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Art from found flotsam and jetsam

JANUARY 6, 2009
Black Fish

Black Fish
New black plastic sculpture series made from,
recycled petroleum based plastic by products post consumer waste.
 
The minds eye,where the ideas come alive
I have had the good fortune of having  been formerly trained to work with thumbnails, since my high school days some forty years ago. I had a wonderful teacher in the ninth grade at the high school of art and design named Mr. Wheply.He claimed and rightly so that if you could not work out your compositional elements in a two by three inch format painting it on a barn wall would not make a difference. I am like an old workhorse now I do thumb nails with out even thinking.
Endless source of free material

This represents about a five-mile walk, a mile down a mile back and three miles of beach picking. The black plastic I choose is based on the object I am constructing. The three s’s are at work here sand, sea, and salt all work to brake down the plastic nicely and make gluing much easer. I carry all selections back to the shop in a recyclable plastic bag that I hook like a hobo to the end of my walking stick. Its great to have such a wonderful source of material so close to the studio not self-service you must pick it yourself.  The walking is relaxing the sea helps me think, and I cannot beat the prices for the raw material
 
What the Sea Old Captain saw.

Strange New York Harbor Sightings June 1898
This is an artist’s depiction of what was claimed to have been witnessed by Captain Jack Mathers June 20 1898, and his companion Maggie Milroy. Sounds of hissing and clanking were reported to have been heard by the startled couple as they sat quietly by the calm harbors edge. No photos or any other witnesses have come forward requarding this event, so this is still a bit of a local mystery. The captain swears that it was French; he kept repeating she was French. However given the couples physical condition, many believe that this could simply have been an apparition as a result of to much seaside comfort grog.


 
Early Submarine
This is an early and very rare German submersible gunboat. More of a torpedo boat then a submarine, she was based on early Italian torpedo boats. Designed as a blockade-runner, and capable of launching two sixty-pound steam powered black powder torpedoes at full attack speed she packed a  very lethal punch. Years ahead in design she had a coal fired very rare steam turbine and could reach speeds of 28 knots, the problem was the material she was constructed of cold rolled steel and iron. She was riveted in many spots, and as result of the very high pressures the first two prototypes blew up in early sea trials, as result the funds were cut. This extremely advanced war ship she was just a step or two out of sync with the materials of her day and years ahead of the curve in terms of innovation.
Oyster Steamer
Designed and built by Captain Cornelius Spollen 1908
An extremely simple and practical costal shallow water steamer
Used primarily by New Jersey and New York oyster men.
Built entirely in Perth Amboy N J this Yankee fishing boat was considered the workhorse of the local fisheries. She could burn coal, cruder barrel oil or wood, even driftwood. With very few moving parts, repairs were easily, made, and repairs at sea was not uncommon.
She had a top speed of twelve knots, a speedster for a workboat of her size in her day. She single handily opened the doors to the pyridine shift to powered boats sifting from sail
 to steam.
 
The Little Boat that could

I have sort of given up on priests and polticians the world is currently sinking in a sea of lies greed and false promises. Yet I remain an eternal optimist a dreamer, As a result I tend to gravitate to imagery that tends to be more optimistic then not. The title of this print is “Give me everything She’s Got”. Hard work and good old-fashioned Yankee make do-ism yes very old fashioned, but sorry its still works
 
© 2024 Chris Spollen