Pouring Paper
Repurposing items commonly discarded has been an affliction that has possessed me of late. Stacks of telephone books and buckets of dryer lint have sat patiently in my garage threatening to spontaneously ignite out of sheer boredom. I used a few pages from the phone books earlier this year, but nothing to cause even the slightest dent in my tower. And while dryer lint is a perfect kindling for my non-existent fireplace, my clothes are still producing it way quicker than I’m finding any practical use for it. That all stops here.
I drown shredded phone book pages in a water filled blender, set it to liquefy, and fire up the spinning blades. I then thinly spread the mulch on an old silk screen, press out the excess water, liquefy more paper for a day or so to let the sheet dry thoroughly. In the end, I carefully peel the sheet away from the screen to reveal a flat, dried, unified piece of shredded paper. I must say, it felt a bit like magic.
I immediately attempted the dryer lint with mixed results. No matter how well I blended the lint it was always clumpy and difficult to spread into a sheet. The end result was a sheet of odd, spongy, super soft cloth-like paper with gross hairs strung throughout.
Lastly, I took some white pages and coffee grinds from my french press and soak them overnight. I didn’t filter out the grinds when pouring my mixture, creating a bit of a binding problem in the end. However, it made the most interesting texture and smells amazing.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
A Man Walks Into a Book
Books, harbingers of secrets. One never knows what truly lies between their pages. Every word consumed shapes us, each in a different way. Just the act of pulling a tome from its shelf can illuminate in so many ways. So, in thanks for being so instrumental in transforming me throughout the years, I decided a reciprocation was in order.
I felt sick as I sliced into my first page. The oscillating blade shredded through its guts, carving out chunks of the warm paper. A permanent cloud of old, pasty dust hung in the air as I continued the mutilation. As the musty smell of an old library assaulted my nose, my thoughts were drawn to my victim, Elise.
In 1926, Elise Lathrop published Early American Inns and Taverns. Eighty-six years later one copy unwillingly found itself on my operating table. Now completed, where once it could only convey, it now truly embodies the hidden hideaways we all need from time to time.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
Oakley Exposed
I work in a fortress. After humanity destroys itself and the world moves on, Oakley’s headquarters will still stand. It will be an icon of humanity, one of the last vestige of a unique species that once attempted to tame this planet.
After a recent onslaught of rains, brilliant, ominous clouds danced in the sky above my second home. Waiting for weeks for this perfect scenario, I quickly stole a friend and her camera to experiment with HDR photography. The results are…okay. I think I can get some better results if I experiment more with this technique in the future.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
A Bowl of Fire and Rock
I sat looking at my half-empty bag of concrete. I stared and stared. Willing a project to manifest itself. Finally, it did. It did after I did my due diligence and stared and stared at the internets. I knew from a past project that pouring concrete into a mold could create some interesting results.
So I took my leftover concrete, spare Sterno container, cheap punch bowl, and some larger gravel from a friend’s backyard project. In the end, after a setback of attempting to mix concrete by one’s self, a sort of miniature fire pit emerged from a cloud of dust. My patio is now equipped with a stylish hand and food warmer for the upcoming chilly nights.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
Tree of Deliciousness
How better to sever appetizers than on sharp spiky sticks?! What I loved about this project was how ridiculously easy, cheap, and cool it was to bring to fruition — just cut, drill, and glue a few feet of doweling and a small scrap piece of plywood. I eventually want to construct a forest of interlocking bases with different sized trees and ponds of dipping sauces — creating a world where carefree Teddy Graham Bears frolic in the forest under the marshmallows trees and milk chocolate ponds…until the hungry guests arrive.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
Carbots™
Every car has a style. Every car has a personality. Especially classic cars of yesteryear.
Enter the Carbot™.
I created my first Carbot™ portrait out of necessity. I needed an image to add to an old blog about my 1971 Chevelle. So I took a few photos and drove them through my Photoshop assembly line. I loved the final product, but at the time I was swamped with other projects. So, I neatly folded up and placed the idea of making more into my mental glovebox.
Now, after constructing six new Carbot™ portraits I’m even more excited about creating more. I’m also looking to expand beyond just the head and create a Carbot™ in its entirety.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
The Glow of the Gourd
Gourds have been made into musical instruments, dishware, and utensils. They are simply one of nature’s earliest vehicles for innovation. It only seemed natural for one to find itself into one of these projects. Creating the design for my gourd lamp took some serious three-dimensional conceptualizing. Sketching it all out on the gourd itself was a feat in itself. Finally, thanks to my trusted Dremel and after inhaling way too much gourd dust, I reached a place where I felt good about photographing the piece and sharing it here. I still have a lot more work detailing and finishing up, but that will have to wait until next year.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
Oakley Downhill Derby of Doom 2012
With the construction of our derby car complete it was time to don my leathers, shave my head into a mohawk and truly become a Web Warrior! The race was insanely close but we managed to snag third place and best in show! Here are two videos the first is one I slapped together from all footage I could and the other is the official video created by the masters at Oakley. Also a big thank you to Cassie for all her photos! Enjoy!
The Race!
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
The Oakley Architects of Doom
When I began working at Oakley, the idea that in two months I would be working late building a Mad Max themed derby car in an apartment building’s alley somewhere in Lake Forest with a bunch of other guys from my department whom I had just met, hadn’t really crossed my mind.
That said, it was a blast. This was team building at its finest. Now, I can’t claim I contributed much to the actual building of the beast, its skeleton was forged miles away before I even laid eyes on it. However, I was responsible for creating the graphics and painting its riveted skin.
Once it was complete, the builders of our team, the Web Warriors, lugged our beautiful piece of scrap to the top of a grassy hill and took turns testing its worth. It drove relatively straight and the majority of the parts stayed attached. It was ready, we were ready.
“She sucks nitro with Phase 4 heads! 600 horsepower through the wheels! She is meanness set to music and the bitch is born to run”
—Mad Max
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.
Rollin’ with my Homies
Sometimes ideas come to you in the strangest of places. This one however just came from stumbling upon the works of artist Junior Fritz Jacquet. Manipulating paper has been my nemesis throughout this project. I was skeptical going in and although difficult, I found I quite enjoyed the challenge of creating faces from empty toilet paper rolls. As I created each one, a different personality began to emerge and in a way helped shaped itself. As a first, quick stab at this, I don’t think they are half bad but definitely have a lot of room for improvement.
This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.