Sculpture

Sculptural works that exist in three-dimensional space are really best thought of as multisensory toys.
They are to be played with, touched, listened to or rubbed against.
Thorough design and engineering makes these activities and experiences possible.

Billy 2

Testing out a theory I had about the texture and surface on a prop used in the film "Alien". This incarnation of Billy the Test Subject is an Ultracal 30 shell cast with gray acrylic paint and acrylic matte medium layered one over the other. Then polyurethane over that. Then on top of that is my wax formula for temporary installation forms (paraffin and beeswax with pigment). On top of that is some latex skin. I think the skin is too much...
I'll likely remove it and go with thinner layers on that before installation... redo

You can see some translucency in some parts of the casting...

Billy 2

Testing out a theory I had about the texture and surface on a prop used in the film "Alien". This incarnation of Billy the Test Subject is an Ultracal 30 shell cast with gray acrylic paint and acrylic matte medium layered one over the other. Then polyurethane over that. Then on top of that is my wax formula for temporary installation forms (paraffin and beeswax with pigment). On top of that is some latex skin. I think the skin is too much...
I'll likely remove it and go with thinner layers on that before installation... redo

You can see some translucency in some parts of the casting...

Billy 2

Testing out a theory I had about the texture and surface on a prop used in the film "Alien". This incarnation of Billy the Test Subject is an Ultracal 30 shell cast with gray acrylic paint and acrylic matte medium layered one over the other. Then polyurethane over that. Then on top of that is my wax formula for temporary installation forms (paraffin and beeswax with pigment). On top of that is some latex skin. I think the skin is too much...
I'll likely remove it and go with thinner layers on that before installation... redo

You can see some translucency in some parts of the casting...

Billy 2

Testing out a theory I had about the texture and surface on a prop used in the film "Alien". This incarnation of Billy the Test Subject is an Ultracal 30 shell cast with gray acrylic paint and acrylic matte medium layered one over the other. Then polyurethane over that. Then on top of that is my wax formula for temporary installation forms (paraffin and beeswax with pigment). On top of that is some latex skin. I think the skin is too much...
I'll likely remove it and go with thinner layers on that before installation... redo

You can see some translucency in some parts of the casting...

Hydra

In the United States, there is a ritual involving the "decapitation" of the head of our government. This is obviously symbolic, as these removals of heads of state are planned and coordinated by the constituents of the oligarchy. The public has little to no involvement.

The Hydra is the mythological beast who, when one head is decapitated, two grow back. The British rock group, "the Who" sang, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss", suggesting that these changes of power have little to no effect. However, since the writing of this prophetic lyric, the new bosses have become much worse than the old ones, and more deceptive. It's arguable that since the "new bosses" operate in a veil of secrecy, without regard for the concerns of the public, that as soon as you "elect" new officials, you have unwittingly become subject to two.

Making Gears 1

There is a certain degree of mechanical engineering in my pursuit to make my sculpture as interactive as possible.

Timely execution becomes an issue if you're going to fabricate all the parts from scratch. Buying gears is very expensive. Therefore, when I know I will be using a bunch of the same kinds of mechanical parts in constructive scenarios, I make a pattern and cast my own parts.

These images show the fabrication of patterns for two sizes of gears, which can have many applications for moving sculpture. It's possible to make casts of these parts with relative ease, after molds have been produced. Tolerances for precision aren't terribly great, since RPM's won't be all that high and these will be fairly low torque parts.

This image shows a pattern, with a form below it. The dome that it rests on is for a plug for the other piece of the mold. The empty spaces will be filled with silicone for the mold making material.

Making Gears 2

Here's a filled silicone mold.

Making Gears 3

One half of the thing is demolded. The wooden pattern is placed back on the lathe and aligned/centered. Then, a gap is removed from the pattern and it's placed back into the mold, which is now flipped upside-down. The plan is to cast only the teeth of the gear. The teeth will be sandwiched between wooden (oak / maple) cylinders, which can then be mounted to an axle, using roller bearings. These will also be custom made and cast. There are running gates on the model to release excess casting material. The plug form will be placed on top and the plug will then be made of silicone.

In industrial scenarios, sand-casting of metals is typical. Since I am casting urethane, silicone is the key.

Gangbang - B.O.

I have begun a process of making portrait caricatures of 20th and 21st century U.S. presidents, in preparation for an interactive/kinetic sculpture installation. The current working title is "Gangbang". Various presidents will be depicted over a map of the world making gestures that indicate which part of the world they helped to "screw". Various correlations can be drawn to metaphors related to the "Earth Mother" archetypes and the exploitative nature of patriarchal governments.

As is usually the plan, the viewer will act as a participant in the work's performance, by operating various cranks and gears. Among the questions posited can be, "to what extent does the viewer play a role in the exploitation of cultures, societies and ecosystems".
... and so on.

I am working in reverse chronological order, starting with the "Anointed One".

Gangbang - B.O.

It should be duly noted that I have decided to make caricatures of the presidents, while also making them into "zombies".

While this may seem silly, I think the point is rather intriguing, insofar as each new president builds on the damage of their predecessor and causes more damage. It's as if they act with no ideas of their own, operating like zombies, repeating the same actions over and over again.

Gangbang - B.O.

Zombies are a popularly known icon. They emerged from voodoo culture, some were thought to be slaves from old Hatian cultures.

People were generally put into a zombie state, by way of certain drugs, by people who wanted free labor on sugar cane fields (for example in the west indies); much like contemporary American presidents, who are ushered into positions of power, by lobbying groups, secret societies and groups with unknown personnel such as the Bilderbergs.

Before you know it, the First Lady is trying to get everyone to eat Organic food, while the President has Monsanto lapdog Tom Vilsack forcefeeding the world biotech poison. Good luck Michelle. You married a Zombie!

Billy 2: Variation

Further development on "Billy 2" sculpture. It's about ready for mold making.

A primary influence on my sculpture is the art of the entertainment industry. A common fallacy in our relationship with animals can be seen in film and television with the anthropomorphism of animals, such as primates. Rick Baker has mentioned on numerous occaisions, how humans continually mistake the intelligence and facial expressions of other animals. His example is the chimpanzee's "fear grin", which to humans, looks like a cute smile, but in the facial communication of these primates, is meant to convey fear, usually when in the presence of dominant chimps.

From certain angles, the facial expression of this sculpture can appear placid, sad, relaxed or mildly upset. However, without really knowing the signs, context, culture or language, the intended meanings would remain cryptic.

Billy 2: Variation

Further development on "Billy 2" sculpture. It's about ready for mold making.

I did a drawing (in the 80's) of a farmer who developed Elephantiasis in the eye. So the bluging eye, is based on that.

The modeling is based on a combination of various primate facial features, human included.

Billy 2: Variation

Further development on "Billy 2" sculpture. It's about ready for mold making.

Some textures indicating the maltreatment animals suffer at the hands of "science". The ear is meant to look as if it's melting.

I am becoming a fan of plowing through textured sections with heavy marks and then raking them over with denatured alcohol and a toothbrush. It's a decent way to quickly block in some nice wrinkles and other organic textures. The best way to get an idea for what the textures really look like, is to study lifecasts. Lifecasts of burn victims and bad sticthes are few and far between, so improvisation with the textures is necessary.

S3X Version 2.0

This sculpture is a work in progress. It is a form for an articulated element of the work. The plan is to have the viewer interact with handles and operate the form. Various ideas and emotions are conveyed/suggested via the interaction.

Tesseract Tenons: Pattern

This is a design for a tenon, which is modeled after an unfolded tesseract form. Basically, you have a cube, and from each face of the cube a tenon emerging. This form was designed for repeat use in various sculptures.

Tesseract Tenons: Moldmaking

This image shows the pattern, next to the silicone negative. The silicone negative is in a single piece. When I make flexible molds, from which I plan on casting rigid positives, I try to incorporate a method I learned from Dick Smith, when doing life casts. the idea, is to cut the mold, so all the flashing lines match up naturally. I continue to cast multiple pieces from this same mold, for various works.

Laser Pattern: Construction with Mirrors

This is a construction of motors and mirrors. It's designed to cast a pattern onto a wall, using a laser beam. When moving at different rates of speed, the beam will create geometric patterns. This looks like a spirograph, an old children's toy.

Laser Pattern: Testing

The construction here, uses motors from an old fan. The beam is from a laser pointer. The laser pointer is attached to a power transformer and is plugged into the wall. The effect of this is quite fascinating. The work has to be engineered so as not to shine the beam into the viewer's eyes. So, the apparatus has to be mounted above eye level.

Billy the Test Subject: Turning Form on Lathe

Many pieces are turned on a mini-lathe. One work in particular, Billy the Test Subject, incorporated a cylindrical form, which was developed in this manner.