AESTHETICIZED GARBAGE

I've consistently searched out cheap (re:free) art supplies. It started with the book cover paintings. This was the Kristan Kohl series KK52. The fictitious Kohl, having been long dead, was resurrected with this methodology. Books had become a throwaway item on the streets of NYC in the late 80's. I took advantage of this break down in society. With effortless wandering through the East Village i would find discarded books, each yielding two small canvas boards. I began painting upon and simultaneously collaging, through cutting and "skinning" the glued canvas and cardboard. With this series I retro-dated all previous KK work 1952 and was reintroduced to the practice of "hunting" and "skinning". These small works brought me back to actual animal hunting and brought me to the sticks.
   These days the activity of hunting is no different than any other in my art making regime. In fact the object making aspect of the "trophy" has become less and less interesting to me. Yes, I still want to kill the big buck, but the taxidermy, or even blood and bones, aspect of this niche has diminished. And in it's place has manifested the henge.
    My first henge is the ongoing Wheel Barrow Henge. Try finding a broken wheel barrow in these hills. A useless wheel barrow sticks around about as long as a recently deceased ebola corpse. Once damaged beyond repair, the caste aside barrow is scrapped or thrown out. But more than likely, in any cancerous state the loyal triad is still in service. More duct tape and air in the tire and good as new. Plus the deserted bungalow colonies and abandoned farms, where I unearth these treasures, are also disappearing. Soon a beautifully golden patinaed, rusted tub will be a thing of the past. I started this henge none too soon. And this has led to a craving to continue the circular motif. Proposed henges include: Satellite Dish Henge, Riding Lawnmower Henge, Boat on Trailer Henge and the already started Shine Kit Henge. Because of my upcoming nuptials here at the church, Shewho has put a NO MORE HENGES order into effect for my yard. I need some open field space, preferable with roadside visibility. Ring any bells?
   In the meantime I'm also working on traps. I have a fish trap and pigeon trap, neither of which work, which goes along with my perpetual motion machine and solar powered work lights. Implicit in all this work is that it not work. So you can imagine my delight, when rooting around in some abandoned sheds, looking for wheel barrows i came upon three, what looked like, hillbilly minnow traps. It wasn't until I got them home that I realized they were actual art. Someone had constructed, spray painted and fretted over these sculptures visually. In my search for crap to make my art out of I had inadvertently stolen somebody else's work. Why was it hanging there in that shed? I have no clue. I may have some competition in the Catskill trash heap/art supply store/gallery I call home.