Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "Cappings"
Turning Trash Into Visual Interest
Above is a partial view of the piece, "Plastic Cappings", a Trashy Fine Art 2.0. It is composed of the top portion of plastic containers with their cap. They are riveted and E-6000ed together. The caps are removable. The visual color appearance of the piece can be changed by moving common sized caps around . It wasn't until sixteen years (finished it on June 18th, 2005) after the completion of the piece that I decided to gather as many black caps in close proximity to each other. "Plastic Cappings", is a four-in-one piece; meaning it can be hanged four different ways. "Plastic Cappings", is 48" x 58".
Below are two images of a composition of collected bar codes. "Bar Codes", has a front and a back. This is an eight-in-one piece; meaning it can be hanged eight ways; four on one side and four on the flip side . "Bar Codes" is also a Trashy Fine Art 2.0 and was completed on October 2cd, 2004. It sizes out at 38 3/4" x 41 3/4".
Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "Semitransparent I"
Above is Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "Semitransparent I". beginnings / first side
In an earlier writing, about the progression of art in my life and what is truly beautiful, "Semitransparent I" is called, "Netting Plastic Transparency". The netting was used foundationally as a support for all of the adjoining pieces of the composition. It wasn't until the second semi transparency construction that I figured out the adhesive I was using , E6000, was plenty good to keep everything together and the netting wasn't needed. I had "Semitransparent I" hanging in my bathroom and over the past six years the moisture that collected in between the front and back sides caused it to yellow. The grommets also show some rusting. "Semitransparent I" measures 39 1/2" x 39 3/4". "Semitransparent I" was completed on May 21st, 2004.
"Semitransparent I" ---one completed side
"Semitransparent I" ---the other completed side
Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "Tickets"
"Tickets" is a composition of orange, blue, yellow, red, purple, green and pink colored tickets. The tickets in the piece were collected and gifted to me by the owner of Holiday Cleans, on Ross Ave., in San Jose, Ca. So far this is the only Trashy Fine Art piece that I didn't personally collect for.
"Tickets" was completed on February 8th, 2004. The finished construction measures out at 38" x 42". "Tickets" is also an eight in one hanging.
Other than one blue printed ticket, this side of "Tickets" is just ticket color. It has been over 21 years of light exposure to the color in the tickets. I may E6000 the opposite side to brighten the color and preserve it. Most all the tickets on this side are already covered with a silicone caulking.
Trashy Fine Art 2.0 " Ink Testers"
So much free color. Ink tester color can be found on most all packaged products; from cardboard packaging, bags of potato chip, bagged loaves of bread, tissue paper boxes, I mean, it's about on everything. In the image above is the oldest ink tester I have ever come across; I wrote the word "classic" on It.
Above is an enlargement of the oldest ink tester. It has just two colors. The color isn't a true representation. The blue oval is more like an aqua blue, and the red is more towards an orange in color. This side of "Ink Testers" was completed on August 22cd, 2004. This side can be hanged four different ways. "Ink Testers" is 39 1/4" x 39 1/2".
" Ink Testers"
The image above is the first side of "Ink Testers". The construction of "Ink Testers" is another composition that was labor intense. If the time it took to collect each ink tester and the composing of "Ink Testers" is added up, it is easily a work of 60 hours or more. Side one is the same size as side two.
Above is an enlargement of one of the signatures and datings that can be seen on the first side. If a side of a piece can be hanged more than one way, for each way it can be hanged, there usually is a corresponding readable signature and dating. Side one of "Ink Testers"was completed on July 27th, 2004.
"M.R.I. & L.G.C."
"M.R.I. & L.G,C."---one completed side
The two images above aren't the best; although it is the best I could do . The finished size is 41" x 49 1/2" . The construction of "M.R.I. & L.G.C." was labor intense . But it mostly felt like an embracing slow dance; an enjoyable time of labor.
"m.r.i. & l.g.c."---the other completed side
What blessings there were to have worked with such richness . Even so , nothing compares to the blessings , richness and faith granted by the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, through JESUS, of the line of David. Hallelujah!!!
Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "NGC"
"NGC" is an assembled construction that I hoped would speak a common conclusion to a U.S. American viewer; which is, "NGC". The earliest date that I have included from the covers, into the completed construction, is July 1968. Maybe someone might find an earlier one somewhere inside or on one of the edges!
"NGC" was completed on October 14th 2005. "NGC"sizes out at 47 5/8" x 47 5/8".
Trashy Fine Art 2.0 "Henry's Wallpaper"
What a discovery day it was coming across the material which is now the composition, "Henry's Wallpaper". The Henrys were a garden customer who's yard I maintained on Tuesdays. I started the service first thing in the morning. The foundation of the house was laid out east to west. There was an entry gate of a covered breezeway that lead to the front door. After the breezeway was an open air patio area.
It was a morning in the early 80's that the east, shining sun, lit up a trash heap of very red material. It turned out to be stripped out wallpaper from the master bathroom and my custom was happy for me to take it away. As is with a number of my collected finds, it isn't until years later that a composition is composed. "Henry's Wallpaper" was completed on December 4th, 2005.
The red wallpaper had a hidden surprise. On the backside of it was another wall paper stuck to it. Once I peeled it off it exposed a second wallpaper with a flower design. The flower design also left an imprinting of itself on the back side of the red surfaced wallpaper.
On the image to the left above are cuttings of the flowered wallpaper with the red background. On the the image above, which is the flip side of the image to the left, are cut outs of the flowered imprints from the back of the red wallpaper with the red side showing.
"Henry's Wallpaper" sizes out at, 44" x 90 1/2".
Trashy Fine Art 3.0 "Bottled Color Museums"
"Bottled Color Museums" first began on December 27th, 2019. There are thirty-two of these small bottles of color. The stuffing of color of the last bottle was completed on May of 2025. Twenty-seven of the bottles are 4 1/2" tall. Five of the bottles are 4" tall. The color in the bottles are small bits of color that is usually tossed in the trash.
Although one of the bottles is stuffed with wood stick matches. The match heads are white and green.
two collections awaiting composing
In the photo above and in the two below, can be seen two collections of similar material. Products of similar material have the potential of being combined together in a single composition. I have been adding to each one of these two collections for years. Once I come to the point of producing a piece with them, I will decide whether to produce them in two separate constructions or by combining them into one complete product. Depending on how much has been collected, all three could be done!
The square shaped collection above were gathered from waxed cardboard containers; they'er the bottoms of the containers. The bottom of the container is where the ink tester color is printed.
In the second collection above are similar waxed cardboard material containers. They are mostly chicken bone broth containers. The ink tester color is also found on the outside bottom of the container.
When the collection was first started, the bottoms were only collected. As the collection continued, a light of realization went on. The realization was that the entire container had potential of being used in combination with the bottoms in a future composition. So the entire container was added to the collecting, as the collecting of the bottoms of these containers has continued.