Michael Dinges' current body of work "re-presents" the common objects of daily life, and compels the viewer to re-examine the value each object continues to offer -- uneclipsed by new and more seductive technologies of the 21st century.
Consider these: a stack of coffee cups, a compass, a book of matches, salt and pepper shakers, a baseball, a vacuum tube, a comb, a clothespin. Their design is pure and complete. Their usefulness is unchallenged. This simplicity is key. Precisely rendering each isolated subject on a ground of white paper allows the object to radiate its elegant purposefulness. Using only graphite, each object is captured -- like a black and white photograph -- in a still, decisive moment.
Metaphor and title play a role in describing ideas behind these pieces. The book of matches, Potential; the comb, Plow; the clothespin, V for Victory. This aspect of the one-liner complements Dinges' work. It comments on a contemporary practice, and pairs it with imagery connected with nostalgia -- creating thoughtful juxtapositions.
