MACHINE SERIES

 

The Machine Series was created using rubbings from machines at my family’s welding and fabrication shop. On-site found materials including grease, oil, and soot are incorporated in the compositions, along with traditional art materials.

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This work explores the intersection of labor and machine-driven rhythms. Drawing deeply from my roots in my family's shop, my work speaks to the inherent beauty found in industry. The creative process itself is a meditation on repetition and authenticity.

 

The rubbings are created from the raised lettering on the machines that identify their models, manufacturers, and safety warnings. Words like, machine, steel, and operate found on the machines create hypnotic mantras when repeated through visual rhythms and patterns on the canvas.

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This is a continuation of the shop’s rhythm, a form of storytelling forged through material and memory. It is an offering to those who work with their hands, to those who build without acknowledgment, and to the subtle poetry found in utility—to family and tradition.

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This series embodies the spirit of working-class resilience—uncomplicated, yet deeply meaningful. These machines carry their own histories and scars. I work with them as collaborators.

We are all machines.

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Dedicated to León.