Getting Nailed

I have a fair number of very interesting mold making projects on the go right now as I’ve just gotten my hands on a pile of new polymers, but in the mean time let me share with you how my bordering on obsessive-compulsive self-portrait is going. I spent yesterday and this morning screwing in about five hundred brass wood screws (the parts cost on this project is higher than I’d anticipated) and following that up with about a thousand nails — I’m estimating that there are about eight thousand in the entire project. I’m very happy with how it’s turning out and the effort is definitely worth it. I’d love to do a piece like this on commission and I may try and pitch a hardware store chain on doing it as an advertisement. I am not too proud to take corporate sponsorship and am happy to have Rona or Home Depot be my Medici family.

On one hand the whole thing is a little mind numbing but at the same time it has a certain zen relaxation to it as well that I appreciate and take my mind off the pain.

9 Comments

  1. alice wrote:

    Your Leonardo reference made me hard.

    Seriously though, looks amazing. Any thoughts on doing a similar project, just on a smaller level? Something with pushpins or sewing pins maybe?

    Monday, January 31, 2011 at 3:14 pm | Permalink
  2. dresden wrote:

    Wow man that is a pretty neat effect. What was the inspiration for that?

    Monday, January 31, 2011 at 4:37 pm | Permalink
  3. emdotdee wrote:

    For some reason it reminds of the digital rain effect of the Matrix. I like it.

    Monday, January 31, 2011 at 4:46 pm | Permalink
  4. Steph wrote:

    LOVE IT!

    Shannon, your creative talent astounds me!

    Monday, January 31, 2011 at 6:18 pm | Permalink
  5. andree wrote:

    amazing. looks like sequins!

    Monday, January 31, 2011 at 7:02 pm | Permalink
  6. Ryan wrote:

    Is that signature done with screws and wire? Love it. Amazing how our eyes and brain can put together such a rich image from screws and nails. Would look awesome on a super smooth, glossy piano-like black substrate!

    Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 12:27 am | Permalink
  7. petra wrote:

    It looks AMAZING!!

    Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 1:09 am | Permalink
  8. kay wrote:

    i love this! i would really like you to put up a how to for something like this!

    Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 1:13 pm | Permalink
  9. Sara wrote:

    That looks so cool! To lower the costs, maybe see if there is a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area. I work at one in SoCal, and we sell nails for $0.50 per pound, which is probably cheaper than you’re paying right now (thought prices and merchandise will vary by store). Plus-all the proceeds from ReStores go to fund building costs of Habitat for Humanity homes, so it’s a good deal on hardware and lots of other things you might find cool, and it’s for a good cause. You can check https://www.habitat.org to locate one.

    Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 10:07 pm | Permalink
Wow Shannon, that's really annoying! What is it, 1997 on Geocities? Retroweb is NOT cool!

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