Ted Larsen

Ted Larsen

Statement

I choose to work with salvage materials. I have found that constructing my images with salvaged materials to be the most authentic expression of my internal self. There are several reasons for this. One is a statement about the environment and our culture's rapid disposal of commercial goods. The other is about reclaiming our environment and resurrecting these cast-off materials into something beautiful. But mostly it is about aesthetics.

The salvage materials I use come from automobiles, architectural elements, and industrial equipment. After much thoughtful and deliberate searching for materials, I rough cut them on-site so I can transport the large sheets of steel back into my studio. There I use machines to precision cut them into usable parts. I use everything from acids to encaustics or from inks to graphite to alter the surfaces of the steel. The substructures are made from furniture grade Baltic Birch. I create many different shapes, sizes, and dimensionality depending on the idea I am exploring. The work is exacting in the process with a high degree of precision and also raw, immediate, and fresh.

I constantly travel and study the physical world. I see many potential starting points, a junk yard littered with colorful abandoned cars, desolate old barns, time worn trains, broken down antiquated houses, areas that show the wondrous impact of the human footprint in both the rural and urban environments. They form patterns that have imprinted my mind. I am inspired by these environments to create objects which speak about a sense of place. Finally, I want to remind the viewer of something they know inherently but can't quite place.