Pencile

I'm making a pencil. Its going to be a really nice pencil made from a mixture of maple, walnut and mahogany. I discussed the idea with one of the faculty and the discussion became focused on value and rarity, which is certainly an aspect of the project but not necessarily what I am focusing on. The conversation caused me to write a little about the idea, and this is an excerpt from an email that I wrote about it.

I'm definitely still working on the conceptual framework of this piece. My process tends to lean in a retroactive direction, discovering concept in the process of creating the work, which is probably a bit dicey when my work is so representational. While value and cost are certainly aspects that the work engages in, I think I am more interested in the personal relationship between the work and the investment of the creator. Time/hours of life spent in an effort to create something so immediately consumable that regardless of its appearance provides no better experience than the mass produced consumable. I'm interested in both artist and viewer experiencing the grinding away of time and effort and the possible emotional consequences of that relationship. The idea of value vs. rarity and whether perceived value increases or decreases with use is certainly something to explore. My initial assessment would be that value decreases with use unless the user has some sort of fame or notoriety. However, if the item is consumable creating less of it, then the law of supply and demand should dictate an increase in the value.