Enjoy....
I made it small to fit on my blog. Click the "watch full screen" button.
(And sorry for the multiple posts.)
My blog - where you can see my most recent projects, and read the latest news about my work.......................
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
"Staccato" - My Drummer Piece
This piece was a commission from a collector who owns my piano piece, "Crescendo" and my cello piece, "Intermezzo". Last spring, after he purchased "Intermezzo", I jokingly said, "Now all you need is a drummer to complete your combo." He said he was thinking the same thing.
At the beginning of the year - when I usually do commissions - I contacted him to see if he was still interested in a drummer piece. This one has been bouncing around in my head for a while and it seemed the time was right to bring him to fruition.
I didn't take as many in-progress pictures as I usually do, but I think these tell the story of how the piece was made......
His body and long legs, carved from basswood, and his brushes.
The drums are made from found objects - many small tins and a drawer pull - all mounted on a wooden handle attached to a metal cutter that acts as the base.
The cymbals and the giant cowbell, more found bits and pieces. I made the cymbal able to move naturally when struck by the brush.
Here I'm working out the position of all the instruments, and where his body needs to be in able to hit them properly. (Q-tips are standing in for the brushes.)
The pine floor. I wanted to do a pattern that looked random. The pine will naturally age down to a rich amber color over the next few years. I prefer to let nature take it's course instead of trying to do some kind of stained finish. I did distress it a bit to give it a head start.
The final shot of Staccato. I made him slightly bent over so he looks like he is really into his drumming.
Here I shot up to get a good picture of his face.
A side view.
On the other side you can see the primitive drum kick I made out of an old piano key mechanism.
A overhead shot showing the placement of the brushes on the instruments. He plays one drum and one cymbal.
A close-up of his head - made from polymer clay.
The mechanism - I tipped the piece on it's back for this picture. The rods that go to his arms are seen at the bottom, and the weight of his arms keep the followers against the cams. It's powered by a 6 rpm gearmotor.
I will post a movie of Staccato soon, as soon as I edit it........
At the beginning of the year - when I usually do commissions - I contacted him to see if he was still interested in a drummer piece. This one has been bouncing around in my head for a while and it seemed the time was right to bring him to fruition.
I didn't take as many in-progress pictures as I usually do, but I think these tell the story of how the piece was made......
His body and long legs, carved from basswood, and his brushes.
The drums are made from found objects - many small tins and a drawer pull - all mounted on a wooden handle attached to a metal cutter that acts as the base.
The cymbals and the giant cowbell, more found bits and pieces. I made the cymbal able to move naturally when struck by the brush.
Here I'm working out the position of all the instruments, and where his body needs to be in able to hit them properly. (Q-tips are standing in for the brushes.)
The pine floor. I wanted to do a pattern that looked random. The pine will naturally age down to a rich amber color over the next few years. I prefer to let nature take it's course instead of trying to do some kind of stained finish. I did distress it a bit to give it a head start.
The final shot of Staccato. I made him slightly bent over so he looks like he is really into his drumming.
Here I shot up to get a good picture of his face.
A side view.
On the other side you can see the primitive drum kick I made out of an old piano key mechanism.
A overhead shot showing the placement of the brushes on the instruments. He plays one drum and one cymbal.
A close-up of his head - made from polymer clay.
The mechanism - I tipped the piece on it's back for this picture. The rods that go to his arms are seen at the bottom, and the weight of his arms keep the followers against the cams. It's powered by a 6 rpm gearmotor.
I will post a movie of Staccato soon, as soon as I edit it........
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
New Figure - "Paranoia" 2012
My latest figure is for a psychiatrist/collector of mine. He wanted a man running with a fearful look on his face. Having never made a running figure before, I think it turned out pretty well. The piece is 9" x 15" x 5".
Here is his body in progress.
His hands.
Ready for assembly.
His head. I tried to make his hair look like it was being blown back.
Final shot.
A close up of his head, he even has teeth.
Here is his body in progress.
His hands.
Ready for assembly.
His head. I tried to make his hair look like it was being blown back.
Final shot.
A close up of his head, he even has teeth.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"My Door" 2012 - New Piece up for Auction
This piece is in the show "The Art of Communication – 100 Artist Show" at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, OR. The auction starts February 2nd and ends March 2nd. Here is your chance to own a piece of my work at a very special price.
tom
***Note - This piece has since sold.***
Another artist and I exchanged quotations. My piece was based on the quote for Kahlil Gibran "When I wrote on my door: 'Leave your traditions outside, Before you come in,' Not a soul dared to visit me or open my door."
At first I wanted to do something other than the obvious - but after weeks of thinking about it, I thought it wouldn't make sense not to do a man that opens his door.
All the pieces in the show had to be less than 12" x12", so I started building the door and the window to fit into that space. I brushed the wood for the door with a wire brush to bring out the texture of the wood. I also designed everything to be a little wacky - slightly skewed, out of plumb. Only the top part of the door opens - I wanted to hide the mechanisms behind the bottom part.
The head, sculpted from polymer clay. I did look at a couple of pictures of Mr. Gibran, but I was not going for an exact likeness.
The wall and the window. I created a stucco texture using drywall mud mixed with paint. I love this look, I might have to do it again.
My paint finish - I love how this came out.
The finished piece - 12" x 12" x 4 1/2"
Detail of the door.
As the door opens, he leans over to check outside.
A closer shot.
The movie...
Behind the scenes......
This piece is a real step forward in my progression as an artist, and may be a sign of things to come......
Thanks for looking!
Another artist and I exchanged quotations. My piece was based on the quote for Kahlil Gibran "When I wrote on my door: 'Leave your traditions outside, Before you come in,' Not a soul dared to visit me or open my door."
At first I wanted to do something other than the obvious - but after weeks of thinking about it, I thought it wouldn't make sense not to do a man that opens his door.
All the pieces in the show had to be less than 12" x12", so I started building the door and the window to fit into that space. I brushed the wood for the door with a wire brush to bring out the texture of the wood. I also designed everything to be a little wacky - slightly skewed, out of plumb. Only the top part of the door opens - I wanted to hide the mechanisms behind the bottom part.
The head, sculpted from polymer clay. I did look at a couple of pictures of Mr. Gibran, but I was not going for an exact likeness.
The wall and the window. I created a stucco texture using drywall mud mixed with paint. I love this look, I might have to do it again.
My paint finish - I love how this came out.
The finished piece - 12" x 12" x 4 1/2"
Detail of the door.
As the door opens, he leans over to check outside.
A closer shot.
The movie...
Behind the scenes......
This piece is a real step forward in my progression as an artist, and may be a sign of things to come......
Thanks for looking!
tom
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"Bad Ideas" and "Claude" - 2011
Two new static figures, "Bad Ideas" and "Claude", are finished.
Her lovely face, sculpted from polymer clay.
Pre-assembly.
The apparatus on the bottom was his original arm until I realized it was WAY too big. This may show up on some future figure......
Until next time...................
Bad Ideas started as a simple drawing in my sketchbook, but also came about from my continued fascination with collections. In my studio, I have many small collections of things - it's a way for me to keep all my found objects organized. But sometimes these collections become the springboard for an idea. In this case, a small jar of burned-out light bulbs becomes.......bad ideas.
I placed her on a small vintage tin.
I wanted to show the back of this one - something I've never done before with a static piece.
Her lovely face, sculpted from polymer clay.
Her body, ready to be put together.
"Claude"- the title is sort of a play on words.
I decided to dress him as an innocent young man to contrast with the seemingly menacing steel "arm".
A detail shot of his claw, which has 2 moveable joints.
His head shot.
Pre-assembly.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Harvest - the movie
I sort of experimented with shooting this piece. I wanted to see what I could do with lighting, motion and editing. The piece - being a non-kinetic work - doesn't really seem a good prospect for a movie, but I wanted to see what I could do with it. I may have to try this again with future static figures.
"Harvest" 2011 by Tom Haney from Tom Haney on Vimeo.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
"Harvest" - 2011
My latest piece is about a man trying to pick a heart out of a tree. You could say he is looking for love, or something like, that but I will leave it up to your interpretations, (as I usually do).
I did a simple sketch for this back in the summer, and actually made the head in July, right before I started on the Boxcar Fair figures.
Click on the images for a better view.
The tree is fabricated out of branches I found on the banks of the Ohio River, near Cincinnati. The base is a piece of driftwood also found on the river, down near Evansville. All hearts were found at various antique shops. And I made the "picker" from a dowel and some wire I formed into the shape of a hand. I remember picking apples in my grandfather's backyard when I was a kid. We used a very similar device, though it was not in the shape of a hand.
The movie... watch full screen.
Thanks for looking!
tom
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