"The Sea Monster" - 2016 - Final Images and the "Making of"......

This is going to be a really big post, so get ready.......

"The Sea Monster" was commissioned by a man in New England who has a fondness for sea creatures. I've never done a piece quite like this before, but I really enjoyed the challenge, and I think it came out pretty great. It measures 24" x 16" x 8", hangs on the wall, and is operated by turning the crank.

I posted 2 videos at the bottom of this post....

The final shots of the piece. 

The build.

I started here - with the "case" that will hold everything. 

Next, I added a crank, and geared it down so that no one can overcrank it. If I didn't do this, and someone turned the crank too fast, it might damage the mechanisms - or at least, something would get hung up somewhere. I never want to take that chance, so I always gear down any hand-cranked piece.

Next, I started with the waves, and the mechanisms to move them. Of course, I had to draw the whole thing out first, and figure out where the waves needed to be. They are of various lengths, and the pivots points were staggered in relation to each other.

There are 3 axles that hold the small cams, which lift the waves. The axles have 2 precision bearings, mounted in blocks at each end, front and back. Here you can see the axels in progress. There are also 3 clear Polycord belts that connect the rods and the crank together - and makes everything move.

These are some of the end pieces. You can see here that I had to add some lead weight to get them to act the way I wanted them to. The small wooden rods help the waves stay in place. The rods go into grooves cut into wooden blocks.

These are all of the waves, before I carved the final details into them. Since the sea monster is sitting in the scene, the waves have to "surround" him - so some of them are full length, and some are very short. Each wave it unique, and I had to number them to keep them straight. Two rods, one on each end, hold the waves in place.

Testing the position and the movement of the waves. The first wave had to be spring assisted on this one side. I straddles the big gear, and had to prevent it from touching the gear. 

Starting to build the sea monster. 

The first cuts were done on a bandsaw.

I was anxious to see him in amongst the waves.

Beginning to hollow out the mouth.

Since the head was mostly hollow,  it was made up from 3 pieces of basswood - you can see 2 pieces here.

I carved the insides and cut out the eye before I glued the 3 pieces together. The eye is weighted so it moves as the head tilts back and forth, and first I had to figure out how that was going to work.

Starting the carving of the head - so much fun.

The head is pretty much finished here. I still have to add his crest.

Here I'm making room in the back for the mechanism that will move the fin. 

The hole for the fin mechanism is done. The part that fits in here is removable. It's easier to work on that way.

I carved out even more of the back to make room for the other mechanisms. There are 2 cams and two levers here. One moves the head, (which is spring assisted), and the other one moves the tail and fin. 

The two levers, with precision bearings on the cam followers.

The final look of the sea monster - before painting.

The teeth. I painted them before I glued them in.

All the pieces of the sea monster - just before painting.

After painting, but before aging.

After aging.

Painting the base - especially the area under the waves.

All the parts - painted, aged, waxed, and ready to be put together. Wow.

Almost all together.

Final assembly. All of the mechanical parts were figured out, and fabricated, before painting. This is just putting it all together, and checking to make sure it's working flawlessly. 

This shows one of the cams, one of the blocks that holds the bearings, and one of the rods that hold the end pieces in place.

The background painting in progress.......

......and after aging. It gets screwed to the back of the case.

This shows the eye, and how it's weighted. The two small brass rods limit it's movement.

The pine frame in progress.

This valance will hide the front of the waves, and it'll be painted the same color as the waves.

The final color of the frame. Four screws will hold it in place.

Test fit, (without the valance).

I hope you liked following along.
BTW I'm always accepting commissions. If you have an idea for a special piece, contact me - I'm sure we can come up with something really cool.


Here is the movie for "The Sea Monster".... You'll want to watch it full screen.

And here is the "making of" video......

Thanks for looking!

tom

Upcoming Show in Los Angeles - Mercado Los Olvidados - Sept. 22nd - 24th

I'm so excited to announce that I will be a part of this amazing line-up of talented artists, showing our works for one weekend only in Downtown LA. To be able to show my work alongside of some of the heavy hitters in the Lowbrow Pop art scene, has me beyond thrilled. 

FYI - I'm going to have a wide variety of artwork - with many pieces that I've created exclusively for this show. 

All the important information is here. 

So if you happen to live in the Los Angeles area, or if you'll be in LA that weekend, it's something you're going to want to check out. Please come by and introduce yourself, I'd love to meet you!

 Thanks for looking!

tom

World Wood Day 2017 - Long Beach, CA ,USA

I'm pleased, and honored, to be invited to participate in World Wood Day this year. I will be showing some of my work, demonstrating my carving techniques, and running an interactive workshop. I'm excited to be exhibiting along side Japanese automata maker, Kazuaki Harada and his wife Meg.
Back in 2015, after spending a month in my studio, my Danish apprentice Laura, traveled to stay with Kazu and Meg, and apprentice with them. They also own a gallery & cafe called Automaton, but I'm getting off subject. It will be exciting to finally meet them both and "talk shop".

From the WWD's website........
World Wood Day is a cultural event celebrated annually on March 21st to highlight wood as an eco-friendly and renewable biomaterial and to raise awareness on the key role wood plays in a sustainable world. Starting from 2013, WWD celebrations were held in Tanzania, China, Turkey and Nepal respectively, involving participants from over 100 countries and regions.

In additions to participating in the Folk Art Workshop, Kazu and I will be giving a presentation on Wednesday at noon, and Sunday at 10:00 am. We will each talk mostly about our work, but also have a Q&A session.

The tickets for World Wood Day are only $10 for a day, and $20. for the whole week.
More info here.

If you come, please stop by and say hi!

 Thanks for looking!

tom

Geocentric Model - The Beginning - w/ Video

At the end of 2016, I got a commission from a man who's been an admirer of my work for many years. He suggested a geocentric model of the universe. As he says, "are you familiar with Aristotle' Earth centric solar system model? It's the one before the modern/correct Copernicus one. It has earth as the center and it's a bit confusing. I figure if anyone could figure out how to animate it, it would be you." I took that last part as a compliment - and a challenge, and, as you might know, I love a challenge!

I will be posting my in-progress pics here soon, but in the meantime, I put together a short video of the piece in progress.

As always, I want to put this out there..... if you have an idea for a one-of-a-kind work of art - kinetic or not - I'd love to talk to you about the possibilities. Let's collaborate - and come up with something cool.

Here's the video.......

If you like this video, and want to see more, please Subscribe to my Channel. I plan to make more of this type of video - where I'm explaining my process, ideas, and my journey on each piece.

Thanks for looking!

tom

"Homage to Dumas" - A Crank-operated Tribute - 2015

This piece was commissioned by a woman who discovered Alexandre Dumas' book, "The Count of Monte Cristo", at the age of nine. It's a tribute to that discovery - and to her continued admiration, and love, of his work. The piece was created in September, October, and November of last year. I put the piece on hold a couple of times, for various reasons. And now I'm just getting the chance to blog about it - it's been a busy year. 

My client came up with the scenario - the young girl, the wood shop, the boat in-progress, various details and props -and this is how it played out in my head. The little girl, sawing on a piece of wood, is in the middle of building Edmond Dantes' ship, the Pharaon. When you turn the crank, the girl's arm moves back and forth as if sawing the piece of wood. The overall measurement is 14" x 18.5" x 13".

Per my client's request, several of Dumas' books are scattered around the wood shop. Even a wooden figure of Edmond Dantès can be seen in the background.

I can't remember doing a diorama-like scene similar to this, but I really like how it came out. I loved making all the different elements of the scene.

She's quietly working away on her boat.

Her lovely face.

A shot through the yet-to-be-completed boat; to the Dantès figure in the background.

In-progress pics.......

I began with the figure, as I usually do. Actually I started this mid-September, when my Danish apprentice was here. I thought it would be good for her to watch me create one of my kinetic figures.

Here I'm figuring out the table height, and finalizing the make up of her arms, and her saw.

The mechanism inside her chest. A line pulls down on a small lever, which moves her arm back. The spring returns it forward. Back and forth, back and forth.....

Here I'm configuring the scene - the wall height and width, as well as the arrangement of the work tables.

I made turned legs for the tables, which were made from old boxes and an old drawer.

I built the base - and now she has a floor! All the tables and the walls will all be held in place using metal pegs; pegged into the floor.

Her body is all ready to be painted. Her head is sculpted from polymer clay and her body is carved basswood.

She's all painted, the clothes are made, and now she's ready to be assembled. The 2 covers on the right will protect the mechanism inside her chest.

Right before I put on the 2 covers, I check to make sure everything is working flawlessly. Then, I will sew up her shirt by hand.

The wood shop is starting to come together. There was a blank spot on the left wall - which was a perfect spot for a little wood stove - made from found objects.
The 3/8" walls were built up from 2 layers of oak plywood, (because I had it laying around; leftover from another project). The walls turned out to be very straight and stable, and relatively thin.

I aged the stove with various darkening solutions, and I love how it came out. When I was building it, I was fortunate to have all the right pieces and parts on hand.

Here I'm starting to apply a stucco finish to the walls. I really didn't want the wood grain to show through, and I love the texture of the stucco. This is a mixture of drywall compound and latex paint. I added some of the mixture to the trim as well.

The stucco is dry - now on to painting it.
(You can see the metal pegs on the bottom of the walls here.)

A quick shot to see how everything is coming together. So far, so good. The floor has been given it's final treatment of wood stain.

The walls and base have been painted, but not aged. I masked off the poster on the right wall with blue tape because I didn't want to get it messed up in the (sometimes messy) aging process.

This is after aging the walls and the base - which was done with the two shelves in place - here you can see their outlines.

Here's a detail shot of the texture created by the stucco application. After aging, I lightly sand every surface; this brings out a lot of texture. The color is a bit off in this shot, but it shows the lovely texture.

Adding all the little details - the books, tools, and other props - it's coming together now.

Dumas' books; before aging.

Her's the little hand-carved Dantès figure. I put this off until the end because I didn't have the confidence that I could do it - I thought I would screw it up. In the end, he came out pretty well.

"Of course you can carve a tiny hammer head out of a piece of lead."

The tiny hammer is finished.

Here's the mechanism in-progress. A simple hand crank, with one cam and lever. In this shot the cam is yet to be cut.

This is the ratchet, which prevents the crank from being turned the wrong way. Actually, in this piece, it wouldn't matter which way the crank was turned, but it does add that nice ratchet sound.
The two gears were found at a salvage yard, or flea market.

The movie..... (watch full screen)

Thanks again for looking!

tom

"A Dream within a Dream" - My Poe Piece Show At the Poe Museum

Back in March '16, I was invited to create a piece of artwork for a group show at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia. The organizer, A. Nancy Cintron, saw my recent piece, "The Seeker" online, and was excited by this piece because she just organized a Vincent Price show at her gallery. She asked me if I would submit a piece for the upcoming show, "a POE-etic Tribute", which opens September, 22, 2016. Of course I said, Yes! 

I was thrilled to participate in this show because I've always wanted to do a portrait of Edgar Allan Poe.

Here's a link to the Opening Event, (on Facebook) ---> here.

Each artist in the show was asked to choose one of Poe's lesser-known poems, and use it as their starting point. After reading many of his poems, I chose "A Dream Within a Dream". Here it is....

"A Dream within a Dream"

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?  

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp 

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

Originally, I wanted to do a kinetic piece using sand, but decided it would be out of the price range of most of the other works. 

Here is my piece - I imaged his feeling after the last bits of sand left is hand, and as he says, "Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep — while I weep!".

The piece measures 8" x 16" x 5", and is currently available from me for $595. The piece is signed and dated.

I really tried to focus on his body position. As I always do, I stood up and used my own body as my model, and imagined his position slumped forward - as in a defeated stance.

A view from the back.

The making of......

His hand-carved basswood hands.

His shoes; the design of which is mostly pulled from my imagination. I don't use a lot of reference photos when designing and creating my pieces. I like my memory and imagination to guide me.

For sculpting his polymer clay head, I did however use a photo reference. I used that one iconic image of him, but try to add some sadness to his eyes.

Here is his fully carved basswood body, all ready to be painted. His arms and legs etc. are assembled as he's dressed.

After painting, and right before he's dressed in his handmade clothes.

Here are his painted - and aged - hands - right before he was dressed. I really like how this shot came out.

A close-up of his head, showing his mournful expression.

A detail shot of his shoes. I had this "treasure box" in my collection of found boxes, and it turned out a perfect match for this figure. I thought, "the poem mentions standing on a surf-tormented shore - this could be an old sea chest!". The only thing I added was the lock on front.
It doesn't happen often, but I love when things come together like this. And I really love this piece!

Thanks for looking.

tom