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New work, news and Images from the shop. If you would like to know more about my art, please visit my full website @ www.chrisbathgate.com

3/14/24

Sign up for the Sculptural Mag Vessel

 


Ok everyone the link for the sign up is now live. Below is the link with all of the info on how to add one of these wonderful works to your collection. 

The link

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3/11/24

The Sculptural Mag Vessel

 


Hello Everyone This is going to be a proper newsletter with multiple announcements, including new works, exhibitions, and some other exciting news.

But let's start by introducing the Sculptural Mag Vessel.


I had been wondering if I would ever come back to my vessel series, and I got here (as I often do) by accident.


I have been continuing to play around with a number of mechanics for integration into sculptural pieces in the hopes that it will help me talk more about what makes machining so special as a sculptural medium. And, when it all works, it does help a lot. 

However just as often I find myself stuck with the kinds of problems that most designers face. That is, some mechanics are just hard to make look good....well, until I remind myself that I am not a designer in the traditional sense. 


When I was writing my book, I talked a bit about how the field of design is constrained by the function of the objects that are the focus of the design attempt, and how my process is very different from this. That is, if I wanted to design a cool clock, and I can't get the design to work, I am not bound to continue to try and make a clock. Instead, I can take the parts of the design that are working, and move on to a new function or problem. So the clock in this example is free to become a toaster or lawn mower, or anything else.


All I am saying is I am not constrained by the object, as an artist I am free to change however I want, and in this case, I was struggling to design a new entry in my "Watch Pocket" series, and somehow ended up on a tangent making a rather fascinating vessel piece.

The mechanic I was working on just wouldn’t play nice with my original vision, so I let the mechanic tell me what it wanted to be. Once I realized that, I was able to pull in all of the other influences that fleshed out this beautiful design.


Another constraint (this time an engineering constraint) that I am unbound by is practicality and robustness. 


Unlike the other vessels in this series, the mechanic for this piece uses permanent magnets for actuation. That is, the components aren’t moved by a mechanical linkage of any kind, they are forced in and out by changing the orientation (polarity) of magnets on the inner drum of the knob.

This configuration works just fine in an environment of care and consideration, but it is not the kind of thing one would employ for rigorous daily (and dirty) use. Things just might be too easily gummed up. This is true of all of the vessels and mechanical art I have made really. It is just something that is coming into better view for me.


That is, one of the most appealing aspects of a project like this is that one gets to take what would otherwise be an impractical mechanic, one that would be useless in a utilitarian product with more rugged requirements, and place it into the context of a fine art object where it is not only completely appropriate, but supremely desirable.


A magnetic latching system may be too complicated and touchy for the real world, but in the art world, it is an intriguing focal point that can communicate why engineering matters even in the world of aesthetics.

That is what this piece does for me anyway.


The Sculptural Mag Vessel is 3" diameter by 2-3/8" tall. It is a hefty little guy at 20 ounces in its current form. 


Note for collectors: I am still very much sorting out the details on how to do a small edition of these works. As far as editions go, this is a very complicated piece. 

I want to be sure I preserve some ability to refine this design as I go, but I also know it is important to take care of business in terms of who is interested in adding one of these to their collection. 


So while I need a little more time to tinker and figure out how to make a quantity of these that maintains some freedom for me to make each one unique. I am going to open up a sign up later this week so that everyone who is interested can reserve their piece before I commit to specific details and numbers. 

Once I have a head count, that should help me determine the scale of the project. So look for a somewhat limited sign up to open on Thursday March 14th at 11 AM EST. 

On this sign up, I will outline how this project will unfold and how I intend to make each of these sculptural vessels special for you.


I look forward to hearing from some of you and as always, comments and questions are welcome. 

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Exhibition announcement


In other news, I want to formally announce an upcoming exhibition of my work at the Fuller Craft Museum beginning May 18th and running until Early November.


This exhibition is in conjunction with the release of my new book and shares its title. This will be a rather large collection of both my larger sculptures, and as many of my little creations as we can cram into cases. It will be a very nice show worth the trip.

The opening reception will be Sunday, May 19 from 2- 5pm. I will be on hand for a brief discussion with the director, to talk shop, and sign books. So if you have been wanting to get your copy of my book signed, now you know where to find me. We will have some extra books on hand as well, so I hope to see some of you there. 


Details at fullercraft.org


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I am building a new studio!


Lastly, I’d like to share the news that after much dithering and saving my pennies, I am starting construction on a brand new shop. After 20 years of dwelling in basements to create my work, I am finally going to build something that can properly hold what my studio practice has become. I make it a habit not to talk about things until they are real. But now that there is a giant hole in the ground, it finally feels real enough for me to start posting about it.


My current shop, in the basement of my home, is bursting at the seams. It is an organic space, consisting of thousands of ad hoc solutions and shortcuts piled on top of one another. It is efficient in that I never thought I could fit so many tools, and squeeze so much capability, out of such a modest space. But it is also inefficient in lots of obvious ways. It is cramped, and has limited head room for large tools. Getting stuff in and out is a nightmare, and staying organized when there isn’t enough places to put things is like playing one of those sliding puzzles. I have always liked working within constraints, but it was high time I admit to myself that my current shop, although I love it dearly, is holding me back. So about a year ago, I started working with an architect to build something better.


I have never had a “planned” space. So I am going to take my time building this space out and fine tuning the layout. I have no idea how this will go, but I am excited to haver finally (Finally!) broken ground. It won’t be the biggest machine shop in the world, but by studio artist standards, it is going to be pretty damn sweet. Keep an eye on my Instagram feed if you want to follow along on the progress of the new studio.



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Don't forget about my new book



And of course, no post would be complete without me reminding everyone that my new book is available in bookstores everywhere, at Amazon.com, and directly from the publisher here at Schiffer books

Thank you for your time and attention. 
Sincerely
Chris Bathgate





12/27/23

Sculpture TK 671322222512

This is the last piece of the year, and it has been a very fruitful one for me in a lot of ways, so I think I will start this last post of 2023 with a story. So here goes, and also, look at the new work while you read!)


I was having lunch with a collector friend of mine a few weeks ago. We were talking about art and music (naturally) and he commented on how he felt I was much better able to talk about creating art in a way that he never could when he plays music.

I was a little struck by what he said because, while I recognize that I am certainly able to talk about the topics and influences that surround my work, I am no better able to describe the free associative tasks that go into conjuring a design for a sculpture than a jazz musician is able to describe what is going on while they are riffing during a session. That is I can say "what" happened, but I cannot truly say I know the "how" or "why" when designing a piece.

And to be honest, I have never really met an artist that could.


Which is to say I think we all recognize that creativity is mysterious like that, which is why it seems so special. We can analyze and even plan some amount of constraints we want when we go into making something, and we can apply all sorts of logic, critique, and context to what results afterward, but the squishy creative part that I simply call “the middle” remains largely inaccessible to us.


We can catch glimpses of "the middle" and even get better at riding the indescribable wave like a surfer, but that free associative state in which connections are made between wildly disparate pieces of inspiration in order to make something new, by my estimation, seems to take place largely within the subconscious.

And thats that. I can't talk about it any more than anyone else. I can only talk about the circumstances leading up to it, and what happens during the act of building the thing that I thought of afterward.


I posited that maybe musicians, by the performative nature of their work, simply spend a lot more time “in the middle” than visual artists who might have more time on either end of a creative act to rub their chins, ponder, and process.

Anyway, thats my story, and with that all said, I want to introduce my newest major work, and share some of the inputs that led to this output.

Introducing the TK 671322222512.
 

Here is what I can say about the inputs for this particular piece. 

In the last year, I have been inspired by a very special tea pot made by an artist I follow, some ancient stone disks from the National Museum of Asian Art, a bunch of automotive design stuff, and of course my own recent adventures in wood turning. 


How all of those pieces fit together to produce this particular composition are not entirely clear, but all of those things have a "feel" that I think speaks directly to what this work is about. Especially details like the inner ring.

And of course, on the practical side, the real catalyst for this piece is simply that I had this beautiful blank of stabilized Box Elder Burl left over from another project, and was determined not to waste it. 


Perhaps that is not entirely satisfying, but it is something I have become quite comfortable with. 

So thats it, when I write about my work, I simply prefer to spend my time making note of the interesting inputs I've discovered. I like talking about leveraging different tools and techniques to help me express my ideas, and then attempting to place my output into the broader context of craft and the history of humans who make things. But in terms of how I truly come to make what I make, it just happens, it is automatic. 

It is, and kind of has to be, that simple.


But don't get the wrong idea, I am stoked that I also get to build and explore a lot of cool engineering, design, and materials science through my process along the way. I am just saying that is a different facet of my work from what we call creativity. 

Hopefully it can be freeing to realize nobody truly understands what they are doing. 

The end.


This piece stands 14.25" tall, the disk is 9" diameter, and the base is 6" tip to tip


Lastly, I hope everyone has had a productive year and I look forward to seeing what 2024 will bring. Happy New Year, and as always, comments and questions are welcome.


Lastly, lastly. Of course, I am obligated to mention for the foreseeable future that if you haven't already, check out my new book. The details of which are all at this link (where it just so happens you can also order it)




11/21/23

The Mod 4

 


Introducing the Mod 4, the unexpected fourth entry in my module series.

I say unexpected because I had thought I had put this idea to bed two years ago. Well it turns out that having spent the intervening years putting my life's work to print has meant re-evaluating more than a few of my past projects. It just comes with the territory, and this particular project really stuck out for me as having one glaring missed opportunity.



The original Module tryptic consisted of magnetically assembled modular works based around three platonic solids. A tetrahedron, a hexahedron, and an octahedron. Each sculpture is composed of a simpler, smaller module that assembles into a larger composition using an array of strong magnets. 

The next shape in the platonic solid progression is a dodecahedron, a shape that has 12 faces.



Well, if you count, this piece only has ten modules, and that is because as an artist, I have the luxury to edit and change the rules however I want, and in this case, I decided to take a little detour. So while it is based on a dodecahedron, I opted for the chance to create a more interesting interior space, and so omitted two of the modular faces.



I explain all this and much more of the technical tribulations of designing this piece in the video above.



I love these module pieces because they create a lot of complexity from so few unique parts. And of course the fact that they assemble and disassemble quickly with the use of magnets is also endlessly appealing. 

The main reason however that I am pursuing this small composition now, is that I believe it will be a springboard for a larger piece I have cooking in my brain.



The size on this piece is about 2.75" from tip to tip and about 1.6" deep



I am continuing to refine this work, but I wanted to get a post out. As I write this, I am making a version in titanium to make a stronger, lighter weight piece. The magnets work perfectly fine in stainless steel, but the Titanium will lighten the piece substantially, and I believe that will be appealing in this case.




Titanium also opens up some interesting anodizing options that I am looking forward to exploring. 

At the moment, I have been tackling the very limited Ti anodizing I use with a modified (and inferior) process (limited to the usual Gold, blue, and Purple colors). 

I thought it was high time I set up a more capable titanium anodizing station, which is very different from aluminum anodizing.  This will take just a little time while I bring in supplies, but in no time I hope to have some good examples to show.


In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the first prototype work. 

Note to collectors: While I am hesitant to announce a pre-order without all of the pieces in place yet, but I also know some people are already chomping at the bit to add one of these pieces to their collection. So lets set a date, and then if things change, then well we all will have to adjust.
 

So here goes.

Sign up for this work will be Wednesday Nov 29th at 11 AM EST.

I will send out the link through my usual channels (email, the blog, IG etc)

All of the details for the sale, along with (hopefully) full specs on the Titanium version will be sorted out by then. So mark your calendars and I will have more info when the time comes.

 


Also an exciting update on the release of my new book! The release date has been moved up to NOV 28th! Just a week away. 

So if you get your order in now, it will be in your hands with plenty of time before the holidays. Some early pre-orders have already been delivered! 

What an unexpected surprise to even myself. I’m totally stoked! (and I never use that word, but it is the correct one)

As always comments and questions are welcome. 






9/12/23

Book Announcement

 



Hello Everyone,

Today I have the unique pleasure to announce something that I have been working on (secretly) for longer than I care to admit. Thankfully the time has finally arrived to let the cat out of the bag. I HAVE A NEW BOOK!


This book is titled “The Machinist Sculptor” and if you haven’t already guessed it – it is about my art yes – but it is also about the aspirational idea of machine work as a new studio craft. 

That is the idea that machine work has the potential to stand alone as a unique artistic medium with intrinsic characteristics, not just a tool that can be employed in service to other artistic forms (even though that is fascinating as well).


For this book, I have partnered with Schiffer publishing to transform my over twenty years of work, creating machined metal art (and writing about it), into a reflective history and quasi-manifesto on what it means to make art with the technologically diverse tools of the machinists trade.


It is a full-throated attempt to place what I do (make art with machine tools) into a broader context about how various tools and practices (do and do not) find their way into the hands of artists and artisans. How the tools of mass production eventually become the tools of cultural production.


I presume many longtime followers of my work will have seen the self published catalogs I have released over the years. Without diminishing those efforts, I want to say "THIS BOOK IS NOT ONE OF THOSE". This book is a quantum leap forward even if some of the bones of this book may be familiar (it is my work after all). 

If I may be frank, this book is my first time working with a bonafide publisher, and so for the first time I had the pleasure of working with editors and designers to fully shape my story, along with everything else I have learned from two decades of metalworking into an expansive text about the many spheres of knowledge and influence my craft touches. 

It is a complete rethinking, redesign, and expansion of the original essays that set me down this road and made me an unintentional expert in a field that is a nexus for art, craft, and design.


At 288 pages, this 9"x12 "foil wrapped hard bound print is truly the most beautiful friend of the coffee table I have ever seen. 

Many kind folks have worked very hard on this print, and it truly shows. I would be grateful if you would give me the opportunity to share this most sincere and detailed perspective an under-appreciated craft, by picking up a copy for yourself, a friend, or colleague. 


The Machinist Sculptor is being printed and distributed by Schiffer publishing and will be available at bookstores everywhere. The official release date is Jan 28th, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.

And of course, thank you.  


P.S. I am going to post the link to the Amazon pre-order here. You will have plenty of opportunities to reserve a copy because, like it or not, I am going to bring this up frequently between now and the release date. 
  

I am not one to beat my drum too much, so I will apologize in advance for that, but that is how these things work. 

As always, questions and comments are welcome. 






8/18/23

BB 462222312

 


Hello Everyone

I know you all just heard from me last week, but it has actually been quite a while since I have released a larger one of a kind work. Partly it is because they just take so very long to design and build (this build stretched to seven months), but it is also because I have been caught up in a line of thinking that has (temporarily) taken me away from this kind of work.

But although the big works have taken a back seat as of late, I am glad to be unveiling this fantastic, and very large, new release. I call it the BB 462222312


For one of my larger works, this piece is unique in that it moves. Well, it spins….but only if you spin it. This fact was the source of a whole lot of internal debate for me, because I usually prefer my larger works to be completely static, with any movement or functionality implied. But for this piece, in this composition, I just could not resist the opportunity.

In fact, the original design was completely static. But once I realized that this piece could potentially spin, and that I could fit the hardware to do so without compromising the original composition, I decided I had nothing to lose on the experiment.

As you can see here, the bearing assembly fits rather handily inside the base tube.

Now I will say again that this piece does not spin on its own. It doesn’t have a motor to drive the rotation, and I am certain for some this will be a missed opportunity. But I do not see it this way.

For this branch of my work, I have embraced a more open interpretation and that means leaving things vague. In my eyes, a whirling motorized piece of sculpture would be just that, and nothing more. I think this piece invites a kind of interpretation, and then, if you are brave enough to reach out and touch it, you are rewarded with the fact that it spins.


Also, I just simply could not live with the compromises this kind of overt mechanization would require. Be it visible wires or belts, or just the idea that the work would be transformed from a piece of largely visual art into an animation or an actual, rather than metaphorical, machine.


It is a tough distinction for me to describe, but for this piece, I did try to have it both ways. And for me, I am quite satisfied.


I am sure for some, I have successfully straddled the line between avoiding too much novelty and humoring a desirable functionality, but I have no doubt that to others, I have simply failed to commit. This suits me just fine, as it is in the ambiguity that I feel these larger pieces find their place.


I also design the collar on the base with a rubber O ring that can be tightened against the body. This gently prevents the work from spinning if one desires to stop the work in a particular position. I wouldn't call it a lock because it can be easily over come, but it does work as a sort of brake. 


This work also has a glorious interior space that images just do not do justice. 


The technical drawing for this work is massive as well (90"x30") again, a struggle for small screens. 


Dimensions of the work are 31" long x 9.6" tall x 7.25" deep






I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts and comments if you choose to share them. 


Sincerely 

Chris Bathgate