Rachel Pearlman

What You See Is What You Get (2012)
By: Rachel Pearlman

Materials: old mirror and cast iron pieces
Size: 47.75" x 27.75" x 1"

This piece is kind of just fell together as I was making it. I found these cast iron intricately designed pieces that reminded me of fencing from when I studied abroad and I knew I had to include them in my piece. They were covered with rust and I was trying to think of different ways to get rid of it. I ended up just cutting them into smaller pieces and making my own shapes with them using the plasma cutter. After I did that they were small enough for me to start taking off the rust with the bench grinder. As I was in the process of doing this, the new pieces still had some rust but also had shiny parts of the metal showing through. Looking at it instantly reminded me of an old vintage mirror. So I decided that I wanted to attach the pieces to a mirror and make my own pattern on it. I also added some fingerprints and dust to add to the old feel I was trying to portray. What you see is what you get.