8-ball yo yo

I had been reading about Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Kenneth Noland and wanted to see what would happen when I watered down some acrylic house paint and poured it over the surface of a small panel. I came up with this piece and decided to put some kind 8-ball in it and ended up with an 8-ball yo yo. The yo yo is made from two wooden wheels I got from the craft store. The 8 in the white circle is made using the paint transfer technique I often use with the titles.

It was a magical descent into the abyss of disposable 8-ball yo-yos.

Acrylic paint, wood, linen string
10 x 10 x 1.5 inches (25.4 x 25.4 x 3.8 cm)
July 2023

If I had the studio space I would consider this small piece a maquette and do a 100 x 100-inch version with a 20 x 20-inch 8-ball yo yo hanging from it. As the song says “It doesn't cost a dime to dream.”

The title pieces are printed backward. I will coat this printed side with paint and place it painted side down on the art. After the paint is completely dry I will put water on the paper to soften it so it can be rubbed off revealing the type underneath which is no right reading.

On the reverse side of the title bar I pencil in an arrow to mark the center of the title and make sure the title is not upside down when I stick it to the art.