Portfolio > Nets & Flaps

Photo credit: Braxton Duncan
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread & cord, metal findings, plastic & metal fasteners
Dimensions Variable
2015
Gladiator
Handwoven polyester and satin cord, cast aluminum, patina, glass beads
68" X 72" X 6"
2016
Gladiator
Handwoven polyester and satin cord, cast aluminum, patina, glass beads
68" X 72" X 6"
2016
Gladiator
Handwoven polyester and satin cord, cast aluminum, patina, glass beads
68" X 72" X 6"
2016
Cargo Tarp
Handwoven polyester and nylon
49" X 34"
2017
Cargo Tarp
Handwoven polyester and nylon
49" X 34"
2017
Concealment
Handwoven, hand dyed nylon, auto body parts, polyester resin
55" X 80" X 81"
2016
Concealment
Handwoven, hand dyed nylon, auto body parts, polyester resin
55" X 80" X 81"
2016
Rear Threshold (Configuration A)
Glass beads, nylon thread and rope, flush mount D-ring pan fittings
108" X 102" X 6"
2016
Rear Threshold (Configuration B)
Glass beads, nylon thread and rope, flush mount D-ring pan fittings
120" X 102" X 89"
2016
Large scale, hand-beaded cargo net
Glass beads, nylon thread and rope, flush mount D-ring pan fittings
120" X 102" X 89"
2016
Net I
Glass beads, satin cord, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic hooks
103" X 264" X 2"
2015
Net I
Glass beads, satin cord, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic hooks
103" X 264" X 2"
2015
Net I
Glass beads, satin cord, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic hooks
103" X 264" X 2"
2015
Net III (Configuration B)
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread & cord, metal findings, plastic & metal fasteners
58" X 123" X 42"
2015
Net III (Configurations B & A)
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread & cord, metal findings, plastic & metal fasteners
Variable
2015
Net III (Configuration C)
Glass beads, nylon thread & cord, metal findings
82" X 79"
2015
Net II (Configuration A)
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic & metal fasteners
63" X 25.5" X 113"
2015
Net II (Configurations B & C)
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic & metal
Variable
2015
Net II
Powder coated steel, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, plastic & metal fasteners
Dimensions Variable
2015
Net II (Configuration D)
Glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings
64" X 55"
2015
Net Studies 1-4
Plexiglas, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, nylon cords
34" X 11" X 1/2" each
2015
Net Study 3
Plexiglas, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, nylon cord
34" X 11" X 1/2"
2015
Net Study 2
Plexiglas, glass beads, nylon thread, metal findings, nylon cord
34" X 11" X 1/2"
2015
Net Studies 8, 5, and 7
Plexiglas, glass beads, satin cord, metal findings
Variable
2015
Net Study 7
Plexiglas, glass beads, nylon thread, satin cord, metal findings
9 1/2" X 9 1/2"
2015
Flap II
Handwoven polyester, steel, aluminum conspicuity plate, paint, fasteners
34 1/2" X 46 1/2" X 5 1/4"
2015
Flap II
Handwoven polyester, steel, aluminum conspicuity plate, paint, fasteners
34 1/2" X 46 1/2" X 5 1/4"
2015
Flap I
Steel, paint, handwoven polyester and cotton, heat shrink tubing, fasteners
58" X 52" X 1 1/2"
2014
Flap I
Steel, paint, handwoven polyester and cotton, heat shrink tubing, fasteners
58" X 52" X 1 1/2"
2014

Funded in part by a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, Nets & Flaps is a current body of work in which I position cargo nets, mud flap systems, and other securement devices as cultural symbols of the West. Just as early settlers traversed the plains carrying goods in covered wagons, hauling items is a part of contemporary life. While modern hauling implements are utilitarian, I observe them being overused to the point of decoration: oversized mud flaps adorn pickups driving exclusively on pavement, heavy-duty straps hold down small objects. In Nets & Flaps I consider these practices as part of an underlying subconscious desire rooted in the regional history and promoted today by tough litter laws in the region. Working with large-scale hand-beaded cargo nets, hand-woven mud flaps, and steel sculptures I celebrate the emphatic use of these securement devices in the West, framing them as ritual objects. My repetitive processes such as stringing and connecting rows of beads speak to labor in the crafting of art objects and the industries from which they are sourced. I design and fabricate my sculptures to be configured, disassembled, and reconfigured into different positions to reference the venturous impetus of the West.