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Galaxy No. 3, 2005 recycled steel. 139" H x 133" W x 14" at the base NOTE: effective width/length is a radius of 133" |
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Galaxy No. 3 is the first kinetic piece I've done using sleeve bearings instead of pillow blocks. The bearings are inside the tubing that attaches the sculpture to the base, which keeps them out of the weather. The piece spins readily to point into the direction of the wind. It's a slow and graceful motion… I'd kind of like it if there was enough inertia to keep the piece in rotation, but I guess if the wind changes directions often enough (which it does here) you wind up with the same effect. Galaxy No. 3 is still available. You can buy it here. I love the way these abstracts are open to various interpretations. In one glance, you might see stars, planets and moons. In another, perhaps a fish. Yet another look suggests a man riding a boat… the way these different interpretations play off of one another is what really drives the poetic essence of each sculpture, at least for me. I end up with visions of a sailor riding a fish across the sky. The Galaxy Series are Modernist inspired, abstract wind vanes made from recycled steel. The designs feature simple lines and shapes balanced to spin easily in a light breeze. The sculptures disassemble into two pieces (horizontal arm and vertical base) for shipping. Each is one of a kind and will not be reproduced. The Galaxy Series was inspired in part by David Smith's sculptures Australia and Royal Bird. They are also an exploration of negative space… The Galaxy pieces are structured around lines and curves, but depend heavily as well on the open shapes enclosed by the lines. |
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| Alternate view | Detail | Detail | Movie | |||||
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Galaxy No. 2, 2004 recycled steel. 82" H x 82" W x 14" D Collection: Kathleen Glynn and Michael Moore |
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I kinda miss Galaxy No. 2… It was one of the pieces that really captured a part of my heart. On nasty, blustery days, I'd look out the window of the office and watch it just spinning merrily, happy in the wind that I wanted no part of. It was a good reminder that the weather is what you make of it (metaphorically or straight up). The Galaxy Series are Modernist inspired, abstract wind vanes made from recycled steel. The designs feature simple lines and shapes balanced to spin easily in a light breeze. The sculptures disassemble into two pieces (horizontal arm and vertical base) for shipping. Each is one of a kind and will not be reproduced. The Galaxy Series was inspired in part by David Smith's sculptures Australia and Royal Bird. They are also an exploration of negative space… The Galaxy pieces are structured around lines and curves, but depend heavily as well on the open shapes enclosed by the lines. |
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| Installed at the Moore/Glynn residence | At Gallery | Movies of windvane in motion | |||||||
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Dancing the Crane, 2004 Steel. 61" x 33" x 8" Custom Order Item |
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The Dancer Sculptures come in two styles: the steel and copper version shown here and a powder coat enamel version. In creating these sculptures, I try to capture the essential gesture so precisely that the mind completes the movement—making a still image appear to be in motion. My goal is to create engaging characters which anyone can relate to and enjoy. These graceful figures suggest both the motion of their dance and the music that moves them. The obvious joy of the figures is engaging— but their simplicity is what really captivates us. We can easily see ourselves, someone we know, or the person we might like to be in this dance. The simplicity of these figures allows them to fit nearly any story or culture. Equally flexible, the materials are suitable for creating functional work such as fences, railings and furniture or more decorative projects such as relief murals. Check out the wonderful garden fence I made for Howard Hast & JoAnne Olsen— telling the story of their life together through a series of figures. If you are interested in commissioning a unique piece to express your own story or ideas, please contact me. |
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| Oh Beautiful Life! Steel. 69.5" x 30" x 8" Custom Order |
Dancing the Crane Steel. 61" x 33" x 8" Custom Order |
The Flirt Steel. 52.5" x 18.5" x 8" Custom Order |
Whoa Nelly! Steel. 50.5" x 29" x 8" Custom Order |
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| The Flying Game Steel, copper. 40" x 22" x 21" Private Collection |
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Woo Hoo! Dancer Sculpture, 2006. Steel. 56.5" x 27" x 8" Custom Order Item |
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The Dancer Sculptures come in two styles: the powder coat enamel version shown here and a steel and copper version. In creating these sculptures, I try to capture the essential gesture so precisely that the mind completes the movement—making a still image appear to be in motion. My goal is to create engaging characters which anyone can relate to and enjoy. These graceful figures suggest both the motion of their dance and the music that moves them. The obvious joy of the figures is engaging— but their simplicity is what really captivates us. We can easily see ourselves, someone we know, or the person we might like to be in this dance. The simplicity of these figures allows them to fit nearly any story or culture. Equally flexible, the materials are suitable for creating functional work such as fences, railings and furniture or more decorative projects such as relief murals. Check out the wonderful garden fence I made for Howard Hast & JoAnne Olsen— telling the story of their life together through a series of figures. I've also used similar figures in a Tumbling Acrobat Fence and in Custom Furniture. If you are interested in commissioning a unique piece to express your own story or ideas, please contact me. |
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| Oh Beautiful Life! Steel. 69.5" x 30" x 8" Custom Order Item |
Dancing the Crane Steel 61" x 33" x 8" Custom Order Item |
The Flirt Steel 52.5" x 18.5" x 8" Custom Order Item |
Whoa Nelly! Steel. 50.5" x 29" x 8" Custom Order Item |
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Tags: art, dancer, fun, funky, garden, home, iron work, metal, outdoor, pop culture, dance, sculpture, yard
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Houses and Weather: Scrapyard Abstract No. 8, 2006. recycled steel. 14" x 10" x 3" |
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Although the steel in this sculpture was crushed, compacted and sheared intentionally, by a machine at the junk yard, it reminds me of what you see when heavy weather tears through a trailer park. The jagged piece in the center resembles lightning or a twister, hence the name Houses and Weather. I lost a building to the snow a couple years ago— I was on the roof shoveling madly when it just dropped out from under me, so I know a bit about what weather can do. If I could, I'd get a restraining order to keep the weather off my couple acres here. Much as the beautiful colors of fall have always made it my favorite season, there's a part of me that starts to panic now every year when the weather starts to chill… I do take it personally, and I look at the sky as an implacable threat. Sigh. I'll get over it, eventually. But in the meantime, that's what I see in this sculpture. |
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Islero: Scrapyard Abstract No. 7, 2006. recycled steel. 22" x 24" x 9" NFS: Collection of the artist |
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When I made this piece, I saw it as an animal running at full tilt, turning sharply mid-run on two legs. I love the way the tail whips around through the air and the head stretches outward, still thrust in the original direction. Others have looked and seen the head of a bull, so I named it Islero, after the bull that ended the life of Manolete, the world's most famous bullfighter. I'd thought that since bullfighting is such an obsessive sport, there might be names for such sudden turns as this creature is engaged in, but the choreographic lexicon of bullfighting seems to concern itself only with the moves of the matador and not the bull. On the other hand, the historical Islero must have made just such a sudden sharp and unexpected turn, so the name seems appropriate and references both images well. |
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Tags: abstract, abstract sculpture, art, metal, recycled, sculpture, steel