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That's what I've named this image. This is unlike anything I've ever done before. I was asked by the gallery director at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to submit a piece for display in their administrative offices. I have eleven other pieces on display in the backstage dressing rooms and green room.
But this one is completely different. Many years ago, I did some freelance painting for a local sign shop, painting signs and lettering trucks. I noticed one day how certain hues of the red and blue enamel sign paint would mess with my eyes when they were next to each other. The two colors would cause an oscillation where they met on my painting pallette, a sort of clashing of the colors.
Soon after, I had a dream where I saw this cool image of two faces melding together. The hands of the figures sort of defines the ear of the other. As an experiment, I decided to paint the design using blue paint on red sign metal. The saturation and high gloss of these enamel paints really emphasizes the oscillating effect. What's really strange is that the image above seems to show a dark line between the two colors. But that is NOT present in the actual artwork. Very weird...
I've never shown this piece in the 25 years or so that I've had it. So I decided to drag it out and see what people thought. The reaction has been good and there have been various ideas of what the figures represent, such as man & woman, aggression & calm, war & peace, and racial intermarriage.
I'm often asked this question when discussing lighting possibilities with a client. A gobo is a template of an image or words that is placed into a lighting fixture between the lamp and the lens. Adjusting the lens will focus the image as it is projected onto a wall, the floor, or a backdrop.
I needed a couple lekos for the musical South Pacific which were going to be outdoors for a few weeks. I chose this beat up old Altman leko. The gobo template holder is slid into a slot on the top of the light fixture.
There are many theatrical supply companies that create catalogs of stock gobos which they offer in printed catalogs or online. The three largest producers are Rosco, Apollo and GAM. Typically, they're made from steel or glass, either laser cut or etched.
Whatever areas allow light to pass through is what becomes projected. Moving light fixtures will often have several gobos which can be rotated and overlapped with each other.
I've used these stock gobos many times and they will eventually disintegrate under the intense heat from the lamp.
Some companies use brass or a heavier gauge steel for longevity, but heat resistant coating on glass gobos also withstands the temperature. This multi-colored glass gobo is made from bits of dichroic glass and should last a long time under normal circumstances. I store my gobos in an old fishing tackle box with dividers.
The manufacturers will also create custom gobos from your design. A steel custom gobo will cost about $75+ before shipping. In a pinch I've had to create my own when there wasn't enough time or money to order the gobo. Sometimes I create the design and print several copies of it onto transparent film sold at office supply stores. I will then cut them out and overlay three of them and tape them together. This will work, BUT... the film cannot withstand the heat and it will begin to smoke and melt in the light. I found that in a standard Source Four leko, which uses a 575 watt lamp, I can raise the lamp intensity to about 30- 50%, depending on how much dark area is in the image which absorbs the heat, before it crumples up and smokes. This is NOT a safe thing to attempt if you don't know what you're doing.
