Zero Sum #25

Zero Sum #25 started with the etching of the moon - I was thinking that it would be a nice backdrop for some photographs in the Zero Sum box, but as I worked on it I became more and more attached to it as an image on its own. So it became an enormous moon-rise over both Paris and Hot Springs, Arkansas. As this image seemed hopelessly romantic and sentimental, I added the various bits and pieces of text to the bottom of the image to tone it down a bit. But this seemed to only send the image rocketing towards nostalgia on top of romantic and sentimental. So I added the more clinical "Figure 1: the Moon", turning it into a textbook example of how the Moon can be used in a romantic, nostalgic image. In other words, turning the image into a model, consistent with the exploration of models and facsimiles that have become such a part of the Zero Sum portfolio, and mirror the odd model-like quality, with all of its inaccuracies, of the Project itself.

Zero Sum #25 will go up for auction later tonight on eBay, as is the eventual fate of all the Zero Sum artworks. To add a bit of drama to the auction, I should point out that the current Zero Sum balance is over $20 in the red. The auction starts for the measly amount of $8.61 (see the auction for the full reasoning behind that odd number). Usually, if the auction finished with one bid of $8.61, then the Zero Sum Art Project would break even, and the next artwork is made in similar fashion to this one. BUT, with the Zero Sum Art Project participating in an exhibition in the Blogger Show (see the previous post for details), I've piled up $20 in shipping costs to get Zero Sum #24 to the gallery. So this is a do-or-die auction for the Project! If the ZSAP balance remains below -$5.00 for two weeks, the project collapses. Time will tell!!