Ballbearings and Clamp

A pair of well-used locking pliers rests among a scattering of steel ball bearings on one of my dad’s workbenches. I arranged them so the long handles and open jaws cross one another, while the little round bearings seem to have a mind of their own.

I loved finding unexpected compositions in the tools he left behind. The worn metal, the scratches, and those perfectly round bearings gave me something to play with as I spent time in my studio, surrounded by familiar things that reminded me of him.

Part of Donna Dufault’s Tool Project, a collection of 19 black-and-white still life photographs created in 2002 using tools from her late father’s garage.

Open-edition photographic print on 11 × 14-inch paper. Image dimensions vary. Signature incorporated into the photograph. Sold unmounted and unframed.