AbrahamSchroeder.com

New Work

These galleries have been updated sporadically over the years. I have been sidetracked by a few projects, and it may be a while before I have a chance to document and post more recent artwork. I plan to gradually fill in some gaps as I have time. The latest update, October 2016, added a few galleries of miscellaneous works from 2013-2016.

Use the sliders or arrow keys to scroll right and left in each of the galleries. Final printed images do not contain watermarks.

Kusama Dots
2015-2016

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This was my third sculpture using Kusama dots. Previous tests are to the right.

The ultimate goal with these tests is to make one or more convincing replicas of her pumpkins for my collection. I have learned that it will take a lot of work to get there, and it will be hard to look at so many dazzling dots along the way.

This doll is my response to the 13th century Japanese sculpture by Kōshō (housed at Rokuharamitsuji in Kyoto, depicting the priest, Kūya, engaged in the rhythmic and obsessive Pure Land Buddhist Nenbutsu/Nembutsu chant - with the incessant repetition of the name of the Amida Buddha visualized as a string of Buddhas in the sculpture) crossed with my recent explorations of rhythmic and obsessive dot making on bright color fields inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama. It can be enjoyed for the visual intensity of colors and patterns, and it can be the jumping off point for any number of discussions of Japanese art and Buddhism.

Instead of painting dots on this, I opted to punch several sizes out of electrical tape. It took some experimenting, but was much cleaner, and I was able to reposition dots as I went along. Several coats of shellac set the surface and locked everything in place.

My second two attempts, spray paint and enamel on wood, 2.5"x4"x.5". I made these for Piotr Parda's Traveling Suitcase show. The one on the right is included. The one on the left is in my collection.

Dots

This was my first attempt to make Kusama dots. I used spray paint and black enamel on a terra cotta Halloween pumpkin, getting a feel for the paint, the surface, and patterning. It got away from me a little, and I plan to repaint it and start over when I have a chance. There is a face on the other side, which will be a fun challenge.

Light-up Mice
2015

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This is a sculpture I pieced together in 2015, after holding onto the parts for far too many years. Photos of the process follow to the right.

I have a wordy artist statement that accompanies this piece, and I am happy to go on and on about deeper meanings, but most artist statements are inherently a little silly and pretentious, especially when they refer to silly little things like this, so I will spare you for now.

Shakers and Shakers.
I found (or was given by some kind soul I'm forgetting) the mice, a pair of salt and pepper shakers, in maybe 2003 or 2004, and picked up the base around then too. I think I found the light-up rattles around 2006.

In progress...

No router, quick and dirty. Cleaning it all up after was slow and dirty.

In progress...

Oof, my soldering skills have been poorly neglected, and are embarrassingly sloppy. Bubble-gum.

In progress...

In progress, testing...

I plan to make a clean little cover for the base out of cardstock or plastic, and probably add some rubber feet to balance it all out.

The mice pop on and off nicely.

Cat Whiskers


These are some of the whiskers shed by two kitties, that I collected over maybe 5 or 6 years from the rugs and carpets around the house. Last count I had just about 100, but I think it's closer to 120 now. I plan to do something with them, and someday may turn them into a paintbrush. For now they sit in a couple of tiny vases on a shelf.


Misc
New Work
2010-2012

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Jack Wittenbrink's Basement Collection, c. 2004. I pieced the collage together in 2011 and made a 12x16" test print, but 24x36" or larger would be more appropriate.

Jack Wittenbrink's Basement Collection, c. 2004. This was my first attempt to make sense of the amazing collection of objects Jack collected and meticulously organized over the years he lived in Jamaica Plain, MA. I haven't worked out how to resolve the center section that forms a continuous view, so there will be more drafts of this image coming soon. I photographed the basement shortly before he packed it up and moved. The two collages only show about 2-and-a-half walls, and I have maybe 200 more photos to use in more compositions like these.

These are four 2-page spreads in a DoReMi book I made in 2010. The book only exists in handmade vinyl and paper copies now. See my scroll gallery for another version. This year I plan to finish and professionally print several books that are in progress, and hope to have this available for sale in print and ebook formats soon.

Elk, 2011
These are a few pieces cut off and set aside from a much larger composition I started last year but haven't revisited. Many of my projects evolve in scale as I rearrange the parts, and I may end up with something radically bigger or smaller than the initial idea. Sometimes completely different styles spin off unexpectedly. The Patterns gallery has several examples of things that started as little snippets that grew to complicated designs alien to the original idea. It's important to keep an open mind when making art.

This is a set of skulls I made for Day of the Dead, 2011, drawn and multiplied in Photoshop.
They look nice in framed sets of 5x7" or 8x10" prints, or can be printed as a large continuous images in any arrangement.

Modified plastic Halloween skeleton, 2012

Bones, carved from scrap wood, 2012,
the first pair in a series I'd been planning to start for a while.

Testing the limits of my bandsaw and rotary tool.
Made from scrap, probably redwood.
These were almost too delicate for power tools.

Scrolls
2012

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These are two prototypes for a series of scrolls I've been planning for several years, modeled on traditional Japanese hand scrolls. The one on the left is about 5 inches by 10 feet, and the one on the right is about 4 inches by 5 feet.

This is a DoReMi book that I printed on vinyl banner stock to make baby-proof copies. Since I already had a 10-foot strip, I figured it would be a good test scroll.

Japanese scrolls usually unroll right-to-left, but the book reads left-to-right, so this scroll does too. The musical notes are to help orient people who reflexively unroll the other way.



The first paper version of the book had a convex mirror inset on this page spread. It is tedious to make, so I got some mylar. On the sewn vinyl version of the book I still use the mirror, but I went with mylar on the scroll. I may modify it to have the convex mirror as an add-on with velcro, which is a little awkward, but a much cooler-looking effect.

Japanese scrolls don't typically have tacks on the end, but the vinyl didn't want to stick to the wood so I nailed it down.

Here are some of the 2-page spreads from the book, which only exists in handmade versions now.

This is the fingernail scroll, see below for the full image.

I drew a pattern of nail scissors for the ends and printed everything on canvas, which is much easier to glue than vinyl.

(Approx.)
20
Years
of
Nail
Clippings
2012

This image can be printed 4 inches by 4 feet, 6 inches by 6 feet, or a similar proportion to fit easily on pillars or other narrow spaces. Smaller than about 3 feet it's hard to see detail. I have a few copies mounted to foam board, and one version as a hand scroll, which you can see above.

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