A B O V E : M I X E D M E D I A A B S T R A C T W O R K S OF S H A R O N PERKINS RIGHT: PORTALES, M A R I A - T E R E S A V I C E N C I O LEFT: BALANCE, R E C Y C L E D F R O M A FACTORY SITE IN N O R T H V A N C O U V E R , M A R I A - T E R E S A V I C E N C I O Sharon Perkins and Maria-Teresa Vicencio are sculptors who work with metal. Much of their raw material is found in junkyards and for them the old adage "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is certainly true. Down in a junkyard on Powell Street, two women poke through piles of scrap metal. What are they searching for? They really don't know until they find it. The women approach these forays in two different ways. They may have a design in mind, something they have sketched out beforehand. They scour the area for pieces that are the right shape and size. If they come up empty-handed, they simply alter their designs or have a piece of metal modified to meet their needs. More often though, they just wander through the debris and wait until something grabs their interest. Then they take it home and see what happens. When they get their treasures back to their North Vancouver studios, the real work begins. They scrub and scour and sometimes paint the metal. They move pieces around, looking for the perfect juxtaposition of form and texture. Strong arms hold the pieces in place while the artists ponder each possible creation. Often their husbands provide this service. Eventually, when the decision Is made, a welder is employed to fix the pieces into a permanent arrangement. On the "dry days" when they are not actually painting or sculpting or modeling clay, the two women get together for art dates. They may browse through galleries, paying attention not only to the art itself, but also to how work is mounted, framed and displayed. Another day