Anthem(For LC): A Mixed Media Construction

The image was created by pouring acrylic gesso onto a clay slab which served as a mould. The idea was to pour an entire painting at once. The wheat was formed by pressing individual stalks (wheat is grown around here) into the clay. After the impressions were made I poured the gesso onto the slab and let the whole thing dry. A month later I noticed the clay had dried much faster than the gesso had, and the resulting tension produced large fractures in the image. At first I was disappointed and thought it was a failure. Then I remembered the words to Cohen’s song, “Anthem” and decided to work with the fractures. I painted the gesso and backed it with frosted plexiglas. I had a box made for it and installed two fluorescent fixtures inside, installing a switch discreetly on the underside of the box. Somehow it seemed to fit the times we live in. 

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack
A crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.