open up socratic questioning of the work’s value and my role as an artist in creating these pieces, which will eventually exist fossilized in earth’s Anthropocene layer. Can they stand alone as art about art, or is the art worth something more?
