Current Project

So these are rather large blanks I am starting with. They are 6" Diameter rounds and holding them on some of my tools is a tricky prospect so I started by machining both a clamping lip onto it and drilling and tapping holes so I could bolt it directly to a faceplate for turning.

This part of the work will eventually be machined off so there is no harm done to the actual part

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This will be the third small edition I have made so far and I must say, If I was hesitant about making editions at first, I am not anymore. They are extremely satisfying to make and there is something about seeing your work in multiples that is very pleasurable, Not to mention how it changes the pacing of actually making a particular design.  

This one was a bit more ambitious than the first two editions as far as size and time investment. The center piece is Bronze with Stainless steel ends. The inserts are aluminum and copper and the whole thing sits on a Stainless base. 

    

The starting point for this work was kind of a revisiting of a very early design element I used many years ago while I was still working out the visual language of these objects. At the time I had a good "hook" (for lack of a better term), but not the proper experience yet to execute it in an elegant manner such as this. Which is not to say the original piece isn't important, just that there is nothing wrong with taking a second swing at something good and ending up with a different result.

Work Featured in Make Magazine

My work has just recently been featured in Make Magazine and I thought I would send out a link to everyone. Its not exactly a fine arts publication, but it is certainly one that I thoroughly enjoy reading.
For those not familiar with the magazine, in their words it is

"The first magazine devoted entirely to DIY technology projects, MAKE Magazine unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages. Coined Martha Stewart For Geeks by Newsweek's Stephen Levy, MAKE is one of the most highly regarded and well-published success stories in the consumer magazine space over the past year."

 It has been on newsstands for just over a week, but I wanted to wait until the electronic version was up and running so I could provide a link.

Chris Bathgate in Make

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OK Last work of the year. I always try to make at least 10 works a year and I barely made it this year. I made some fairly ambitious pieces that required I put in a lot of extra time so here we are just in time.

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This is my second crack at doing a small edition of works. The response to the first one was overwhelming so I guess my experiment was a success. I designed this one at the same time as the last one and had initially planned to make them both simultaneously. But logistics got in the way, so  instead, they have arrived one after the other. I am setting my sites on some larger projects for now, so this is the last of the quickies for a while. Perhaps early next year I will explore a couple more small format ideas I have.

New Project in Process

Still working on my new project so I thought I would post some images of my progress.

This piece consist of 8 spheres joined by 8 disk shaped turnbuckle style bolts to make a cube. I know that is not the best description, but I will try and take better documentation when I am a little further along.  Above are two images one is a shot of one of the spheres being fly cut to create a face for what will be the mating face of the bolts. The rotary table is tilted to just the perfect angle that I can actually cut 3 faces at perfect right angles to each other simply by rotating the sphere 120 degrees rather than squaring each face to the table and measuring them out. Took a little trig to get it set right, but it was a hug time saver. The second image is the parts pile at this time. More to come.

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This is a bit of a new one for me. This is my first small edition of works. I decided to apply my ability to do batches of parts on the CNC machines to one of my smaller scale concepts. The result is that rather than one of these, I made five. originally it was an opportunity for me to make an idea I like, and at the same time, produce some lower cost work for people who want to collect, but may find some of my "one of a kinds" a bit out of reach by spreading the cost of production across five objects (yes artist have to be practical sometimes as well). But after seeing the effect of having a small army of these little guys lined up on my desk, It is giving me something else to think about as far as visual effect. Anyway, they stand just under 4" tall on the stand, But as with a lot of my small work, I want people to hold them and handle them so it comes right off as you can see in the pictures. Look for a second small edition in a week or so as I decided to make two different ideas before I went on to some larger projects.

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The title of this new work is LT732262633332524, It is based off of a design I had sketched out for a commission that never panned out a long time ago. Regardless, I kept the kernel of that idea and let it incubate for a bit until it finally emerged a few years later as a mature concept. It is my largest  (52" tall) and most likely heaviest work to date. I designed it to remove from the base post relatively easily so I could still move it about in two pieces.

Sketch for current project underway

Greetings, this blog will be a space for me to post all sorts of news relating to my work. I will include interesting process images, finished work write ups and information about upcoming shows where you can find my work on display.

Now I must admit, I am probably not the most articulate and polished writer you will ever meet. So excuse my poor grammar and general lack of spelling and polish.  I do hope to make up for it in interesting content and I promise to improve over time. Above is a sketch for my current project. I am six weeks into this one and expect to have it completed the first part of October so check back in a few weeks. Enjoy!

Energy Fields Exhibition

Since I am just starting this Blog I thought I should include the exhibition brochure for this show. It has been up for a few months but it does not end until November 4th. Do stop by if you are in the area as it is not only a good show, but a neat building in the middle of College Park, MD Just outside of DC. The Brochure.