James Tracy

This boot was both a requirement and a necessity to participate in Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon. As a requirement to work on a crew we all had to have our own 8″ or taller sturdy work boots. My boot has a specific design of panels which have been fabricated and mechanically put together, but since I wore it for so long and through so much, it also has its own character compared to any other boot of the same design. The varying lines, including the actual lines created by the important structural pieces, were clear to me so I was able to focus more on the intricacies and character of the form. I used the thinner gauge wire to create cross contour lines along the tongue of the boot to create a distinction between the tongue and rest of the boot and also show the volume of that piece. To close the negative space in both the sole and the bottom two panels of the upper portion of the boot I added sparse vertical cross contour lines which also added to the structural stability. I used the copper colored wire sparingly and only used it where there were different textures such as the sole and on the tongue to contrast against the steel wire. For every other connection and cross contour I used thinner gauge steel wire against the thicker primary contour lines. If I needed a stronger support where I was planning to put thinner wire, I would still use the thinner wire, but twist it together to create that stability.