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Shop Tour - Page 2
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Saturday mornings are usually spent traversing the local antique stores and junkyards for new “treasures” to work with. “The best place to find metal is from a farmer who lived through the Great Depression because they never threw away anything.”
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Above: James Searching for some “Goods” at “Tomorrow’s Collectibles.” Left: At a ”mountain of gold” in the Loomis junk pile. “I’m rescuing this poor old piece and enriching someone’s life!” |
James always visits a local antique shop, “Tomorrow’s Collectibles.” Vic, the owner, is a short older man wearing a Korean War cap. For ten years, James has been cleaning his yard for him, hauling away endless amounts of metal scraps. “Vic always has something new. If he dosen't, he just moves stuff around to look new.” James continues to go to “Tomorrow's Collectibles” for the friendship he’s developed with Vic as much for the metal scraps. . “This is the center of the universe,” James says as he holds up a metal ring. ”I don’t know if you realize that.”
Bill Loomis, owner of one of James’ favorite junk piles said, “the first time he left here I didn’t think he’d get onto the road, his car was so overloaded with metal. If the truck ran over a penny, the springs would explode.”
Creating James’ art takes time. He usually works on dozens of pieces at once, bouncing from one to the other as his inspiration directs him. “I play with a piece for a while, and then say, ‘Of course!’” James’ pieces vary in size greatly. They range from under one foot to upwards of 25 feet in height. The smaller ones could sit on a coffee table. The larger ones couldn’t fit indoors.
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As the sun comes up over the trash heap, James says, "This is worth the trip right here!" |
