|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
| Neon Artist |
| We're all familiar with neon light - it's used such a lot in advertising - however we visited David Forbes, a guy who uses it purely for art! |
|
|
|
|
David was attracted to neon in the first place by the unique quality of the light and the line. He grew up in San Francisco, where neon advertising is everywhere, and thought it must be possible to utilise it in an art form.
1
David says glass is not terribly forgiving, but has great qualities. There is a range of tubes available pre-coated with a phosphor powder - about 35 different colours. If you play around with the gas - whether you use neon, argon or mercury with it - you can get well over 100 different varieties and intensities of light.
2
Neon tubes are cheaper to run than fluorescent ones. The voltage that comes out of the transformers is very high but the amperage is very low. Where a normal house circuit will be 15 amps, these can run on 1/15,000th of an amp.
3
One of David's favourite pieces is a combination of body-casting and neon. Another is of his wife, Janelle, when she was nine months pregnant. It was an ordeal to get done. The human body is difficult to work from. Janelle was two weeks away from delivery and couldn't stand or lie down for long, so David inclined a board at 45 degrees, propped her up on it, and draped towels and sheets covered in plaster over her.
David says it is enjoyable to make neon art, but the real fun is lighting it up and knowing that it works.
|
More Info
Contact David Forbes, 21 Raven St, West End, Brisbane QLD 4101. Ph: (07) 3846 3797. E-mail: neonart@powerup.com.au
David can do life casts, people portraits, family or individual portraits of hands or feet, ranging from babies to full body casts of adults. A wide variety of mediums can be used for the final casting, ranging from plaster and resin to bronze or reconstituted marble.
|
Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
|
|
|
|
|
