Author: dave wertz

This may well be the start of another series. I have been pondering this general idea — hand fabricated carbon steel plates, cut, heated, bent and beaten into shape. I have used this technique to fabricate other abstracts but I really wanted to use the vertical element to play against this narrow proportion. To feel the strength of the vertical movement in this example, you must let your eye roll out of those sweet curves and accelerate along the straightaways.  No fear of overshooting the top, she will bring you back down faster than she took you up. All of that smooth, polished carbon steel is balanced on an old acetylene tank, and topped with a ½ inch thick, round, plate steel disk. The patina on the tank is just unbelievable.

Here is another view of these hot little tables. Come by the cottage on Walnut

to see them in person. Open Studio of Roanoke April 27 & 28

http://www.openstudiosofroanoke.com/

After spending the last decade or so immersed in the world of 3-D art, I felt compelled to express myself in a different medium. I heard all of the usual voices in my head and ignored them all. I came up with a plan and started setting down the limits I would impose on this new mode of expression: no brushes or fancy canvases. I built wood panels and used industrial enamel paint (which only comes in 7 colors). My only tool is a plasterer’s trowel. I have lots of painter friends so I knew enough to be afraid of “mud” and I have found that a solid position to work from. Using multiple layers and allowing them to dry between coats allows me to keep the mud at bay.

Oh the feeling of a big panel and lots of paint!  It demands fast and serious painting. That fine line between where the painting comes to me, and where I manipulate the painting, is quick and fleeting, like the memory of a long ago lover.  These paintings pull me in so tight I can feel every breath and then, like a fleeting dream, they are gone. Time to stop. It is all inspiration and intuition; the second I think about it, it is gone. Then it is time to clean up the paint and move on.

I love abstract, and these paintings are allowing me a voice to express that, in a way not possible with steel. As I step back and look as the first series of paintings moves towards completion, I see the limits bouncing off of each other and I feel an awe and freedom that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I do know there is not much to think about; I have learned that paintings just need to be painted, and to be willing, time and time again, to walk past all of the “impossibles.”  To allow this voice to speak is an amazing gift. I am humbled.

Collectors may contact me directly to arrange for purchase and shipping. The email link can be found on the contact page.

This is without a doubt D9’s mate. I thought I got lucky with D-9; well, I hit the lotto with this girl. Although sweet and petite, she carries some weight. I wrestled her from one end of the studio to the other more than once. I hate to admit it, but she simply kicked my butt. Once we agreed upon who was in charge, she was more than willing to become D-9X. What a great pair these two make! And, who else has furniture made out of bulldozers parts?

I don’t know what is up with the candles, but I seem to be on a roll. One of the freedoms I love about what I do is that I can allow things to grow and change. So these just jumped off the table and crawled right up the wall! They are actually 2 separate pieces that can be arranged in almost any fashion you choose.

Some times you just get lucky, well that says it all here. I looked at the piece of bulldozer I had setting on my bench for hours without any idea of how this was going to become a table, I just knew that it was going to. The feet are really hot and the small ankle allows this piece to float just about the floor. It took forever to get that spring hot enough to bend it up, even with a 4’ pipe for leverage. It makes the perfect transition between the base and the glass floating out of the receiver. She simply ran over me.