bloodworks

bloodworks was started by Costa while he was searching for a way to use his own blood, two dimensionally (drawing) after his production of three dimensional objects (sculpture) which contained his blood.

The process of drawing blood (taking it out of the body) and drawing with blood (using it to make a two dimensional work) was the start of his dialogue with the medium.

Blood is a difficult medium to work with since it is programmed to coagulate and dry quickly in defense of the body either to seal a wound or close an opening in the circulatory system that contains it. With the bloodworks, Costa developed a unique process that allows him to work with the material without adding any anticoagulants to extend the drying process and without leaving the material exposed and vulnerable to the elements and allowing for the image and work to remain stable indefinitely. This process also protects the viewer from any possible fear of contamination.