This spider was made from roughly 60 empty spray cans. Months before I began collecting the cans, which were recycled from previous art projects. In a well ventilated area, I poked a small hole in the top to release the pressure, and then another in the bottom to pour out any leftover paint. The cans were left to dry before continuing to work on them, a lesson I learned the hard way when I dripped paint all over the floor of my living room while carrying them to my workspace.
The hot glue was ugly and reflective. But since the whole thing was a bit chaotic I didn't really mind too much. I was planning on taking the spider to an abandoned building covered with graffiti and do a photoshoot, just like I'd done with the skull. Unfortunately I had to cancel these plans due to Covid-19.
I used a vast array of acrylic markers to do even more graffiti on the cans until I was happy with the look. This was fun because amidst all the isolation and nothing to do I could confide once again in art. My favorite things to write were lines from songs.
Once all my cans were finished I carefully cut and glued the cans together. This process was very trial and error, but the glue was forgiving enough that I could pull it apart without damaging the cans.
As I cut the cans open, I harvested the glass or metal mixing balls. Each can had a different number of mixing balls and they varied in size and material. Ultimately I would use them to create Steve's six eyes.
Like most of my sculpture art, Steve is designed to hang. This way you can walk underneath and appreciate the details that normally would be hidden. As I progressed with the sculpture adding more and more metal, it got heavier and heavier and the legs began to split the body down the middle. I solved this by creating a web-like latticework letting each leg support its opposite. A rope was used to support the 30 pound sculpture and the wire latticework allowed the legs to be pulled taught so they would not sag.
This project was supposed to be a part of my metalworking class, and if I did get the chance to MIG weld these aluminum cans instead of hot glue the sculpture would have been nearly indestructible. Unfortunately, after getting these few pictures the sculpture fell apart and is currently in pieces. If I do this project again, I would like to create a better latticework with a Shibari expert. The web could be just as a part of the sculpture as the spray cans and I think they would create a beautiful juxtaposition. If you are good at rope binding, please let me know so we could collaborate in the future.
