GutterCherry:

The Railroad Plates are the very first collaboration between me and Tommy.  Born out of our love of different demensions (he’s a painter, and I’m a sculpter) and the sheer need to create.   Trapped in my apartment under two feet of snow with nothing but found objects and photographs, we started this as a way stave off cabin feaver.  Also we were broke, one of us lost their job and shortly after the other one did too.  The plates themselves are the hardware that holds the rails to the ties.  They are set in with spikes and the tracks sit on top of them within the grooves.  We had a few of these plates around from a different project that Tommy designed. My Dad had given me a camera for Christmas and as a result we had tons of photos too.  The industrial nature of the plates lends well to Portland landmarks and all the phtographs are original.  Ships, bridges, trains, and ships passing under brides with trains going by, make up the artwork.  The plates are heavy but we have hung them for shows.  However, they work best with the original spikes used as the backstay.  I like keeping the hardware together and it lends itself to people recognizing their original purpose.  These are found objects so do not be alarmed, all local trains are rolling over the proper amount of track hardware!