Decisions Decisions
When I was younger, every time I’d eat a bag of skittles, I’d find myself experimenting with every possible combination of the different flavors. 2 at a time, 3 at a time, up to eating one of each color. It was like an obssesive exercise in futility. I never did find an ideal combo, but had to attempt them nonetheless. And while I don’t eat skittles anymore, I do a similar dance whenever I am confronted with an ample salsa bar.
This comes out a lot in my art, too. I like to see all the options available to me. Not so much to find the perfect combo, but just to see more. As a result I’m drawn to processes that allow me to try different things.
But the cost can be prolonged bouts of indecision. How about an example:
The components:
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Below the jump, I’ll post some of the combinations I came up with.
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Etc., etc. etc.
Some of these look very similar to each other but have one or two slight variations, which might tell you the full compulsiveness behind it.
I started this exercise because my firm has an annual United Way auction where the proceeds go to charity. Some people asked if I would donate a piece for them to have a chance to buy. So on a deadline I had to plunge into these premade bits to find a quick piece to make. Tune in next week to find out which piece I chose.
-JD
September 15, 2009 at 6:39 pm
by the time i scrolled all the way down i was laughing out loud.
3rd, 6th and 8th ones down in the first column and 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th down in the right are some of my favorites here. and every time i look back through i want to add more to the list, but i’m going to stop scrolling now because unlike you, i control my neuroses instead of my neuroses controlling me.
your second toes in (are those called leader toes?) look like they’re curled up like flexible little digits. can you pick up paintbrushes with them?
September 16, 2009 at 1:03 am
My toes are supernaturally prehensile. In fact, I actually rearranged all these pieces with my feet. Then I constructed the final pieces with my feet, including cutting and finishing the wood. Not only is this good for the back, it also infuses each piece with my own distinctive foot funk. SO every time you walk past the piece you think “sniff sniff- WOAH! That’s a J.D. Hastings!”
September 16, 2009 at 7:52 am
next up on Hasting’s Tuesday: tutorial vid complete with smellevision feature!
September 22, 2009 at 11:13 am
[...] for something relatively quick, I found what components I already had and began the process I described in depth last week, wherein I looked at every possible combination of various small pieces in search of a suitable [...]
September 29, 2009 at 1:31 am
[...] you the process of working on what I call “mini-frame” based pieces. I started by looking at different combinations, then used some of those in a piece for work. This is what I made up of most of the rest of the [...]
October 13, 2009 at 1:10 pm
[...] my recent forays into mounting smaller framed paintings onto a common understructure (here, here, here and [...]