Concrete and Ash

Michelle Peterson-Albanoz makes sure to use discarded materials where ever she's at when creating her work. While in Florida she tends to focus on left-over concrete and waste paint. For this series she concentrated on concrete mixed with ash. Florida sports the adobe look so her thin-panel pieces reflect the architecture. Florida was hit hardest in the subprime loan debacle. Michelle was given loan applications for desperate home owners, which she then blended into her works.

Michelle burns a financial section of the newspaper in honor of the recession that started in '08. The subtle politics is worked into the pieces as subtext. The pages burn down to thin delicate layers.

A mix of ash from the newspapers and varnish creates a texture that can be applied to the concrete. Pushing and pulling it over dry and semi-dry layers adds a unique finish to another wise utilitarian material.


Here are just a few of Michelle's finished pieces from her concrete series: