"One for the Road" - 2014

I've been so busy since the beginning of the year, I haven't had time to update this blog. I'm trying to play catch up.....

After completing "Wasted & Wounded", I really loved how the bent rod mechanism made the figure move. I thought a female version of the 'drunk guy' would be interesting.

For this version I wanted to do an inebriated female, but not a wounded one, so I had to come up with a different narrative. Thinking back, I've always loved Shirley MacLaine's portrayal of the title role in Billy Wilder's Irma la Douce. She plays a shrewd 'lady of the evening', and creates a very memorable character. Plus, I loved her look, and she's just beautiful in it.

She measures 13" x 26" x 7", and is sold.

Here is the final image. She gently sways as she hangs on to the sign post and looks down the street. I was going to call the piece, "Lost & Lonely", but thought it was too specific. The signs reflect this original idea.

 

A closer look. I loved adding all the subtle details to the figure - her belt, bottle, purse, scarf, and outfit - all help to tell her story.

Her face was based on another Shirley MacLaine headshot I found while doing my research. Her scarf actually hides the seam between her neck and chest, and is made of the same material used for her fishnet stockings.

 

A side shot.

 

I rarely show the back of my figures, but here you are......

 

Her purse is an old tin that used to hold tiny watch parts.

 

A better shot of the stickers on the sign post.

 

Her bottle. It moves slightly as she sways.

 

Her hand wraps around the pole.

 

Her legs and fishnet stocking were a pretty time-consuming venture. I had the material on hand, and it was the perfect scale for her fishnets. I spent a lot of time carving the legs because I knew they were going to be a focal point, so they had to be perfect. All along, I was pretty sure this was going come out well.

   

Her shoes were and integral part of the figure. The rod that moves the body runs up through the heel on her left shoe. This shoe was also the only real anchor point to the body, (except for her arm), and had to be firmly attached to the base. The other shoe is feel to move, and it does as the figure sways.

 

The in-progress images........

Starting out I had to figure out that left shoe and left leg.

 

One leg carved, and one to go. The right leg is attached in a way that allows it to move. Hence the joint at the knee.

 

Here I'm carving the right shoe to match the left. You can see the tube in the left shoe that the rod runs up.

 

My wife Paula has a great collection of shoes from a Hollywood rental house. It was nice to have a reference right in front of me. I usually don't use a lot of references like this.

 

On the top of the left leg, these 3 springs are the only connection between the leg and the torso. The springs allow the torso to pivot in all directions. You can also see the bearing the 1/8" rod runs in.

 

Two legs done.

 

Here I'm figuring out the final position of the feet. I wanted her right foot and right leg to be turned inward slightly. I have yet to carve her upper body at this point.

 

One of the most challenging hands I've ever carved. It wraps around the pole, and because of the grain, and angle of her palm, I had to really take my time to be sure not to break off the fingers.

 

I found the perfect spot for her hand - it allowed her arm to move, and didn't bind up anywhere.

 

Her completed body, ready for paint.

 

A shot taken as I was adding the fishnets to her legs. Again, this took time and patience - gluing a little bit of the seam at a time. She had to have her seams straight, right?

Her finished legs, with the addition of some small holes, which I think adds a lot of character to the figure. I love how these came out.

 

The movie.... watch it full screen.

Thanks for looking!

tom

"Wasted & Wounded" - 2014

I know I seem to say this a lot but...... I've had this idea for a while - at least 5 years. Maybe that's how long some ideas need to steep. I think this idea, of doing a drunken figure with a swaying unsteady motion, came after seeing Keith Newstead's piece here. I love how the 2 women on the right move. After asking Keith how he obtained the motion, I knew it would work well for a figure who, after a rough night out drinking, may not be so steady on his feet. Thanks Keith!

The final shot. 

The piece measures 13" x 27" x 7", and is sold.

 Besides the figure, the lamp post and base were also made from scratch.

A closer shot showing some detail in his clothing.

I've never done a figure with an injury before. I've done a few with bandages, but never attempted contusions. I'm pretty happy with the results - and the effect. (Note - I had a similar look a few weeks back, but mine was caused by a bad cold, not a blow to the eye.)

Here's where I started. I had to figure out the shoe, leg and torso before carving anything. The two precision bearings in the left shoe hold an 1/8" rod in place, which holds the figure up.

The piece is powered by a 6 RPM motor that slowly spins the metal rod inside the body. The rod goes up through one leg, into his chest, and up into his head. Here I'm experimenting with the amount of bend I need to have on the rod. I made a wooden head to stand in for the polymer clay head I would later sculpt.

The torso and two legs carved. Here you can see the bent rod that goes inside. It's fairly simple but very effective. Also, the left leg is held on to the torso by 3 springs - they allow movement in all directions.

Here I'm working out the position of the right hand on the lamp post. I made the lamp post from a broom handle, a block of wood, and various found objects.

The blank for the left hand. I drilled the hole first to make sure it was the right size for the bottle.

His arms. There's not a lot of movement in his arms, but it's there.

The figure all carved, sculpted, and finalized. I made his neck out of basswood because it needed to stand up to the motion of the spinning rod. His head is held on with a spring that enables his head to pivot in all directions.

The left shoe is the most essential part of the figure. It has the two bearings in it - which holds the rod that holds up the figure - and will be securely attached to the base. The right shoe is attached to the base, but does not function to hold up the figure.

All painted, aged, and ready to be assembled. I had to attach the left shoe to the base first and build up the figure from there.

Some detail shots.......

I like this image - shot during the making of the movie.

The movie.......

Again, thanks for looking!

tom

PS A friend of a friend recently emailed me after seeing the movie on YouTube. I was touched by her comment, and her impression of the piece - "You captured the depth of suffering that is the human condition, and in such a compassionate way.  The man is so vulnerable and damaged yet somehow so pure and innocent. The piece is magnificent."
Thanks Audrey, I appreciate your nice note.

Announcing my New Calendar for 2015!

Yes, it's true. I've been wanting to create a calendar with images of my artwork for a few years now, and this year I finally had time to put one together. I think it looks really nice, and all the images came out great. It's interesting to see the images printed out like this, you get a whole different feel for the pieces - as opposed to looking at the images on a computer screen or on a phone. I also went around my studio, taking pictures of interesting textures, to be used for the backgrounds of the date grids.

Below are some images, and the calendars can be purchased here.

They are $30. each, with free shipping to the US. I will ship worldwide and have calculated shipping (minus the $3.40, what they cost to ship in the US) from most other destinations. If your country is not on the 'ship to' list, please let me know and I will figure out the cost, and add it to the list.

They measure 8 1/2" x 22" when open or hanging on the wall. They're digitally printed on heavy paper stock (in the USA) and have a hole for hanging.

Limited Edition of 100.

Order one (or more) today!!!

 

Thanks for looking!

tom

"Best Laid Plans" - 2014

This piece was created for the "Small Indignities" show at Red Truck Gallery. The show opened September 13th, 2014 and closed October 5th, and was curated by Alix Sloan of Sloan Fine Art and Noah Antieau of Red Truck. It included works by Jessicka Addams, Dan Barry, Ian Berry, Jana Brike, Bryan Cunningham, Jason D’Aquino, Camille Rose Garcia, Bosko Hrnjak, Marion Peck, Ransom & Mitchell, Chris Roberts-Antieau, Mark Ryden, Mike Stilkey, Ben Venom, Casey Weldon and John Whipple. And the opening was really fun.

Here's the final shot. The piece measures 25" x 24" x 6.5" and can sit on a table or hang on your wall. The figure yanks on the string, trying to free his kite from its entanglement. The tree branch bends slightly as he pulls the line. This piece is sold.

A side view. The background is painted on top of a layer of decoupaged handwritten notes from the 1920's. The tree is a branch I found while cleaning up around our neighborhood in Downtown Atlanta.

For this piece I chose a limited color palette - and I love the way it all came together.

Our hero. Love the way he came out too...... and I want that jacket!

A closer shot.

The handmade kite, (which may or may not be interpreted to be a political statement - you decide).

How it all started...............

I always start with a simple drawing and first make the torso and the legs. Here I have the two legs finished; one will have a line through it which will move the arms.

The hands are finished; now to figure out the other arm.
These 4 pivot points were more challenging than I expected. All the axles have to be parallel, (or at least that's my assumption.)

I often have to stand up and take the position of my figure. I look at my arm positions and how the elbows and the shoulders move. And then I make an educated guess when I go back to designing and building.

I think this might work - fingers crossed.

His body is finished, and now I'm ready to make his clothes, and paint him.

Checking out the size of the tree...

His body complete.

All painted and aged - ready to be dressed/assembled.

This shows the super-simple mechanism inside his chest. I used a small brass hinge for the pivot at his shoulder.

This shows one of the covers - this protects the mechanism.

Working on the background and it's frame. I did the decoupage layer, then painted in top of it. Then I added the frame, painted the frame, and aged and distressed everything.

The base in progress....

The kite - in progress........

The back of the finished kite.

The mechanism in the base. You can see one of the two keyholes, used for hanging the piece on the wall. This is an option - it can also sit on a table or shelf.

My signature............

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

Thanks for looking!!!

tom