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CHAOS CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Artists
About
Exhibitions & Events
Services
Press
Plan Your Visit
Contact Us
Artists
About
Exhibitions & Events
Services
Press
Plan Your Visit
Contact Us
Gallery › Furnace Teeth

Furnace Teeth

$0.00

by Chris Mercerhill

66" x 51"

Upcycled cotton

Dyed with black walnuts and madder

The husks of black walnuts yield an intense, chocolatey brown dye.  This dye reacts with iron oxide (rust) to become black.  But over time, and as it is used, the chocolatey brown dye becomes grey.  And black walnut husks that are allowed to dry out yield a softer, sandy / camel brown colored dye.  As I worked through these combinations of outcomes, leaving swaths of upcycled cotton to soak and absorb whatever color they would, I was rewarded with this beautiful palette.  I’m normally drawn to bright rainbow colors, so this was a departure for me.

As I thought about how I would use these large, sandy swatches, their size led me to envision this composition.  It’s like an oasis in a desert.  But not a lush, verdant one.  More like an industrial one, with its angles and furnaces.  I thought of the desert planets in Star Wars with their space hubs where droids slap together junkyard parts to get your ship up and running again.  I thought of Mad Max racing through the desert in search of fire and fuel.  I thought of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel clawing at the earth and chewing through hot coal.  The title comes from the vision of the gnashing teeth of a glowing, growling furnace.

The composition is a study of contrasts.  Large, open, sandy fields and tight, intricate, squares; Earthy browns and bright reds, oranges, and purples; Straight, wide parallel lines of quilting and fussy, detailed, flattening grids; Nature and industry; Dirt vs. grime.

by Chris Mercerhill

66" x 51"

Upcycled cotton

Dyed with black walnuts and madder

The husks of black walnuts yield an intense, chocolatey brown dye.  This dye reacts with iron oxide (rust) to become black.  But over time, and as it is used, the chocolatey brown dye becomes grey.  And black walnut husks that are allowed to dry out yield a softer, sandy / camel brown colored dye.  As I worked through these combinations of outcomes, leaving swaths of upcycled cotton to soak and absorb whatever color they would, I was rewarded with this beautiful palette.  I’m normally drawn to bright rainbow colors, so this was a departure for me.

As I thought about how I would use these large, sandy swatches, their size led me to envision this composition.  It’s like an oasis in a desert.  But not a lush, verdant one.  More like an industrial one, with its angles and furnaces.  I thought of the desert planets in Star Wars with their space hubs where droids slap together junkyard parts to get your ship up and running again.  I thought of Mad Max racing through the desert in search of fire and fuel.  I thought of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel clawing at the earth and chewing through hot coal.  The title comes from the vision of the gnashing teeth of a glowing, growling furnace.

The composition is a study of contrasts.  Large, open, sandy fields and tight, intricate, squares; Earthy browns and bright reds, oranges, and purples; Straight, wide parallel lines of quilting and fussy, detailed, flattening grids; Nature and industry; Dirt vs. grime.

78 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

Text: (614) 285-7629‬

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