Charlie Kirkham

So, you’ll know by now that I’ve been creating a LOT of laser cuts over the past few months. Most of these have developed into artworks, however some have fallen flat.

This left me with a lot of offcuts. When I created the first prototypes the materials were all donated or provided. For the acrylic pieces I wanted to minimise the use of new plastic so opted to upcycle old acrylic signage. It seemed a shame to throw away the ‘failed’ cuts.

Spontaneously the idea appeared to stick the ‘failed’ cuts onto one of my wooden sheets. This sheet is one of three plywood boards I cut to 100x100cm. I’ve battened the backs to turn them into wall hanging painter’s panels.

The wood glue was very messy to work with. Part way through I switched to a decoupatch varnish as it dries clear.

What’s been super fun with this work is embracing and reevaluating the concept of failure in art. It’s a way to reintegrate the attempts into their own artworks. The next stage is to keep adding until it’s filled up. Then maybe a primer and colour tint.

What would you do next with this artwork? Do you reuse material offcuts or throw them out? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear from you 🙂

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REFERENCE LINKS

Decopatch glue varnish – 180g (decopatchdirect.co.uk) this stuff literally keeps any material in place and has an attractive clear finish

Gorilla Wood Glue – Incredibly Strong Wood Glue | Gorilla Glue it holds all woods but doesn’t work out well on acrylic or paper

Charlie Kirkham Finished works