The Landfill Art Project

Sun Shield Coin

Pontiac Hubcap, Gold Leaf, Oil Paint, Log Fragment, Lichen & Lumber

Donated to the Landfill Art Project Collection

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Last year I was invited to participate in the Landfill Art Project, and I had fun creating this piece.  The idea behind the project is to have over 1,000 artists “repurpose” old hubcaps from the ’30s-’70s into works of art as a statement about the need to find alternatives to discarding mass-produced products and having them simply pile up in landfills.

Below is the hubcap I was sent to transform.

The creation process is left completely up  to the artists, and I had a vision of creating a free standing sculpture that would prominently display the hubcap and would reference mankind’s ancient traditions of  art-making.

I began by also repurposing a found log fragment and piece of pressure treated lumber by attaching them to each other to form a base.

I then painted both pieces of wood with oil paint, and varnished the base to give it a sheen that is lost when oil paint is applied to unprimed wood as it is absorbed.

I then flattened the hubcap with a hammer, snipped pieces of wire and attached them to the front in a radial pattern, and proceeded to coat it with gold leaf before I painted the face of the sun (a common theme, especially in my earlier work).  The piece was created such the the base delicately grips the disc to hold it in place without any adhesive, a nod to the delicate balance of our environment that can be tipped by making the wrong move (i.e. toxic dumping, ecosystem destruction, etc.)

On the back I painted a simple scene recalling man’s connection with nature as well as his attempts to control it while simultaneously bending to the might of it’s will when that will is imposed through climate changes that effect crop production or “acts of God” that can violently remind us of the awesome power that can level cities.

A closer look at the back.

Check the website for updates on the Landfill Art Project.  Once the project is complete, there are plans for a book as well as exhibition tours in order to spread the idea and show the extent of what can be done with the worthless “junk” accumulating around the globe.

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