A batch of Little Spiders (in progress)
So it seems to me, that everyone’s favorite piece of mine is the spider. Unfortunately, it is huge, and somewhat expensive. In an effort to bring the joy of useless metal spider ownership to more of my fellow humans, I’ve started working on smaller versions…….
I got a live one, and a dead one and I’m also trying one that will be a jewelry box, with the top of the abdomen and cephalothorax forming the lid. Despite my mild arachnophobia, (or perhaps because of it) I’ve fallen in love with the imagery and form of spiders, or more specifically, the Latrodectus family, or the black widow. Just about anywhere in the U.S., children are raised to watch out for and avoid the black widow at all costs, as it is the most poisonous spider on the continent. Black widows are feared for very good reasons. Their bites are very painful, can produce extended sickness and in some cases are fatal. Children are at an increased risk because of their smaller size.
My spider pieces, however, are not really supposed to be about spiders. I want people to address their reactions to the little critters, and then re-contextualize their fear, and focus on what that fear means, what it tastes like, how it relates to other facets of their lives.
The Black widow is a perfect vector for this kind of an effort, because it has universally recognizable markings on its abdomen. Everyone familiar with black widows knows to look for that red hourglass under the belly, and avoid it or kill it if you see that dastardly little mark. I sought to exploit the effectiveness of that symbolism, by playing with the icons involved. Remove that hourglass, and replace it with (insert common symbol here) and how does that change the piece? I’m still playing with ideas on where to go from here, so stay tuned….
Tags: bronze, little spiders!, spider
November 10th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
hi again Jon i think spiders are cool have u ever tasted one?
November 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
are you using microcrystalline wax, or something else?
November 11th, 2008 at 12:16 am
yeah, I use remet’s microcrystalline wax. I think its called optimus, and it starts a little darker than the old victory brown. I alloyed it with some paraffin and gating wax. (I recycle all my wax anyway) after getting used to it, I like it quite a bit…
November 14th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Let me know how the spider jewelry box goes I would be very interested in purchasing one. Awesome idea!!
November 14th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
When I walked into the shop and saw these waxes sitting there I swear I really got the heebie jeebies. As I imagined them as real, and the power they would have, my heart raced at the thought of trying to stomp one of those dudes out. The large spider you have displayed at THE FRONT GALLERY (1181 Central Ave. Mckinleyville, CA) is creepy, but because of it’s size seems more make believe. You nailed the size on these as they are just about plausible. But I recommend everyone go check out Jon’s other work at THE FRONT GALLERY in Humboldt!