forty rusty screws project

The studio roof is now fixed and the culprits, 40 rusty screws, is a current work in progress (apparently 95% of the leaks in metal roofs are due to poorly fitted screws, which rust and let water through) 

The opening quotation comes from my published notes in 2019, when I began this project. However, the actual reason the studio roof leaked and the screws became rusty was due to condensation forming within the roof structure, and not rain dripping and pouring in. A new roof, coated with an anti-condensation product, has now replaced the old one. So, with a dry space in which to work, I return to the project and coat each of the rusty screws with two coats of PVA to retain their integrity and history. I then attach these endearing found objects on a golden acrylic canvas, backed with timber, each one secured by a robust U nail…

(Note: If the work were to be hung in a gallery/white space, I would have them attached directly to the wall, as with other work I have made)

forty rusty screws, found objects on canvas, P.R. Bennetta, 2020

forty rusty screws

The studio roof is now fixed and the culprits, 40 rusty screws, is a current work in progress (apparently 95% of the leaks in metal roofs are due to poorly fitted screws, which rust and let water through) 

The opening quotation comes from my published notes in 2019, when I began this project. However, the actual reason the studio roof leaked and the screws became rusty was due to condensation forming within the roof structure, and not rain dripping and pouring in. A new roof, coated with an anti-condensation product, has now replaced the old one. So, with a dry space in which to work, I return to the project and coat each of the rusty screws with two coats of PVA to retain their integrity and history. I then mount them on a golden acrylic canvas, backed with timber, to elevate these endearing found objects, each one secured by a robust U nail…

forty rusty screws, found objects on canvas, P.R. Bennetta, 2020

The question is…

The question is… Acrylic on canvas with found object, 30 cm x 20 cm, Philip Bennetta, 2020

I like using commonplace materials, bringing found objects to the studio…

I was making steps down to the stream running by the studio and needed one last plank of timber to front the top step. I came across a sawn-off scaffold board, which had a nail-plate on one end. The metal plate was jagged at the edge, so I removed it…

When the steps were complete, I took the now twisted nail-plate to the studio and instinctively placed it on a canvas I was working on…

The question is…