More Gunpowder! More Fuse! More Fun! Right?
I try to work as little as possible.
Who am I kidding?
I am in The Blast Factory seven days a week. Thinking. Planning. Working.
Irresponsible. (2015) 48" x 48" Fuse. Acrylic. Wood Panel.
This artwork is currently, exclusively offered at The Century House.
Stunning abstract color grooves, light and burned textures. Acrylic teals, blues, black and orange split by super-slow burning, red, 3mm fuse. Seriously, the fuse was so slow I thought it would never finish! But it did create deep, resounding marks.
I named it Irresponsible, as a couple of the fuses jumped and bent and had a mind of their own. They were capricious and unpredictable. That, and only a few people have told me I'm irresponsible. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Unframed.
Primitive. Modern. Explosive.
American gunpowder artist, Vega carefully places powder and fuses on the surface of the art, which he positions horizontally on the floor (or blast table). When ignited, first the fuses burns instantly along the cord lines, igniting the gunpowder and creating a blast, which then vanish in clouds of smoke. The result is a textured surface that looks and feels like an explosion—the art is blackened, charred, and erupted, arrested in a state of being created in a flash.
When the fuse is lit there is a moment of uncertainty. What will happen? It is at that moment that true art exists.
I want to do a little as possible to the panel. But, there is always a tendency to do more.
More fuse. More gunpowder. More fun. Right?
I love the cleanliness of the grooves though. They look organic.
The color. The transitions. Fire sweeping over them.
They're emotional. That's how I see them.
They layer. They touch. But yet they are individual. Cool.
I don't do much shading. That is too much work. I leave it up to the explosions and burning.
Random shading? Sounds like a band name.
My work is very simple. I think it's not enough. Then perhaps it's too much. My perceptions change. Structural. Organic. Explosion. Chaos.
Then Renee says, "Vega, you are talking too much. Just light the fuse!"
Boom!
Stick Vega is the American Gunpowder Artist, former CEO, and author of LESS KILLING. Stick currently lives and creates explosive pop art at The Blast Factory in Madison, Wisconsin. Not limited to one medium, he works in gunpowder drawings and paintings, photography, digital art and writing. Follow Stick on Facebook and/orTwitter.