air filtration|angle finder|appliques|apprenticeships|apron|archive|auctions|bits|blueprints|book|boston|bow|brand irons|bus|business cards|idea|names|oppurtunities|plan|by degree|calculator|calipers|carv|cata|cataues|channels|charlotte nc|chisel|clamp sets|class nyc|colleges|companies|corner|coupon|courses|craft|ideas|dado|dallas|depot|design|designs software|dividers|dogs|doors| dowels|draw software|drill press|bits|dust collection -|dust mask|ed respirator -|education|engineer|engraver|epoxy|


Showing posts with label Steel sculptures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steel sculptures. Show all posts

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Sunset/Sunrise ... A New Sculpture

Sunset/Sunrise ... A New Sculpture



Sunday, March 29th .... Yesterday was about the best possible of the early spring days, 65 degrees and sunny, where you want to be outside just every second, followed by today when it was mostly cloudy with occasional cloudbursts and showers, high in the 40's. I've been reading this sort of tedious, sort of interesting book, called 'The Black Swan' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It's about the power of unforeseen and unpredictable events (prescient I guess this guy is since it was published in 2007). Two of its more interesting (to me) premises are #1. the thought that the daily news just reinforces our views and can close our minds to new ideas, an interesting idea to someone who has spent a not small part of his life reading The New York Times, and #2.,that prediciting the future is a nearly useless, wasted effort.. That hit close to home on my woodworking estimates. I can make a plan with my morning coffee and it can go out the window 10 minutes after I get to the shop. Happens time and time again. The Black Swan guy uses as an example the Sydney Opera House that was supposed to open in 1963 at a cost of 7 million Australian $. It actually opened around 1973 at a cost of 104 million Australian $. Even I'm not that bad. So today, in honor of premise #1, for the first time I can remember, I made a point of not buying the Sunday Times and of not sitting on the couch and reading it. I decided instead to make a new sculpture. It's been rattling around the metalshop in parts and pieces for a month or so and today was just its day I guess. We get our fair share of good old red sunsets here, at least when the leaves are off the trees and after about 12 years or so of them, they bore into your brain and show up in your sketch book when you least expect them, like here, back in November. Anyway, there's not much to my sculpture ... some 1.25" solid steel square stock that will eventually turn a nice rusty orange out in the rain, some kind of base and a red/orange (or maybe gold leaf) sun/moon motif. The one in the picture's spray painted plywood. I mocked up the base today using some pressure treated 2 x 12's, cut on the cnc, and later, I'll probably use some locust planks I have stickered and drying. I cut two different hole patterns but didn't have enough steel verticals to mock up the alternative, dual sided concept. Maybe next Sunday I'll finish it if I can truly kick the newspaper habit ... We'll see ... Click the pictures to enlarge them ...

From my sketchbook ... 11/7/08

The temporarily 'finished' piece ... Just before dark Sunday evening ... high ISO digital photography is your friend .. available light, ISO 1000

Showing the alternate double sided pattern

Cutting the square holes on the CNC

Lining up the assembly with a short steel and a framing square ...

Friday, December 5, 2008

New Steel Sculpture

New Steel Sculpture

We installed the steel sculpture today after a small algebra and arm waving exercise to get them centered and at the right height on the building. It looks right at home .... Click the photos to enlarge them ...

Installed on it's new home

Close up with client ,,, note matching vest

A photoshopped installation from back in October

Hanging on my shop front wall

Back around Open Studio time in May, I made, painted and hung a sculpture on the wall of my shop. It generated some interest and I have now completed edition #3 of an edition of nine. They've all been different, the first is now in my office and available as an indoor wall mounted or free standing piece. The second in the series was a half size version for clients in New York City, and this, the third, is designed for outdoors. Plasma cut from 3/4" plate steel and mounted on substantial hinges, it is headed for a new barn in the Weston/Andover, Vt area. While we were working on it, I was a little unsure about the client's 'all the same color concept', but now that it's up, I really like it, and actually, the color unifies the design more than I expected .... Other steel/wood sculptures coming up .... Click photos to enlarge them ....
Looks good from the long view too ... good color

The 'change' ... we're going to do something with this at some point .. not sure what

Custom heavy duty metal hinges by Sam