"I included neon for the same reason. It became an integrated design element in each collage, rather than a symbol of something else, such as the letters in a sign.

"I wanted to use the colored light as if it was a stroke of paint."

AT LEFT: Detail from CATHEDRAL STREET

showing the bar, the paintings on the wall, the bottle, and the ubiquitous Black PianoDetail: the bar and piano

"I have always been interested in the process of assembling things. I loved making model cars and planes when I was a kid, and I am fascinated by the construction of just about anything-- machinery, architecture, appliances, piles of stuff in junk yards and dumps. I enjoy the contrast between construction and deconstruction, and find implied metaphors in both.

"My ongoing work, combining neon and collage, is experimental. I believe I will continue to use the elements of chaos and accident -- combined with classical artistic design -- to achieve effects both calculated and unexpected."

William Rathbun's free-standing neon sculpture , 5 feet high:

made of pieces of an old fireplace, burnt logs, antique war bond posters, neon tubes, tiny model planes and boats, old family and army photos, rope, string, cloth, neon tubes -- and a scattering of flower-petals this piece collected while being driven to its exhibit site in Harwich in an open-bed truck in 2002. Rathbun felt the editing of his work by nature in this way was significant.

… The artist says: “the drummer boy” might be the grandfather of the WW 1 soldier… there’s a scene from WW 2 included in the allegory. The piece could be called ‘contemporary folk art’ …my own parents met at Fort Devens during WW 1, hence its importance for me personally.“

BELOW: EAT ...a wall-hanging neon sculpture 24 inches square

PLEASE click on ANY image on this pager to view the entire NEON collection with pricing...

and please give each page TIME TO LOAD... there are over 1.000 images on this site

BELOW, AT RIGHT: SEA TO SEA, wall-hanging neon sculpture 43 x 84 x 6 inches; and BELOW LEFT, Detail from Sea To Sea

This piece celebrates the American naval heroes of the 1700’s and the struggle for dominion of the seas. The title may call to mind the mourning which spread in Rhode Island at the death of JOHN PECK RATHBUN, A Rhode Island patriot who is mentioned in the papers of Gen. George Washington. He was a Master in the Continental Navy whose exploits helped the new United States win their independence from Great Britain.  After serving under John Paul Jones  he was named commander of his own ship in 1777, and after several notable exploits fought to prevent the British troops under Cornwallis from entering Charleston. He died however in a British prison after his ship was captured in 1781.

 The artist says: “…or the reference to ‘black’ may celebrate our family connection to Blackbeard the Pirate, who was killed by Lt.Robert Maynard, who died 1751 in Kent Co, England-- he was the uncle of Ann Peck Rathbun, who married my ancestor John Peck Rathbun…