“Superposition,” an exhibition of tin and salvaged wood artwork in the Goldhaber-Fend Fine Arts Center gallery at the Community Arts Center of Cambria County
In February 2020 I was commissioned by Moss Architects to create a piece for the Argo AI production/office space in Detroit, MI. Argo is a self-driving technology company so they wanted a piece made from license plates that reflected forward motion. With that as my directive I spent a month working on concepts for the design based on my traditional quilt patterns. The concept phase led to the final design: a linear collage that is based on a street map of downtown Detroit.
The piece is 30’ long and required over 600 license plates to complete. I began sourcing the plates from various online vendors while I was working on my color palette. Moss creates a visual vocabulary for each Argo office that reflects the culture of each individual location. For the Michigan space they wanted to focus on the over 3000 miles of coastline so the colors and textures are based in nature. I took a picture of a beautiful crab that ended up being the inspiration for my palette.
The most time consuming element of the project was determining how many of each plate would get what color and then physically painting all 600+ plates (primer + color) on flat surfaces with good ventilation… I’d say this phase took five or six weeks.
The most fun part - actually assembling the collage - was unfortunately the shortest part. I designed the piece to be built as four separate panels that could fit into the back of a van to be transported to Michigan, assembled, and completed on site. It took four full days to build the collage and a final day for a once over with the nailer and paint touch ups.
I picked up the van on a Sunday and loaded everything that evening and hit the road early Monday morning for the four hour drive. I spent four days in Detroit (an amazing city that I fell deeply in love with) with three days on site. The crew there installed it perfectly and I completed the assembly and added more nails and did more paint touch ups and then, reluctantly, made the trip home.
My piece is just one component of the huge project by Moss. It’s not complete yet so my photos still show a construction site. I will post final photography when I have it.
This is the largest piece I have ever designed and built. I loved every aspect of the project from concept to completion.
iPhone pics are mine. Beautiful photos are Matt Dayak.
Exhibit
Moss Architects
October 2019
I'm awestruck by the ancient character of rocks and while studying the subject, the geological term stratigraphy immediately leapt out and put a name to that which drives this fascination. It refers to the analysis of the order and position of layers of strata and their relationship to the geological time scale. It provides the basis for historical geology. We see a version of this in our daily lives. As our cities around us age, layers of paint and facades peel away to reveal the colors and patterns of bygone eras to the extent that these strange new patterns form a quiltwork that we associate with the modern world.
SOLD - Hand-cut hexes from vintage tin on salvaged wood. 36” diameter
Built on salvaged wood substrates using vintage and reclaimed decorative tin hand cut with tin snips.
“Fox creates vintage tin and salvaged wood ‘quilts’ that combine images reminiscent of traditional quilt patterns and the ideals that they represent.”
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Relief printing is a family of printing methods where a printing block or plate that has had ink applied to its surface, but not to any recessed areas, is brought into contact with paper. The areas of the printing plate with ink will leave ink on the paper, whereas the recessed areas of the printing plate will leave the paper ink-free. A printing press may not be needed, as the back of the paper can be rubbed or pressed by hand with a simple tool such as a brayer or roller.
Exhibit
Society for Contemporary Craft/BNY Mellon Gallery
September 14, 2018-January 5, 2019
“Inspired by her urban surroundings and the natural Pennsylvania landscape, Fox creates contemporary quilts in non-traditional materials; her process of cutting apart tins and sourcing wood is as much a part of the art as the assemblage of the pieces. Fox’s childhood in rural Western Pennsylvania informed her aesthetic, subject matter, and choice of materials. She recognizes the history that comes with salvaging and reclaiming materials and prefers to work with found materials rather than mimicking the patina of old. To Fox, the circle of decay and rebirth of reclaimed materials is a similar narrative to that of Pittsburgh, a city of dramatic beauty and constant change.”
-SOLD - Hand cut hexagons from vintage decorative tins on salvaged wood glass-cutting table from a hardware store in Clairton, PA. Size: 54” x 36”
Series of paper collage on spent calendar pages created during the pandemic. 30”x 46”
Narrative Mural hand drawn for Earth Inspired Salads. Alcoa Building
“We insist on healthy, happy relationships with our communities, farmers and customers to help us grow into a sustainable partner that you can trust to help you maintain a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle. Whether your walking or biking downtown, in your office, or have a large group to feed Earth Inspired Salads is ready to fulfill your craving for delicious, healthy food five days a week.”
Narrative Mural hand drawn in the entry of Sapling Press in Bloomfield.
Narrative Mural hand drawn for Interiors with Impact: A Monmade Exhibition at the Pittsburgh Glass Center
Interiors with Impact showcases the work of Monmade producers ranging from lighting to furniture to home goods to wallcoverings. The exhibition demonstrates that consumers can keep it local when solving their personal or professional design challenges.
“This exhibit highlights examples of local producers engaging in design thinking and craft manufacturing. Their creative output is beautiful, but also illustrates their potential to grow into business that impact the economy in meaningful ways,” said Director of the Craft Business Accelerator Adam Kenney.
Over 20 producers will be featured. They use traditional handwork techniques and advanced manufacturing processes to transform raw and/or reclaimed materials into inspired products with durability, utility, and good design.
