Moz
12-14-2009, 03:24 PM
Crazy 88 Mobile
completed: July 2006, titled, dated, signed
wt.: 2.5 oz
HWD: 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" x 1 1/4"
When I first started doing assemblages, I went onto the 'Net, looking for forums or groups of other people, so we could "talk shop," about motivation, and glues, and who knows what...
The pickings for Assemblage Discussions are pretty slim, at best...(One of the main motivations behind AssemblageArt.Org...) The closest I could find were groups on "Altered Art on Yahoo! Groups," where everyday items were altered by the addition of beads, paint, etc...Sounded like a form of assemblage to me!
One group had come up with the idea of an "Altered Toy Car" exchange, which I liked the idea of. I went to my local Thrift Store, and for .29, picked up a little white mini-pickup truck that rolled quite quickly across the floor.
At home, I went rummaging through my stuff, and found a brass plate stamped with a pattern that looked like a tire mark. I then got the inspiration to make this a "Mad Max" type of Art Car. I took a plastic bracelet, and cut a section out where the bracelet met the back of the car, and created the sides. It looked a bit bland, so I glued the '8's onto the sides, envisioning them as a type of "treaded step," to assist in getting into the vehicle. The steps reminded me of the number '8,' and being on both sides, I saw them as an '88,' which brought to mind the movie "Kill Bill," with Uma Thurman. A scene in the film had a group of thugs, known as the "Crazy 88," even though there were not really 88 of them. So, this "battle racing vehicle" then became the "Crazy 88 Mobile."
The profile was starting to look pretty impressive, so I glued a shell-shaped earring onto the back, to be similar to the giant spare tire shapes on the back of old Cadillacs. I spray painted the whole thing gold, but noticed that the empty pickup bed in the back was visually throwing the balance of the piece off. It looked empty. Digging around the Studio, I found a small hand symbol with a coil design on the palm, and it fit nicely in the back of the truck. I didn't want it sunk into the bed, so I raised it with a pony bead beneath it, and then positioned it in the truck bed to be slightly reminiscent of a "fifth wheel" mount for camper trailers. To help it stand out visually, I painted it silver.
At this point, I had become too attached to the piece to exchange it with some stranger for a creation that would have no meaning or importance for me, so I just kept mine.
It pulls to the right a bit (I wasn't careful enough with the wheels during assemblage, and bend one ever so slightly), but the weight and aerodynamics of the nose and the sides make it quite fast for a little toy car...I glued a chain link onto the front, under the Nose plate, so the piece could be hung on the wall, and it was done.
completed: July 2006, titled, dated, signed
wt.: 2.5 oz
HWD: 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" x 1 1/4"
When I first started doing assemblages, I went onto the 'Net, looking for forums or groups of other people, so we could "talk shop," about motivation, and glues, and who knows what...
The pickings for Assemblage Discussions are pretty slim, at best...(One of the main motivations behind AssemblageArt.Org...) The closest I could find were groups on "Altered Art on Yahoo! Groups," where everyday items were altered by the addition of beads, paint, etc...Sounded like a form of assemblage to me!
One group had come up with the idea of an "Altered Toy Car" exchange, which I liked the idea of. I went to my local Thrift Store, and for .29, picked up a little white mini-pickup truck that rolled quite quickly across the floor.
At home, I went rummaging through my stuff, and found a brass plate stamped with a pattern that looked like a tire mark. I then got the inspiration to make this a "Mad Max" type of Art Car. I took a plastic bracelet, and cut a section out where the bracelet met the back of the car, and created the sides. It looked a bit bland, so I glued the '8's onto the sides, envisioning them as a type of "treaded step," to assist in getting into the vehicle. The steps reminded me of the number '8,' and being on both sides, I saw them as an '88,' which brought to mind the movie "Kill Bill," with Uma Thurman. A scene in the film had a group of thugs, known as the "Crazy 88," even though there were not really 88 of them. So, this "battle racing vehicle" then became the "Crazy 88 Mobile."
The profile was starting to look pretty impressive, so I glued a shell-shaped earring onto the back, to be similar to the giant spare tire shapes on the back of old Cadillacs. I spray painted the whole thing gold, but noticed that the empty pickup bed in the back was visually throwing the balance of the piece off. It looked empty. Digging around the Studio, I found a small hand symbol with a coil design on the palm, and it fit nicely in the back of the truck. I didn't want it sunk into the bed, so I raised it with a pony bead beneath it, and then positioned it in the truck bed to be slightly reminiscent of a "fifth wheel" mount for camper trailers. To help it stand out visually, I painted it silver.
At this point, I had become too attached to the piece to exchange it with some stranger for a creation that would have no meaning or importance for me, so I just kept mine.
It pulls to the right a bit (I wasn't careful enough with the wheels during assemblage, and bend one ever so slightly), but the weight and aerodynamics of the nose and the sides make it quite fast for a little toy car...I glued a chain link onto the front, under the Nose plate, so the piece could be hung on the wall, and it was done.