The Original Weapon Series is based on a canine tooth. The concept is that if we relied on the original weapons of mammal battle, we might have a far safer and more stable world. The inscriptions on the teeth of the various weapons used to kill iconic individuals (in this case Lincoln and Bin Laden) is a technique reference to scrimshaw, the handiwork of whalers done on the teeth and bones of their victims. Scrimshaw is an example of execution made into lovely relics.
Original Weapon Series – The Gun that Killed Lincoln (above)
Original Weapon Series – The Gun that Killed Bin Laden ( below)
For these two sculptures I am in mid-process of creating a larger series. These two pieces show two slightly different approaches. I made an original in clay and then cast it. I used the mold for a slip cast to create the second "weapon." One inscription is drawn on with an underglaze pencil. For the other, I use a method more similar to the scrimshaw technique. I carved in a line drawing, then filled the groove with underglaze. Both are finished with a clear glaze finish "enamel."