After a long summer of making some experimentally large and ambitious projects, I have been feeling like it is time to look back and reflect on what I have learned from those very time consuming and resource intensive pieces and make some smaller more subtle works.... at least for a little while anyway. 

So in that spirit, here is my first attempt. I tried to keep the color more muted in this piece so I only let the colored parts soak in the die for a fraction of the time I usually do, the result is a color that is close to pastel (close, but not quite). I think it worked out well.

On the base the piece measures 3" in Diameter and is 11" tall. 

As with all works around this size, I like to make them completely removable from their bases so that you can properly hold and appreciate the work from all angles. The two mounting pins have a slightly reduced taper to allow them to slip into the rods on the base.

The Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum

Show Dates: November 29th-December 30 

Reception is Sunday December 2nd from 1:30- 3:30

Gallery Location: 10001 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

301 897-1518

    This composition has sort of been floating around in my head for quite some time, but it was always a bit of a ghost in that I could never really see it well enough in my mind to put it down on paper. Then one evening when I was just doodling in bed (possibly with a glass of bourbon) half awake and not thinking quite so hard, it kind of finally just fell out onto the page. Only one drawing was made by hand and I pretty much nailed the whole thing down in one shot looking back on the sketch. Funny how that works some times. 

This is what a bedtime doodle looks like, Its not much, but its enough to work with in the morning. (see the final CAD drawing below) 

The geometry for this work was very challenging however. All of the elements are comprised of offset cylindrical shapes with multiple center axis's as well as lots of unusual angles and details. So the machine work and work holding in general, were exceptionally complicated and required some on the fly innovation. I learned a lot from constructing this piece for sure.

The other thing that made producing this particular work so time consuming was how elaborate the anodizing details have become. Nearly every part has been anodized and re-machined to create the two tone details in the work, which was also challenging and quite labor intensive. 

The completed drawing. I am hoping to finish one more small work before the year is out in addition to starting a new commission that I am very excited about. I will keep the details to myself until I have something to show for it. But it is a an interesting tangent for my work, so stay tuned. 

I've actually wanted to do a black sculpture for some time, but was waiting for the right composition to come along, and after working up multiple sketches, I finally hit upon this design. One interesting aspect to this piece is that I designed the main body to rotate freely along its axle after assembling. I thought it could would work well as both a wall mounted piece or a desk top piece. So I wanted to make sure it could be adjusted to just the right angle for each installation. The result is that it rotates freely by hand. However I made sure it does not roll like it was on a bearing, mostly because I am still averse to the kitsch that most kinetic art brings with it, but its still quite a tactile joy to rotate it in your hand.

One last table top shot for scale

Also while I was working out the detail for the center section, I decided it was an attractive enough element to experiment with some other color combinations. So I made a few extra and this led to the two works here.

Due to the Anodizing process I use to color the aluminum, and the small number of alternative colored metals in general, I am fairly limited on the number of colors I can use and the way I can apply them, but I think its those types of limitations that lead to creative solutions so I try to experiment where I can. 

Milling the offset sockets to create the helical leg arrangement.

And finally.

This is the concept sketch for my next project, It is still evolving so I can't say for certain that the color scheme above will remain, but it is where the design currently stands. Comments are always welcome. 

Another large work completed just in time to be unveiled at a major show I am participating in at the Baltimore Museum of Art next month, the details of which are below. The overall dimensions of this piece are 64.5"x67"x10.5"

The top view gives a good sense of the twist I built into the design. 

The feet, seen here are made of Stainless, 

This is my next big adventure. This wall mounted piece is going to be by far the largest thing I have ever attempted to construct. I expect it will take me a good 3 months to build and weigh in around 300 lbs.

And this is the pallet with the 600 lbs of Aluminum on it I will use to build it (gives you an idea of how much material is removed during machining). 

 I am also going to attempt a few smaller projects alongside this work to make sure I dont disappear from the world for the next 12 weeks so look for at least a few little things over the duration.