Clay Like — Sam Petersen

Clay Like, wood, plasticine, nuts, dimensions variable, 2016

George Paton Gallery - solo show

Naarm/so called Melbourne

Entire gallery view showing the L-shaped shelf that runs the whole distance of the wall. It hangs just below my eye height (I'm a wheelchair user). Assorted pieces of wood sit on the shelf and lean against the wall. A few rest on the floor below.

Close up of a bamboo chopping board. There are random lines I had routed into it that form a rough circle. Flesh pink plasticine has been pressed in to fill these gaps. A found image of worms was used as reference. A pre-existing routed line frames t

A dark wood chopping board with a circle shape routed into it, in which a moon-like image with grey and white plasticine is pressed. The plasticine is almost 3D, showing ridges and valleys. The circle is interrupted by the gap of the handle.

An image of the shelf showing three boards. The board on the left is large and round with a little white circle in the middle and a yellow dot within that. The middle board is the moon-like piece and the board on the right is just showing half of the

A close up of the round board. I filled an existing routed out circle with white plasticine that concaves inwards. There is a little yellow circle of plasticine in the middle which together, form a fried egg.

A chopping board with a velvet worm routed into its centre. It is partially filled in with different coloured plasticine and gum.

Dark blue, dark green, light green and red plasticine stuck diagonally across a honey-coloured wooden surface.

An image of the shelf showing two wooden pieces. The light colour chopping board on the left is oval. In the middle of the board there is a vague embryo-like shape with a long, curled up tail, filled in with salmon-coloured plasticine. The board on t

A close up of the shelf that holds the previous pieces. The gap between two pieces of wood that make up the shelf is filled in with light wood-coloured plasticine.

A close up of a dark wooden board. There are little worms routed out of it and replaced with flesh pink plasticine.

Another close up of the same board. There is a small solitary flesh pink plasticine worm.

An image of the shelf showing two wooden boards. The left board is the previous image from further away, showing its silver handles. The chopping board on the right shows another routed form filled with white plasticine, this one looks like a droopin

A big offcut of building wood someone gave me, with the word “Nog” written on it. Don't know why, probably means noggin. I routed out a rough circle over the ‘o’ and filled it in with white plasticine concaving inwards. I did white to echo the bit of

A rectangular piece of wood with a large knot, though the wood of the knot has fallen out to make a hole. I filled it back in with dark brown plasticine.

The edge of one of the boards. Soft pink plasticine is filling in the weather cracks of the wood.

On the left there is a wooden box with three thin pegs sticking out of the top. On the right is a big round chopping board with lots of worms routed out. The worms are side by side and form a rough circle with their heads. One of them is filled in wi

A close up image of the wooden box. The top of the box is open and in the box are wooden squares, each with a round hole in them. Three squares are visible in the image. I have filled each of the holes with plasticine - yellow in the square on the le

An image of the shelf, looking back at all the pieces shown so far.

I routed a shape diagonally across a large pale chopping board, like a river. Dark blue and light blue plasticine almost fill the whole of the routed space.

Two pieces rest on the wall on the floor. The left has two existing routed circle lines over the top of one another. Each line is filled with a different shade of green plasticine. On the right there is a big round tray with a small plasticine-filled

A wooden cheese board with a tile inlaid into it, the tile is cracked.

A close up of the tile board showing the cracks. Yellow plasticine can be seen in the cracks.

An image of the shelf showing three wooden boards. On the right is a big round board with a triangle routed out of it. Dark blue, green and yellow plasticine fills it, except for a bite. The board in the middle is a bit of plywood. I had a circle rou

A close up of the previous middle board. Some of the oil from the plasticine has been sucked up by the wood.

A close up of the orange tendril-like piece. The form bends up and over like a wave, breaking off into tendrils.

A close up of a long bit of plywood, an arch shape is routed out towards the edge of the board. A gradation of rainbow plasticine fills in the arch. Some of the oil from the plasticine is also sucked up by the wood.

An image of the join in the shelf where the L bends. The gap where two bits of wood meet to make up the shelf is filled in with light wood-coloured plasticine.

A board that has a tile inlaid into it. I had removed almost all of the tile with only two fragments remaining. I have filled in some of it with white plasticine.

A square board with two dorito shapes routed out of it. They have been filled in with a similar brown to the board.

An open dark wooden box. It holds a little blue tac hand wrapped in plastic and a flat piece of beige plasticine at the bottom.

A square pale wooden box lying open. Inside there are plasticine blobs in different shades of blue. They are stuck to the bottom and the lid.

A little bit of plywood, shaped like the side of a warehouse, with a pill shape routed out of it and filled with blue plasticine.

A long wooden box with mechanical nuts at the bottom. The nuts are filled with plasticine.

The shelf shown from below, this part held up by angled strips of wood. On the shelf there is a long bit of plywood with an elongated triangle routed out. The plasticine is yellow with little bits of white and red marble in it. On the left there is a

Another angle of the spaceship work. To the left is a chopping board with two biggish blobs routed out of it. I filled it in with white plasticine and a centred green circle, forming two green fried eggs. To the left is the box with the mechanical nu

A close up of one of the wooden legs of the shelf meeting the floor. Bright pink plasticine under it’s foot. In the background is the before mentioned egg and triangle pieces.

Big worms are routed out of a piece of plywood and replaced with soft pink plasticine. One of the worms is curled up in a circle and another is running away off the board.

The one that was hiding behind the wooden leg. A thin piece of plywood with a vibrant red plasticine heart in the bottom third of the board. Three smears of earthy red brown plasticine hover above that suggest eyebrows and a moustache. Some of the oi

In this exhibition, ‘Clay Like,' I showed works that I made out of plasticine on found wood. The work started off with me finding bits of old wood and filling in the gaps with the plasticine.

Then I started making images on my iPad which I gave to a local mens shed to rout out of the wood for me, but then I got them Computer Numerical Control routed at VCA (Victorian College of the Arts).

Gouging out the wood and a replacing it with something soft, feels so yummy to do. There was a tactility to the work, people were invited by the gallery sitters to touch and pick up the pieces. The images came from different places like the Internet, sci fi and some out of my head, but were all pretty much abstract.

The wooden things all had previous lives and came from op shops or were given to me. I chose it partly because it was inexpensive, I also like the variety of different woods, and the cracks and the cuts on the boards create a domestic feel which adds to the sense of play: where food was there is now toxic plasticine. I love how sometimes the oil would seep out of the plasticine and stain the wood.

In the exhibition I displayed my work on shelves which were hung at a height to be best viewed from a wheelchair. Though the work was sculptural, displaying it against the walls left plenty of room to move around and view the art work.

Grey

Rainbow Burnout