I held off on posting this blog for a few weeks because I felt what better way to show off a new work, then to do it while sharing where you can come see it. So if you are going to be in the Miami area during Art Week and/or Art Basel, come check out my exhibition at the Phase gallery at Moonlighter FabLab. It is just a stone's throw from the convention center.
This show is the second stop on my slow motion book tour, which is to say I am not super keen on simply hawking an art book, so I’d much rather turn the opportunity into a traveling exhibition where everyone can come see me, the book, as well as all of the work itself.
The opening for this exhibition is timed to coincide with Miami Art Week and Art Basel, so if you are traveling that way for either of those, do drop by, say hello and yes maybe get a signed copy of my new book while you are at it. You can reserve one if you RSVP for the opening reception on Thursday December 5th.
You can be sure I will continue to plug the show a bit more, so…..with the exhibition announcement out of the way, let's talk about this new sculpture. It's called BM 414162522242621331
I suppose you could say that superficially, this work is a scaled up version of my Mod4 module series. But anyone who knows my work knows that kind of concept is simply a starting point for a completely new piece with different goals and considerations. Scaling a work is akin to continuing a conversation, but not necessarily repeating the same words.
For starters, aside from the basic geometric composition, there are no parts that are a direct 1-1 scale of the original piece. That means every element is completely re-engineered.
What the large and small works share visually is intentional, but it is an allusion, not a copy.
The work maintains a radial symmetry, while abandoning one plane of lateral symmetry. Scaling the piece allowed me to open up the composition, to reach inside and approach assembly in a different manner. Whereas the small work is light enough to be assembled using only magnets, this work has large bolts that thread through the inside of each module. This meant creating clearance for both the bolts, my hand and a very very small socket wrench.
This opening up also introduced new sight lines and a means to bring the eye into as well as around the work.
There are a lot more details on this piece, but they are not strictly ornamentation. I had a lot of fun playing with overt assembly methods which lend a certain utilitarian-ness to the work.
The video above details some of my trials and tribulations with some of the assemblies.
Sadly, a lot of the video I shot during the photoshoot was no good, but I pieced together something reasonably workable for a demo as well.
Lots of great details on this one
Eventually I will get the final drawing for this work together, but I like to give myself more time after a large work is completed to refine such a large document. Rest assured it will be ready in time for the opening reception.
Thanks for reading, and as always, comments and questions are welcome.
Hello all, it's that time again. Today I am introducing what I am calling...simply...the RR 212371.
(If you are unfamiliar with my naming scheme, that is just my way of encrypting titles so that interpretations don't get muddled by more literal naming schemes)
This piece weaves a number of ideas and influences into one deceptively simple design.
For starters, like many of my pocket art pieces, it is a kinetic piece with a series of rollers that reward your curious thumbs as you handle the work.
Perhaps some might consider rollers less novel than some of my other mechanics, but it is (in my opinion) expert in its implementation for its contribution to the aesthetic and its tactility.
This piece also contains a number of allusions to knife making forms.
Even though I am not a knife maker, I am a student of its aesthetics. So I have taken great care with this piece to elevate my relationship with that craft.
There are also visual references to some of my own previous works, or an earlier aesthetic.
On the technical front, I was able to crack a process idea I had been toying with for many years.
I always thought It might be possible to use an offset turning set up–one where the axis of rotation was perpendicular to the axis of symmetry on the piece–as a design constraint to derive a novel geometry.
I had tried to design around this on a number of occasions with little progress until now. Work-holding was always the biggest obstacle with previous attempts. But the necessity of using a split design to allow me to properly nest the rollers helped me solve it. And it did so in a way that presented nearly all of the visual opportunities I listed above.
In this way, solving a new problem, helped me solve an old one.
The video above does a good job of explaining what I mean.
As I also touch on in the video, in my mind this piece is not a materials piece, it is a piece about line and form.
It wants to be exclusively stainless steel in my opinion. I can see little reason to break with that at this time outside of maybe making the rollers in brass or bronze so they run a little smoother on the stainless pins.
So if you were expecting a range of wild colors or other materials this time, that will not be forthcoming. Less is definitely more for me with this design.
To wrap up, I am just so pleased I was able to pack so much into this little piece. There is a perfect blend of utilitarian notes, vague creature feel, implied functionality, and real functionality. It really represents the whole language I have been building over the years in a way that I can so rarely capture.
What a gem.
Overall dimensions on this work are approximately 2.5"x2.25"x1"
Note to collectors: I am definitely going to make an edition of this work, as I want to spend some time with the design. So if this is a must have for your collection, expect a sign up next week.
The sign up for this work will open on Monday July 29th at 11 AM EST. I will send out the link through my usual channels (email, the blog, IG etc)
Figure on a one week order window and then the books on this work will close forever.
I know everyone wants to know the pricing on new works, but that is my job to figure out between now and the sign up (it is always more complicated than you think). So mark your calendars and I will have that info sorted out by sign up day.
Thanks as always for your eyeballs and your patronage. And as always, comments and questions are welcome.
Lastly, lastly, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't mention I have a new book out this year. The details of which are all at this link (where it just so happens you can also order it)
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.
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.
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.
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
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)
