Mike Shaffer
3-d Grids and Lattices
Northern California coast near Anchor Bay
Dust Storm, 24 x 24 x 5, 1973
Side 2 Side, White Pine, 126 x 70 x 7 inches, 1975
Grape Deuce Eight, 44 x 33 x 5 inches, 1974
Christmas 5, 36 x 36 x 5 inches, 1973
There are two types of 3-d Lattices: The wood works range in sizes from 24 x 24 inches to up to generally 52 x 72 inches. A subgroup of small lattices (here left and right) is called Pencil Works because several were actually made of pencils whereas others in the group were made of comparable objects. In all the grids and lattices the layer nearest the viewer is vertical.
Right Night, 30 x 30 x 6 inches, 1973
The lattices are essentially layers of grids. The brightly painted tubular works are done in automobile lacquer on aluminum. Most of the works in wood are not painted.
By tapering the lengths and cutting the widths at angles of some of the wood works I was able to create the illusion that the work was twisted —leaning back from the plane of the wall as in the work bottom left.
Night and Day, 36 x 36 x 4 inches, 1973
Saturday Night, 58 x 58 x 4 inches, 1973
Not So Mellow Yellow, 30 x 30 x 6. inches, 1974
Unlike the works in wood, those painted in different and/or variegated colors create patterns that compete with their physical forms. There are 64 works in this series.
Day Eleven, 126 x 70 x 7 inches, 1975
Keen Bean , 34 x 35 x 5 inches, 1973
Christmas 2, 36 x 36 x 5 inches, 1973