Maple.  (2015)  18" x 18"  Fuse. Acrylic. Paper.

Strong, abstract stripes of maple tree color grooves, light and burned textures. Acrylic red, greens and golds split by slow burning 2mm fuse.  

I named it Maple as I used some leaves from the Japanese, Silver and Red Maple trees, outside The Blast Factory, for inspiration.  Now I get to rake them all.

Unframed.

Primitive.  Modern.  Explosive.  

American gunpowder artist, Vega carefully places powder and fuses on the surface of the art, which he positions horizontally on the floor (or blast table). When ignited, first the fuses burns instantly along the cord lines, igniting the gunpowder and creating a blast, which then vanish in clouds of smoke. The result is a textured surface that looks and feels like an explosion—the art is blackened, charred, and erupted, arrested in a state of being created in a flash.

When the fuse is lit there is a moment of uncertainty. What will happen? It is at that moment that true art exists.