Cipher { 830 }
30 x 24.5 inches.
This piece utilizes a graphic paper collage — made from a Japanese illustrated children’s book and images from a dinosaur dictionary — mounted on a wood panel. The code was created with acrylic, glue and painted glitter.
Note: the items used in this series are objects that were no longer useful to their owners — meaning they were either pulled from the trash, from the side
of the road, or purchased at
a thrift or second-hand store.
Cipher { 39 }
21 x 17 inches.
Purchased at a thrift store, this canvas-mounted photograph was so strangely appealing; I couldn’t keep my eyes off it.
Cipher { 6248 }
16 x 13 inches.
Inspired by a 1970s atlas ocean current illustration, this cut-paper and graphite drawing piece is mounted onto a discarded Lois Powers lithograph print.
Cipher { 48 }
21 x 17.5 x 2 inches.
This framed rooster was found discarded behind a craft mall. In terrible condition, the rooster (cut from ¼-inch hardboard) was mounted to rusted chicken wire, and the entire piece was black spray-painted. The rusted wire was unsalvageable, so I remounted the rooster to a hardboard backing. The piece was created using acrylic,
wood, glue and glitter.
Cipher { 348 }
22 x 22 inches.
Mounted to five secured wooden circles are 75 athletic trading cards from my childhood collection. My parents were purging my boyhood closet and came across a pail of cards — instead of throwing them out, I asked them to be saved for this and another Cipher piece.
Cipher { 0177 }
16 x 12 inches.
This layered piece integrates a laser print on paper, a discarded vellum clothing pattern and acrylic paint.
Cipher { 3558 }
work in progress
Finished, this piece will consist of 45 (12 x 12 inch) vinyl album covers. The albums were found, purchased at thrift stores or given specifically for this project — they are mounted to wood panels and completed with painted glitter.
Cipher { 5726 }
18 x 12 x 4.5 inches.
Purchased at a thrift store, this 1977 Coca-Cola bottling crate is solidly constructed and was left fully intact, with an additional ¼-inch hardboard inserted to contain the code.
Cipher { 975 }
22 x 22 inches.
Children’s book illustrations collaged and mounted to 11-inch wood circles. The illustrations are from discarded library books.
Cipher { 5 }
22 x 22 inches.
Found in a thrift store, I remember having a similar colorforms play set around my house growing up. Secured to the back of this piece are the vinyl accessory and optional clothing sheets.
Cipher { 8425 }
18 x 24 inches.
This work is on a discarded lithographic print of Paul Detlefsen’s Americana Scene.
The frame is original to the print, although painted for this project.
Cipher { . }
5.5 x 4.75 inches.
I liked the seeming opulence of this thrift store found decorative cameo — but closer inspection reveals a cheap plastic gold frame and a portrait on a poorly printed paper lithograph. The contradiction made this a must have for inclusion in this series.