Project Description
It started as a closed eye aberration in the woods of North Carolina while on a camping trip with a dozen or so friends over 13 years ago. It’s hard to say why the image burned a hole in my mind so deeply, but I never forgot it. It reminded me of “Jiffy Pop” packaging (maybe I was munching on some popcorn at the time, don’t remember). However, instead of popcorn under the swirling foil, I saw a glowing lava-like interior. It was a single moment, just a flash.
I was always fascinated with metal artwork, but this visual was spawned years before I started welding or making any dedicated pieces of art. Yet, I never forgot it. Over the years, as I began my artistic journey, this image began to transform into something a bit deeper.
My love of the universe, its beauty, it’s complexity, finds its way into many of my pieces. To me, one of the cosmos’ most outrageous spectacles are black holes: their role in the birth and death of galaxies, and even more magical – is a black hole’s “point of no return” – the event horizon. In space, even light can’t escape, and it’s believed that time and space alter as we know them. In life, there are many event horizons on our paths toward our center, our singularity.
When it became clear that this image would eventually become a piece of art, I sketched it. It then stayed a sketch for the next three years as I thought about it increasingly. During that time, I created Galaxy1, Front Door and finally, Particle1. It was Particle1 that began what I planned to be a 3pc series. Event Horizon was a shoe in for the second piece.
With familiar design language, including roofing nail edges, dented wood accents, and 2” poplar with Jacobean stain, the background canvas was set for the unique metal work. Hidden under the 16 hand-curled steel blades is a square metal frame that all the blades are welded to. This was done to completely elevate the blades off the wood to give the appearance of floating, and to hide all the welds. This square metal frame sits securely in a square hole in the wood. The third layer is the innermost piece, which mounts the metal backing plate (the jiffy pop center part) and “hovering” steel ball. These elements are mounted on a small door, so there’s access to the lighting elements. For me, what’s unique to this piece for me is the full integration of LED lights. There are inner and outer loops of lights, giving independence to endless combinations of internal and external effects. With or without the lights, this piece can be enjoyed in countless ways.
Special thanks to Aaron K. Price Photography for these amazing pics.
In addition to the featured gallery pics above, I encourage you to review the Step-by-Step Project Pics to see the many stages this project entailed.
