A New York artist has been combining his love for staples and Star Wars to create stunningly intricate works of art. 40-year-old James Haggerty makes pictures of iconic Star Wars characters using tens of thousands of multi colored staples in organized patterns. Some of his most notable works are Darth Vader (made from 10,496 staples), C-3PO (33,580 staples) and Greedo (21,458 staples).

Haggerty’s work is incredible meticulous – he starts out with a thoroughly organized plan. He first creates five to ten ink drawings and picks his favorite one. He transfers that one onto a painted board, about 40 x 32 inches in size. He then patiently punches each staple on to the board. The dark background of the board fills in some of the negative spaces, while the metallic staples form the highlights, adding shine and depth to the picture.

Each portrait takes him about 6 months to complete. Over the years, Haggerty has been using the same stapler for all his projects. It can hold up to 60,000 staples and still holds up amazingly well. He just alters the chamber for each change in color or shade.

“I discovered the potential of using staples to create works of art by daydreaming and playing around with an old stapler,” said Haggerty, who is a Star Wars fanatic and also a schoolteacher. “Staples, just like an etched line, can be bold and graphic or soft and subdued. When I use colored staples, each one acts like a dash of paint in a painting and when viewed from only a few steps back is optically mixed.”

“My affinity with the Star Wars universe all goes back to my childhood,” he said. “I was hooked after the first few minutes of the first movie – they captured my imagination as a child and have continued to live on.” Although the mosaics are a hobby for now, Haggerty said that he would accept $10,000 per piece if he was commissioned. I’d say his patience and effort are well worth the money.

Photos: James Haggerty

via Express.co.uk