Hi
This mixed-media installation is the story of Drew Fank, a boy of 19 from the imaginary town of Sparkleton, Pennsylvania.
Drew’s Diary, in progress Ink and pencil on cut and folded paper and on gessoed board
Cake Balls, 2015 Tube: Acrylic ink on taped and glued plastic Balls: Spray-painted air-dry clay Cap: Acrylic ink on polymer clay
Pencil, 2005 Graphite, paper maché, wood putty, embossed aluminum, acrylics, eraser
My finished piece will be a roomful of life-size sculptures. Everything— furniture and floor, doodads and a diary, a bass guitar and amp, a wardrobe and a window, a record player and lamp — will be entirely handmade.
Chevaline Beer Can, 2004 Acrylic, graphite and shellac on cut and shaped aluminum
The viewer is invited to piece together the details of Drew's life: He wanders the abandoned pencil factory and hangs out at the petrified crash-landed flying saucer off Route 918. He hunts songbirds for sustenance, and in simple honesty, stuffs and mounts them exactly as he found them in death. He smokes Oak Smokes cigarettes, drinks six-packs of Chevaline, and eats Rabbit Rinds chips. His favorite dish is chickadees with cheese. His "girly" magazines feature squirrels with acorn caps over all eight of their nipples.
Stuffed Chickadee, 2010
Bird: Ink on frayed dental floss, pink styrofoam, pencil on wired vellum, and ink on paper over wired polymer clay and wax
Base: Acrylic ink, Shrinky Dinks, and glitter on air-dry clay
He is experiencing an awakening in himself. From the diary: Why do trees have to smell so good? My walks are getting longer and longer cause I have to stop every few feet to sniff bark.
Niblette cover working sketch Pencil on paper
He is shy and naive, and kills time with his friends until a series of events— beginning with the diner grease fire— spark a lust for life, whereupon he leaves home for Erie and the Unknown.
PRO me-thee-us Lighter Fluid Can, 2017 Acrylic ink on cut, folded, and glued aluminum with polymer clay
Yo-yo Acrylic inks on clay and paper clay over armature, woven thread
Level
Level: Ink on paper clay over cardboard with water and food coloring in a plastic straw
Brass plate: Colored pencil on polymer clay
Electrical tape: Ink and glue on vellum
His world is between ours and another. The passengers of the stranded UFO have long since paired with the locals. Everyone gets along in this waiting room, a bardo where Drew readies himself for his coming rebirth.
A Trophy, 2011/2024 Polymer clay, wire, cardboard, paper, ink, paint pen, cotton, cut and rolled and dyed bristol with blotter paper
Pine Wisp, 2005 Acrylics on cut paper with sewn nylon over wire
The hand-drawn newspaper, notes and cards, and movie script by Drew's friend Brian show different views of life in Sparkleton. They, with the diary, accompany the 3D pieces, but are not necessary reads, just as sifting through someone’s abandoned belongings is poignant enough without all the mysteries revealed.
Ashtray, 2022
Ashtray: Acrylic ink on polymer clay
Oak Smokes: Oak leaves, ink and burnishing on HMP, charcoal, paper shavings
Matches: Ink and pigmented ash on board
Sparkleton is not based on any place except my brain. Little bits of everything around me are woven in, amalgamated or directly. Northwestern Pennsylvania is an inspiration but it's not about Northwestern Pennsylvania. That said, sincere thanks to everyone I met in NWPA.
Flying Saucer Postcard, 2005 Colored pencil and ink on cut and glued papers
hrahli (AT) gmail (DOT) com
@arielko13
Easthampton, MA
all images and original writing copyright 2003-2024 Ariel Kotker
Thank you for visiting this site!
I suffer from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. this affects the pace at which I work, and the degree to which I’m able to think about and create each piece. nevertheless, I need to do this work, and so I try my best, with as much moxie as I can muster
