JAM FINE ARTS

This project took me about 6 months from concept to installing it and taking pictures yesterday. Once the photos were in the can I was so relieved that I got everything done that I had a good cry.

This piece celebrates the power of the sun. In addition to playing with optics and light effects like all of my other pieces, this one harvests photons with solar collectors and photo-luminescent pigment. As my daughter informed me the piece has an Easter egg...when it gets dark this piece glows like a bioluminescent cove in a tropical paradise. The underpainting has a layer of a pigment called Blue Lit that glows from beneath the transparent and translucent beads.

The solar powered elements soak up sunlight all day and then when it gets dark enough they turn on their fairy lights.

I plan to exhibit "Solar Panels" for the Elmhurst Artist Guild's Winter Member's Show. The Guild has a 40" max width for the show so "Solar Panels" will be installed vertically. That will be fun to see!

Below is a video, shots of the piece in daylight, twilight, and dark modes, the prep studies, and a spin-off bowl that I made while making solar panels.

When I was a new student studying sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago I was very aware of a collaborative miniature golf project that lots of artists were working on. It wound up being wildly popular.

Recently, the same group of artists put out a call for entries that they are doing it again—this time in partnership with the Elmhurst Art Museum. After Elmhurst, it is expected to travel to other art centers in the midwest.

This is the time to resurrect an immersive/interactive project like this. Interactive exhibits are all the rage with traveling Kusama installation shows, Meow Wolf, and the new Flyboy exhibit, etc. Sure, they're Instagram traps, but they are also totally fun.

Anyway, I just submitted my proposal "Swinging Round the Rings of Saturn." The objective of the hole is to navigate your probe (golf ball) through the dynamic ice fields of the rings of Saturn to explore the planet. The bird's eye footprint view of the roughly 82"x132" putting enclosure minus cutout is shown above. It features a black Astroturf playing surface that will be embroidered with strong, flat iridescent ribbon into a representation of the rings of Saturn.

Yes. This is going to be a PITA. I'm guessing that I'll have to build the platform in pieces including the Astroturf so I can manage. I'm having visions of not being able to get a carpet needle through the turf and having to drill holes for the ribbon. Also, the individual stitches will have to be pretty short so it doesn't get stuck in pointy shoes.

The planet Saturn will be a 3D, cut out hemisphere that conforms to the footprint—unless there is room for me to do a full hemisphere, which is what I want to do. I will try to use recycled/salvaged materials wherever possible on Saturn and throughout the installation.

{(Edit 1/9/2019) Thinking of making Saturn out of a second-hand disco ball. I think most have foam cores which is perfect if I have to crop the sphere to stay within the footprint of the mini golf hole. I am pretty sure I will do a layer of open-weave mosaic embellishment over the mirror. I am very excited about doing this and I'm about to make a piece over a mercury glass globe vase as a study. New brag! Disco balls are my primer. I'm going to see a guy about a second-hand 20" disco ball tomorrow.}
 
On the putting surface, there will be free rolling lightweight balls ranging in size from 5" to 8" embellished to look like they are made of ring ice. These rolling balls are meant to get whacked around by the golf balls and make the putting surface more dynamic, frustrating, and competitive.

In addition to the rolling elements there will be 3-5 larger stationary obstacle chunks of "ice."

The ice elements will be made out of recycled plexiglass, reflectors, and clear bag plastic for filling. Many of these elements will be embellished with acrylic beads and reflective tape.

I made a prototype of one of the rolling ice balls for the proposal. Here's a picture of it on the raw sketch:

I'm happy with the way it looks, but I used glass beads on the prototype and they are too heavy. I'm switching to plastic from here on out. Here's a shot trying it out against a live putt for scale:

We were asked to suggest ways to continue the theme of our holes up onto a wall if our hole is sited against a museum wall. I thought it would be fun to do an assemblage of a planetary probe made out of a salvaged satellite TV dish and, if I can find some, salvaged solar panels. If I can't find a nice set of 3 panels, I'll simulate 3 solar panels to make something that looks like this on a field of stars:

Space probe!!! I so want to make this.