Explaining My Work: Humpty Dumpty Was A Rabbit Hole.

This is the second post in what i hope to be an ongoing series sharing a glimpse into how i see the work that i create. Please let me know what you think.

During a summer artists retreat at the beach, i brainstormed some new ideas and was looking to come up with a way to create a longer narrative that included video and lighting along with a variety of materials. A mixed and multimedia series. I happened to bring along Alice in Wonderland for some fun reading and decided that this was perfect source material for an entire exhibit.

I immediately envisioned two pieces, The Mad Tea Party scene, and A large cracked concrete egg of Humpty Dumpty. The piece had to fall in line with a very cohesive outline that i had constructed. It needed to be a certain size... I wanted the series to feel somewhat like pages in an old book... the same size, sepia tones

So, with Humpty Dumpty, the interesting prideful character in Through the Looking glass, I wanted to deal with externalities and internalities, I wanted to deal with ego, pride, the fall, a journey. I wanted to include the ceiling tile patternwork that i love so much, I wanted there to be a moment of surprise and discovery, a bit of a shock, and a reward for seeking. The form of the large cast concrete egg came to me right away. I looked for large eggs to make a wold of and found something on ebay that i had to cut up and set onto a background of tile work. I then had to make a large rubber mold into which i cast concrete.  Very process oriented work that require a lot of planning.
Once the concrete was cured, i stained it green and gold leafed the insides. I know i wanted it to seem precious. A hardened stoic exterior to a warm glowing interior. At first i thought i would have a cracked heart inside, maybe on a spring so that it seemed quivering. That piece may still come. The form of this is something i still want to play with. I really let it sit for a while as i decided what was the thing that would be the essence of humpty dumpty. Sometimes creativity is a momentary flash, sometimes it takes a long time to mull over, to decide if it's the right fit, supports my vision, is tasteful and interesting. But then it dawned on me that Humpty Dumpty as a metaphor of ego, pride and arrogance, also represented the Rabbit Hole that Alice fell into. A vortex of trying to find your true self through trials. A form or purgatory almost. I envisioned people being hurled into the rabbit hole on their own journey to whatever end they find there.  reconciliation, humility, nothingness, nirvana. I also felt that the reward is that we all can see ourselves in this state, in this piece. We all all susceptible to Humpty Dumpty. but i think we can all be put back together.

Updated Available Works List

I also have these works available. Please contact me for prices.

trumpet progress

I've been working on creating the model for the trumpet project I mentioned before. I've also been doing a few tests on materials. I wanted to find a concrete casting product that was fiber reinforced,  as strong as possible, and as resistant to freezing and thawing as possible. I wound up choosing NeoMix D, a two part polymerized cement system. I was able to create a very strong casting at less than one quarter of an inch thick. That's pretty sufficient for what I need.

concrete mixture test

Then I needed to see how the cement accepted colorants. I'm going with a sienna color for the trumpet. I think it will compliment the blue of the figure very well. I will still do a few more tests on this. 

Concrete Color Test

So I began building my model. My first step was to create the center portion since that holds everything together. I first tried creating it in foam, but i need it to be much stronger so I went with wood.

drilling middle section

Holes need to be drilled for the pipes to fit through. I used PVC pipe for the pipes of the trumpet. I figured it would be strong and that it would be easy to assemble. The curves in PVC and the connection points weren't exactly what i needed so I improvised.

I epoxied all the joints so that it would be a very solid model. The model needs to survive a two part mold making process, but I wanted it to be able to remain intact just in case I would need to make another mold of it. you never know, and it's sometimes best to make it much stronger than you need.

Here is the whole structure coming together. 

I then added 1/2 round fluting to create the valves of the trumpet.

adding 1/2 round elements

Once that all came together I added the prototype bell created in glass. Still a little tweaking will need to be done.

 I roughed in the glass inserts that will act somewhat as a sun catcher, and add a bit of a glimmer to the piece.

I still have a lot of fine tuning and cleaning up of the model and adding a bit of detail here and there before prepping the model for moldmaking. 

Glass and Concrete Tiles

Here are some of the glass and concrete tiles i've made for the Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. they are 12"x12". I'm making 16 total. 

Crafty Bastards /Silver Spring, next Saturday.

Crafty Bastards /Silver Spring will be next saturday. look at all the cool stuff going on

I'll have a bunch of new glass and concrete pieces along this series:



Saturday, June 28 from 10am-5pm
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center
8230 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, MD

one of my favorite places in the world

Curious Expeditions has a small write up about one of my favorite places in the world. The Mercer Museum.


this photo is of fonthill:


more stuff here

Glass3- reception Thursday February 21st.

Glass 3
I will be taking part in a rather interesting international event bringing together three important glass art studios:

Dualism Concrete, Glass 15" x 29"2008 Sean Hennessey





Glass3 is a collaborative exhibit featuring the works of The Washington Glass School, Cohesion Artists from Sunderland England, and artists selected by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.
Glass3
February 21st- March 9th
Monday- Saturday: Noon- 8PM
Sunday: Noon- 6 PM
Reception: Feb 21, 11AM -1:00PM and 6-8PM Two Receptions!


The Shops at Georgetown Park
3222 M Street, NW

More information can be found here



Dcist Review Here
Tracy Lee took some cool photos

Bloomingdale Arts Market

Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market at the Big Bear Cafe!
Saturday, December 1, 3-9pm
Arts, crafts, hot cider, fun!


artists, designers, and craftspeople will be selling their creations at the Big Bear Cafe on December 1st.
Please come and check it out.

Big Bear Cafe
1st and r streets nw.

art stuff going on

The summer has been pretty busy and i wanted to catch you up on where and when i'll be showing in the next few months.


Current Exhibitions
1. I have a number of pieces hanging at the DCAC Wall Mountables Show
Up through September 7th
District of Columbia Arts Center
2438 18th Street NW

http://www.dcartscenter.org/


2. Two new experimental pieces at the Touchet Gallery in Baltimore.
Moving Beyond Craft: Artists of the Washington Glass School


Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Deborah Conti, Cheryl Derricotte, Sean Hennessey, Syl Mathis, Evan Ross Morgan and Alison Sigethy
August 3 - September 8, 2007
Opening Reception: August 3, 2007, 6-9pm
Touchet Gallery
536 S. Ann Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410.522.2280
http://www.touchetgallery.com/


3. A number of works in a series as part of a duo show with Joanna Knox the
The Black Rock Center for the Arts.


Metaphor. Truth Time.
Strands that weave through the works of Sean Hennessey and Joanna Knox as they strive to find the mythical, the abstract in our lives. Using diverse media- Sculpture and Photography- they lead us down paths that open our minds, that explore the intangible, that inspire fresh thought.





Through September 7th.

The exhibition gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, when classes are in session. In addition, the gallery is open one hour prior to and during performances.

BlackRock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD 20874

Festivals

1.The Adams Morgan Day Festival
September 9th. Sunday.

I will be setting up a booth with Rania Hassan on Belmont.
Come by and see us.

noon- 7 PM
http://www.ammainstreet.org/

2.Arts on Foot 2007
September 15th , saturday.
Arts on Foot will take place in various locations in the downtown area between 4th and 14th streets, NW and Pennsylvania Avenue and L Street, NW
noon-5

http://www.artsonfoot.org/


3.Crafty Bastards
September 30th, sunday
Adams Morgan
10-5 PM
list of artists
general info.



4. Ballston Arts Market
October 13th
http://ballstonarts-craftsmarket.blogspot.com/




Lots going on, I hope you can make some of these events!

snaps from the opening in baltimore

here are some shots from the washington glass school exhibit's opening at Touchet Gallery in Fell's Point Baltimore.



more photos here


Moving Beyond Craft: Artists of the Washington Glass School

Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Deborah Conti, Cheryl Derricotte, Sean Hennessey, Syl Mathis, Evan Ross Morgan and Alison Sigethy
August 3 - September 8, 2007
Opening Reception: August 3, 2007, 6-9pm
Touchet Gallery
536 S. Ann Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410.522.2280

DCAC Wall Mountables

IMG_7579
Originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan

I have installed a number of pieces in the DCAC's Wall Mountable show that opens this friday night






opening reception Friday, July 20th 7-9pm

show runs through Friday, Sept. 7


I have 4 sections with 11 pieces total. i'm trying a new approach with a few pieces, combining them more as an installation then as individual sculptures. i'd love to hear what you think. Also, i havent included any mixed media peices, these are all straight up concrete. stained, colored and cast, of course.

DCAC is located at 2438 18th Street NW, between Belmont and Columbia Roads, in the heart of the Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood.

portrait

portrait3333other
Originally uploaded by Scenic Artisan.

i've added a number of pieces to my online store


Portrait ( pictured) can be purchased here

i ship everywhere.

Mold making/ concrete and fiberglass casting class

There are still a few days to sign up for this weekends workshop at the Washington Glass School!

Class 626
Mold Making/ Concrete and Fiberglass Casting

Need a great industrial material to compliment your glass? Try Concrete! Want to learn how to make strong yet lightweight castings? Forton MG, a non-toxic type of fiberglass! In this class we will explore possibilities in flexible mold-making, concrete and fiberglass casting. We will make tiles, proper rubber molds, and play with concrete and fiberglass. You will walk away with a few finished pieces and the knowledge to tackle larger scale work. This is a terrific and easy beginners two-day workshop.

Instructor	Sean Hennessey
Dates	Sat/Sun May 5/6
Tuition	$200 plus $50 materials fee

email or call to register:
washglassschool@aol.com
202.744.8222

small artworks available

I've added a lot of small works to my online SHOP.
I have a number of concrete pieces, small paintings, prints, and mixed media wall reliefs.

here are some examples:


Guardian of Civilization


A Block of Work




Divinity

Please check it out. I ship everywhere. If you are in the DC area and would like to pick it up in person, please email me.

info @ scenicartisans.com