Mitchell, what, how, why

Mitchell What, How, Why; 50, 50, 50

Henry is a protagonist, word and thing I have been working with for a few years. The making of this object began as a way to initiate my studio by getting started on making something. There was no clear conceptual reason for this particular object to be made at the start. This object has become a version of Henry as he/it might appear in physical form.

Red Pot Portrait of Henry The painting is 30 x 27 inches. It is made up of ground black pepper, red paint, ink and water on found fabric stretched over wood. There is one large image drawn by pouring watered down red paint and ink onto the surface, the drawing takes up most of the surface area. The image comes from the shape of a coffee pot; the kind one might find in a cafe, which keeps the coffee hot after it has been brewed. Near the top of the handle of the coffee pot shape is a small round piece of the same found fabric collaged onto the painting. On the small round piece of fabric (about an inch in diameter) is the profile of a man, drawn in black ink. Over the entire surface of the painting is lightly and sparingly sprinkled ground black pepper.

The painting was made after thinking about the similarities between the structure of the profile of a human head and the profile of a coffee pot. The method of watering down and pouring the red liquid onto the surface to draw the outline of the coffee pot shape came out of a desire to leave some of the control of the drawing in the hands of the physical properties involved (gravity, the absorptivity of the fabric, the wateriness of the pigment, shaky hands, etc.). Untitled (painting object)

Untitled

The object is in the format of a square painting. It is about a meter square and 2.5 inches deep. It is halved diagonally, meaning it is made up of two adjoining wooden triangle frames stretched with fabric. I covered the top left triangle in a gray fabric, stretched over the frame using staples. The bottom right triangle is covered in a matte gold fabric. The object hangs on the wall as a painting would. Resting on top of the frame are two small ceramic figures in a sitting position with their knees up to their chests and chins resting in one hand as though they are in deep contemplation. The figures are about 4 inches tall. I attempted to render them to look identical, leaving small differences due to a crude method of sculpting.

Legs

I made a pair of legs out of wood scraps. One leg is straight. The other is bent at 45 degrees. They are attached with another piece of wood, which acts as a pelvis. The legs are human scale. They are wearing a pair of white tennis shoes and light beige chinos that are a few sizes too big. The legs are installed under a table acting as the legs of the table. This gives the table an anthropomorphic quality insinuating the table might have a soul or spirit inside or underneath it.

I cut the pieces of wood to be about the scale of my own legs using rudimentary measuring techniques. I then crudely attached the 2 sections of the bent leg with staples and nails to form a knee. The straight leg is just one piece of 2"x2" piece of wood. The legs were then attached to the pelvis with one long screw, allowing them to pivot. I then pulled the chinos onto them, attached the feet and shoes and propped them under a table.

I’ve never made a 3 dimensional full scale figure. I wanted to begin with making a version of what Henry might be in human form or possibly the figure is not Henry but an observer of whatever Henry might be. The legs are as far as I’ve gotten and I think I will stick with just the legs propped under the table.