Wednesday, July 28, 2010

"Ovation" In progress........

My latest commission is a music box of sorts. When you lift the lid, a figure on a stage pops up and the sound of applause is heard. Here is my rough sketch of the piece......

When I first talked with the woman who requested this piece I was not sure what her budget or size constraints were. Initially I envisioned a grandiose, elaborate, and much larger piece. I imagined a moving figure, operated by strings or rods connected to a motor, popping up, illuminated by stage lights. After some consultation we scaled it back to what you see here, (she wanted it to fit on a bookshelf).
This piece is more like what she had in mind.

Here are my in progress shots, in order----

I took apart this old crate and used the wood for my box....


My box with lid......


The hinge that enables the stage to swing upwards....


After drawing out how this piece was going to operate, I had exposed linkages on either side of the stage that I thought were very distracting (ugly). I had an idea to make them decorative, to make them look like they belong there. They work to pull the stage up when you lift the lid.

The stage showing the 2 post that act as connector rods.


The stage connected to the lid with the linkages...


Cutting the linkages...


Linkages cut out and ready for finishing...


Finished linkages. My idea was to make them look sort of like ropes.


The figure's legs and shoes. The figure needs to be well-built because when the lid is closed she rest at a 22 degrees angle.


That is where I'm at today. I will post more pics later.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

"Trundle" 2010 New Figure....

Many of my pieces, especially my Figures, deal with the idea of the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. This piece is no exception. I love his optimism- he has a sense that “nothing is going to slow me down”. This piece is SOLD.





His wrench rests on his shoulder. I took a while to figure out the angles to make this happen.


His back, showing the hand stitching.


His carved wooden hands. I carved the hands separately and added them to the arms using glue and a bit of brass rod.


His body pre-paint and pre-assembly. The wheel is an antique pulley, I added a "tire" made from an old electrical cord. His head, sculpted from polymer clay, was painted when I painted the previous figure's head.


The box I used for the base was found at a flea market in Maryland, or was it Delaware?

Friday, July 16, 2010

Newest figure....



This is my first attempt at creating a head that is more of a caricature. I think want to take my work in this new direction. I love the way he turned out. This piece is titled "When Things Just Mesh" and is $395.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

A successful adventure.......

Last Saturday I ventured west of Atlanta in search of more old boxes for my Story Boxes. I found 6 great boxes and many other good things...









Thursday, July 1, 2010

Show of New Works Announced......


I'm very excited to announce my show of new kinetic works at Obsolete in Venice, CA
The opening is Saturday November 13, 2010
I will be bringing as many pieces as I can, plus a few surprises......
See info here soon.....