| 08.02.16
| Accessories, Design
Stick Vega is all about the “boom.”
The gunpowder artist from Madison, WI, draws inspiration, and a mildly perverse thrill, from the intentionally uncertain act of putting fire to fuse. Each time Vega “blows something up,” he says with a spark in his eye, it is an act of art and faith. Using layering and texturing techniques, Vega applies gunpowder and high-speed fuses to burn bold outlines, vibrant colors, and dynamic textures.
“I finding it tremendously exciting,” says Vega, “that I never know what’s going to happen when I make my art. Blow up one piece, and I may have created something cool and interesting. Blow up another and I may get a piece that’s, well, . . . crispy.”
Vega estimates that about 25 percent of the pieces he attempts in his Madison studio, The Blast Factory, ends up destroyed or totally burned.
Acclaimed gunpowder artist Cai Guo-Qiang inspired Vega to pursue the medium. He discovered Cai’s work several years ago while on a business trip to China. Cai is known for massive works that are equal parts art and performance, complete with fireworks, wending trails of gunpowder, and miles-long fuses.
A flash of showmanship is also inherent in Vega’s work, whose vivid, modern, expressionist style is at home in The Century House.
“We are very pleased to host such a talented local artist and feel a strong connection between Vega’s work and our overall aesthetic. Since our founding by a local art teacher in 1948, The Century House has always been a place to explore art, design and the modern lifestyle.” says Jacob Harlow, General Manager of The Century House.
More than a half dozen of Vega’s original gunpowder creations are featured at the main Century House showroom at 3029 University Avenue, with more scheduled to debut at its Home & Office location this fall (3420 University Avenue). These artworks are only available for purchase at The Century House. Stop by, or visit stickvega.com, and see how art can be more than paint on canvas or charcoal on paper, but an explosively expressive combination.
