(Pic #1) Just junk on the ground. Or is it?
Functional, useful, reliable — the rubber tire also serves as artful inspiration.
They get me every time. I do my share of junkyard exploring, and inevitably, I stumble upon a pile of discarded tires. While arguably the most dependable load-supporting, system of transportation, I see them as perfect sculptures emerging from found objects. They are appealing as a group — or as individuals. And I’m not the only one with a soft spot for these under-valued heroes.
Robert Rauschenberg’s clever combine called “Monogram” (Pic #2) might be the most famous from the school of trashed tires — curiously collaring a painted, horned, Angora goat.
(Pic #2) Robert Rauschenberg ‘s “Monogram” combine, 1955.
A lesser known but equally trailblazing sculptor named Noah Purify incorporated tires in many of his assemblages in the brutal desert heat of Joshua Tree. (Pic #3) His orders (after his death) were to leave his work to disintegrate in the dry desert air. It’s been decades. Miraculously, his installations still stand.
(Pic #3) Installation by Noah Purifoy, Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum, Joshua Tree, Cal.
I had to build a ramp for my horses to move from paddock to pasture. Cost of dirt was prohibitive. What to do? TIRES! Stacked them and covered them with gravel and dirt. Bob’s your uncle.