Sponsored by: PNC Bank
Charity: Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Fossil Location: The Waterfront, Homestead (2009) map ] [ directions to ]
Auction Price: $4000
Materials:
Acrylics, coal dust, coal
Theme: Ultimate fate of the dinosaurs, or how Pittsburgh was fiercely reborn from its coal/coke/steel-based economy
 
 

Fossil Fuels About the Design
The design represents a realistically detailed T. rex, which transforms into coal. A reflective pool of black paint, representing oil, surrounds its feet and tail. The faceted, refracting surfaces of the coal bring to mind Cubism. As a visual metaphor, the design works on many levels. It could represent the ultimate fate of the dinosaurs relative to their contribution to the creation of fossil fuels like coal and oil. Another interpretation could be how the Pittsburgh economy is fiercely reborn out of its coal/coke/steel-based economy. As always, the viewer completes the work.

Sold!The realistic surface of the T. rex, starting at the top, is painted in acrylics; as you proceed downward the color is blended into coal dust, and the coal becomes more granular until at the base there are large pieces of coal covering and somewhat obscuring the structure of the sculpture. At the base, black acrylic paint has been poured ala Jackson Pollock, creating the appearance of a wet, shining pool of oil.

About the Sponsor
PNC Bank takes a comprehensive approach to helping enrich the lives of its neighbors and drive economic development in the regions it serves. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s DinoMite Days was a great fit for this strategy—it highlighted the museum’s outstanding displays, showcased the work of area artists, and attracted visitors to the core of our region. PNC Bank was proud to play a role.