These mixed media pieces were part of a show I did with my friend, artist and musician, Kevin M.Kerby (the M stands for Merle- no foolin'). A miniature sketch of Kevin's work appears in the photo above. His pieces depicted contraptions created when seemingly unrelated objects are combined (I think he would be okay with that description) my pieces depicted people who, although not overtly stated in the art works, would likely abuse these contraptions given the opportunity based on the other crackhead events they managed to involve themselves in. The title was Kevin's idea... he's smart with words like that.
ANYWAY... the stories of the people in my artworks were taken from a little column of weird news appearing daily on the front of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper. I had saved my favorites from this column for a few years before I noticed some trends. Many people try to break out of prision with poorly made faux weapons and a lot of people swallow things they shouldn't just to give a couple of examples. These common stories were sometimes combined into one artwork, however some of the stories were so good, they needed to stand alone.I incorporated a scan of the original story into each artwork- I will attempt here to offer a summary of each work. The images of the people are not the true individuals- on one hand there might be some legal issues, on the other- they've suffered enough shame... plus, when you think about it, most of us are only one step away from doing something equally as bizarre and stupid given the right circumstances. These are the problems of everyone... no one is completely safe from random acts of ignorance.
Bad Thing- Two guys, different locations, try to break out of prison using homemade faux weapons. Their patron saint: Martha Stewart, of course.
We Tried- It was the election year... one woman went into labor, delivered a kid and insisted on voting before the polls closed, one guy was arrested, drunk, wearing a W mask, the last guy called 911 saying he had a van of explosives and was headed to a Cheney campaign stop.
You Lose- Leonard Crapps (yes, that is his given name) was, due to his size, allowed to wear a different work outfit rather than the pocketless jumpsuits normally worn by workers at the casino where he was employed... pocketless to discourage stealing... you can guess what happened.
Hell's Hotter- from the classifieds "to the person who stole my waterhose, you reap what you sow"
The Loser- Ohio truck driver who crashed his big rig while attempting to change clothes while going 60 mph. He was found naked after the crash... no charges were filed.
Thanks Grandma- Classified ad placed by a kindly lady who was asking for shot glasses for her grandson's collection.
Dumb Luck- Two guys, different locations, who shot themselves in the crotchel area... alchohol and illegal weapons played a pivitol role. The lady at the top is contemplating a classified ad for an organ that "may or may not work". Enough said.
Accidents Happen- A guy accidentaly shoots himself in the point of his hood at his Ku Klux Klan initiation... The shooting was (presumably) an accident, HE was definitely an accident, and I'm betting there was an accident in his Klan pants when the gun went off.
Diamond in the Ruffage- An employee of a Florida cleaning company swallows a large diamond ring in an attempt to steal it from a residence. The poodles witnessed the event.
Taking Care of Business- Seattle cab driver who lost his appeal to wear an Elvis suit while driving his cab. He continues to wear a cape because there were no regulations preventing him from wearing his cape.
Officer Pink- County Sheriff in Alabama who forces residents of his jail to wear pink jumpsuits, sleep on pink sheets and use bright pink handcuffs because he was tired of his employees stealing his stuff.
Girls, Girls and God- A Kentucky man whose religious conversion prompted him to turn his adult novelty shop into a Christian bookstore had to put his shop up for sale due to poor business. Apparently the Lord did not provide.
