From the Archives 2: Booker Little in Tape
Because I’m using spent masking tape in the art cards I’ll be sending out I thought I’d show one of the first pieces I did in this style. It is a portrait of Jazz Trumpeter, Booker Ervin.
“Booker Little” 10″ x 7″, Acrylic on Masking Tape on Paper, Collaged
This is comprised of masking tape previously used to get patterns in paintings I use for my safety pin pieces. Being cheap, I always felt bad throwing out the paint that covered the tape when I was through with it, so I started making impromptu compositions by sticking the spent tape to paper. (I call art like this “contingent art” because it requires other art be made for it to exist.)
Here are a few examples of that (click for larger pictures):
This was a frustrating method that often didn’t result in great art and made removing the tape from the canvases way too time consuming. The solution was to collect these pages, then collage it later on. This provides me with greater control and while allowing me to focus on painting when I’m painting.
Thus the Booker Little piece came to be. It is several layers of masking tape on bristol paper that have been affixed and sealed with acrylic medium (so as not to rely on the unreliable glue on the back of the tape. Here is a rough side view to give an impression of the depth of the piece:
A few weeks ago I began a companion piece to this featuring Clifford Brown, but that is on hold while I finish the promised art cards.
-JD
January 13, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I love it. Thanks for sharing
January 13, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Very very clever way to recycle and reuse! I dig it greatly!
January 13, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Still one of my faves.
June 23, 2009 at 12:58 am
[...] the team to the finals. I’m a little disappointed in this one. While I’ve done some pieces in this style before I was kind of re-figuring out the process, but using Bezier Lines on the computer. I wish I could [...]