K HIERONYMUS W | Crash

Crash

A few years ago, I made a set of blocks where each side of the block was a field. The idea at the time was that the viewer could rearrange the blocks to make their own field. I bedded the idea and didn't think about them until my son was born. Now, my son and his cousin each have a set. They don't have a clue what my fields are yet but they do play with them enthusiastically - as I hoped adults would. These blocks are just a part of our daily life now and sometimes I don't even see them as art. But sometimes, Wyatt will separate these blocks from his others, stack them and CRASH them. I love to watch the colors and patterns as they fall, the movement as they crash and bounce.

What I've learned from this cycle is that art is play for me. Sure, my paintings hold a heavier weight [they explore a history of agriculture and the idea that maybe we should start to move away from it] but when I'm actually painting I am using color, size, shapes to satisfy a basic need we all have: to play.

Each one of these blocks is 12 x 12 x 12 and is made with concrete. As they were cast, a spike was placed inside so they could be anchored to the ground. 2-3 sides of each block have a field on it. The patterns were created by placing shapes in each cast that left a relief in the block. To create contrast from the banality of concrete and help these pieces stand out from nature, I added neon paint to 2-3 sides of each block: mostly in the relief areas and flooding an entire side. The over all footprint is approximately 50 x 18 x 118.

The original blocks [the ones my son plays with] were made from left over walnut that would have been otherwise discarded. I brought this same consciousness to this project by using second hand plywood to create the casts. The paint was waterborne and I used the same practise as I do in my studio: zero to little paint down the drain.

For more of Kelly's work go to: https://www.kellyhieronymus.com/