J Mehaffey: Charred/Remains

Reception: Friday November 21, 5-7 pm.

Sandy took me through the gutted building, speaking with reverence of the old building and it's prior uses while she also spoke excitedly about the plans for the renovation. I saw huge rusted steel cables that somehow help to re-enforce the second floor held up by charred 2x12 beams, various shapes and sizes of old brick walls, and a cement ramp used for garage purposes. I walked up rickety stairs to the second floor and tiptoed carefully around holes through to the first floor. It reminded me of pictures I've seen of bombed out buildings in wartime.

During the long drive home to Carson I couldn't get my mind off the charred beams. I've been working with tar for some years; and oddly enough bitumen (tar) is a product occurring naturally from coal, which is charred plant life.

The next day I called the gallery and asked for the demolition crew to please put aside the charred beams and call me when they were ready. In early spring my son took me in his truck and we picked up the charred beams; the beams that would become my next art project.

With the help of a couple of my neighbors I pulled out nails and cut some of the beams into 11x 11 squares and left some as they were. I painted a mixture of polyurethane, linseed oil and turpentine onto the boards, sealing them so the charred surfaces wouldn't rub off. Then I began to sand different portions, and to apply oil paint, encaustic, tar, gold leaf and play around with different ideas.

I can't explain why I'm so drawn to tar and charred wood, but I have a good feeling about these pieces. I believe that by rescuing these beams from this old building and making beautiful art pieces somehow honors the past of that building while casting a blessing onto the new building.