Tackman 

Scott Fraser's 'Tackman' is constructed out of everyday materials: painted wood, pins, thread, and humble clothespins. This is not high-tech fabrication, but simple assembly. Fraser is known for his hyperrealist still life paintings, but here the objects themselves become the artwork. The pins arrayed along the bottom are reminiscent of a Dadaist landscape, and there's a definite Surrealist quality to the composition as a whole. Look closely, and you'll see the evidence of the artist's hand. There's the application of the brightly colored paint, and the careful placement of each component. The clothespins have a satisfying geometric quality, particularly where they stack to form supporting towers. They simultaneously create and negate the tension of the tightrope. Fraser's work reminds us that the meaning of art can be found not only in grand gestures or expensive materials, but also in the patient, thoughtful manipulation of the mundane.