Embracing the old and the unknown new, this piece symbolizes access and opportunity. It involves an honouring of the past and an opening to new experiences. The recessed canvas represents a portal allowing our entry across a threshold to something unknown. Rusted found objects invoke an historical dimension. Recycling them here, the artist keeps them out of the landfill.
The original inspiration for the work came from a rusty key found on a walk in the neighbourhood. The process of creating the piece was rather emergent or intuitive, rather than pre-planned. It began with the texturing of the background in the recessed part of the canvas, using granular gel which, when dried, was painted over using a combination of regular paint and metallic paint. A piece of rusted metal below the recess in the canvas is affixed with adhesive, while the large piece in the centre is held in place mainly by flexile tension.