“Desert Bikers”
inspiration
In appreciation for our dear friends Jackie and Don's generous contribution to Care’s Humanitarian Relief Fund for Ukraine, I made this bas relief for them. We joined them and a group of fellow bikers in the desert for biking through the jumping Cholla cactus and rugged terrain of McDowell Mountain Park in Arizona. One evening at happy hour around the campfire, I asked the group to help me design the shape of a sculpture I was planning of a saguaro cactus by drawing their idea of a classic cactus. Then I feigned confusion at just how to turn their 2 dimensional drawings into a 3D sculpture, so I asked them to stand up and demonstrate their cactus with the help of a friend for any extra arms needed. It turned silly very quickly. Jackie and Don’s version is in the upper right corner of the piece.
technique
I used wire to create the cacti and bike tires bursting through a stretched canvas. The low relief is made with epoxy and highlighted with watercolor pencils.
materials
Wire, Apoxie Sculpt, watercolor pencils
20”H x 16”W canvas, 4” D
