Disclosure Statement for Festival of Arts 2004

My art form can be described as FABRICATED STEEL SCULPTURE

Primarily, weldable steels are used in a combined-fashion to construct sculptural art products. Textured metal may be welded, riveted and cut into shapes and recombined to produce a composite image with unique associations not present in the separate components. Materials can be used which were previously textured by industrial processes. Sometimes I use 'found-objects' to impart curiously identifiable contrast to the whole sculptural identity. Natural stone or wood has been used as found-object basis for designs.

Much of my work consists of hand-drawn graphic images that are transferred to metallic plate to be cutout. Numerous industrial and hand-tools are needed in the processing of steel. Oxy-acetylene welding and cutting torch is used; electric arc welding, spot welding, electric plasma cutting, grinding, drilling and chemical treatment of metal are necessary tools and processes in my sculpture.

I am just beginning to use photographic processes in the creation of some of my work. Hand drawn graphic images are directly scanned upon a flatbed scanner to produce a digital image. I consider the flat bed scanning to be a photographic process as 'light' is cast upon the hand-drawn image to illuminate it for photocell digitization. The resultant hand-drawn image is converted into a raster image file with the use of the scanner and computer.

I convert the raster image file with the use of software into a vectorgraphic file.
Files go from scanned hand drawing -->*.bmp --> *.TIF --> *.ai -->*.dwg -->*.dxf -->CAM output. (CAM = computer aided machining).

I have worked with commercial machining companies to have these digital files cut on expensive industrial process CAM machines which can include LASER, PLASMA and WATER-JET. Once artwork is converted into the proper digital files it can be imported into numerous industrial processes. I always directly participate in all phases of the manufacture of my art-work. CAM processing must be done by technicians trained in the specific use of their machine. If they would let me run their machine I would do it.

For further explanation see website http://rocknfish.com/Philodendron.html


John Warren
2/03/04

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