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Innerbelt Road Somerville, MA

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  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Boston MA
Innerbelt Road Somerville, MA
Posted by vespa boy on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 12:26 PM

I have spent the last 5 years working on this semi-industrial road whilst my workplace at Harvard Square gets renovated.

I did find something appealing about the road...when I stood at the curb and looked toward the centre, the parallel lines reminded me of the x-sections of the Earth's atmoshpere I used to gaze at as a kid, and I also thought of a drawing by Cy Twombly drawing called Apollo which has the different atmospheres marked in metres amongst many other things.

The biggest challenge was the composition. I tried for a long time to get a gentle curve that worked, I looked at Ellsworth Kelly's plywood cut-outs, I looked at photos of the Earth from space and I could not get it to work, until I narrowed my focus...and this is what I came up with (the q-tips are unused!)

And I went on from there with very standard techniques. Here it is with the asphalt laid and the errosion around the line markers carved out

And here is a final overall shot followed by a detail


Please excuse my iPhone photography and thanks for looking.

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Boston MA
Posted by vespa boy on Thursday, July 10, 2014 12:41 PM

My work has published an article about artists on staff, and I have been included. Its a small article, but its still nice getting a mention

magazine.harvardartmuseums.org/.../creative-colleagues

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

  • Member since
    May 2014
Posted by Nomad53 on Friday, July 11, 2014 1:12 PM

What building materials did you use?

Nomad53


 

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Boston MA
Posted by vespa boy on Friday, July 11, 2014 2:22 PM

Hi Nomad, I used a plywood base and basswood to form the ground contours. I used plaster for the sidewalk, I apply carborundum to paper with PVA and rip it and then apply it to the base to simulate cracked asphalt. The dirt is sifted dirt from the actual location, the leaves are dried in an overn and finely up in a coffee grinder with some birch pod bits and pieces added, the road lines are acrylic paint. I use lots of dilute oil paint and dilute acrylic paint washes. That's about it. Thanks for asking.

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Friday, July 11, 2014 4:26 PM

Looks just like the original from where I'm sitting. Cool.

  • Member since
    May 2005
Posted by pyrman64 on Saturday, July 12, 2014 3:09 AM

Vespa: nice job.  How did you paint the sidewalk section?

Greg H

"There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell." Gen. Wm T. Sherman (11 April 1880, Columbus, Ohio)

  • Member since
    May 2014
Posted by Nomad53 on Saturday, July 12, 2014 12:12 PM

Thanks so much. I will take this and use the information.

Nomad53


 

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Boston MA
Posted by vespa boy on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 9:57 AM

Greg H: I used a toothbrush and a fine wire brush  to put some texture into the plaster used for the sidewalk, just like you use a bristle broom to surface real concrete. The I used very dilute acrylic washes, and I mean very,  to add some colour. Let each wash dry before putting the next on. I also flood the plaster with water so that it doesn't soak in right away. If you use oils, you can do the same with whatever solvent you use.

Nomad: glad that its useful for you.

Thanks Greg. Appreciated.

http://public.fotki.com/nkhandekar

This ain't no Mudd Club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain't got time for that now

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