Chewing Tar: Industrial Materials in the Service of Art

Chewing Tar: Industrial Materials in the Service of ArtChewing Tar brings together twelve artists working with materials found in hardware stores or typically manufactured for non art purposes. Included are tar paper, inner tubes, hardware cloth, wood shims, welded metal, plexiglass, aluminum oxide, roofing tar, spray paint, 3D printing, and fused plaster. There is an element of surprise as we become aware of the materials original raison dtre and its newly elevated and highlighted significance in these

Chewing Tar brings together twelve artists working with materials found in hardware stores or typically manufactured for non-art purposes. Included are tar paper, inner tubes, hardware cloth, wood shims, welded metal, plexiglass, aluminum oxide, roofing tar, spray paint, 3D printing, and fused plaster.
There is an element of surprise as we become aware of the materialsÕ original raison dՐtre and its newly elevated and highlighted significance in these handsome, visually textural pieces.
These artists come to their materials differently. Some find that the material inspires the art. There is an irresistible attraction in shiny tar, shimmering aluminum, the sound of metal on metal, and thick, black paper. For others, when a preconceived idea canÕt be executed using traditional art supplies, non-traditional materials are sought out. In either case the industrial materialsÕ intended use is discarded in favor of its visual potential.W