©2008 FISHBOWL #3 - interactive wire sculpture, 11'' h x 12.5'' w x 9.5'' d • Turning crank causes curved rocker arm to move back-and-forth, making fish 'swim' in a realistic manner

©2008 FISHBOWL #3 • rear view • crank with handle operates rocker arm by means of wire connecting rod

I posted photos of two wire fishbowls in my September 15 and October 16 posts in the ‘Something New’ category. I just completed another interactive sculpture with a wire fish and crank, but this one features an authentic glass fishbowl, mounted with guy wires to a plywood base with a combed acrylic paint surface to suggest water. Wooden blocks serve as feet.

The crank mechanisms on each sculpture are different, and each was quite a challenge to me. On this third sculpture, I wanted the crank to be in the front, which meant I had to figure out a way to transfer movement to the rear, and then to the top center of the bowl. I didn’t want the crank mechanism wires to be seen through the fishbowl, which presented a further problem to solve.

Close-up view of 3-part articulated fish - made from 18 gauge black annealed wire and 20 gauge copper wire

As you can see in the photos above, my solution is simple. The front crank creates a circular motion, and the connecting rod transfers that motion to the rear rocker arm/crank and creates a back-and-forth motion. Notice the different sizes of the U-shapes in the front crank and rear rocker arm/crank. The tricky part was to get these just right for the proper amount of movement, and this required lots of minute adjustments to the crank and rocker arm/crank.

Fishbowl mounted to painted base with guy wires and hook eyes, fish on hanger inside bowl, sketchbook with numerous fish shapes at right

Trial crank and rocker arm in place with additional crank parts at right

In addition to all that, the rocker arm itself, even though it’s made of 16 gauge galvanized steel wire, was too flimsy to make the fish ’swim’. I tried a number of different curves and right angle shapes and none worked. Finally, I constructed a new rocker arm mechanism, with the same graceful curve I started with, and ‘work hardened’ it by placing it on my pounding block and lightly hammering it. It was noticeably stiffer. I got excited. Now I had to feed the bent and hardened rocker arm through the two tiny holes in the rear guide - no easy feat - just to see if it would work.

To do this, I partially straightened various right-angle bends and very carefully worked the rocker arm/crank through the holes, re-bending the wire as I proceeded. Then, I tied the upper part of the rocker arm to the fish hanger with scrap wire and gently operated the crank. It worked!

FISHBOWL #3 is for sale - click here if interested.

Close-up of front crank and rear rocker arm mechanisms, guy wires and hook eyes

Close-up of rocker arm (far right) attached to fish hanger, guide loops, hanging seaweed

ARTISTS VILLAGE with City Hall in Center

Alternate view of ARTISTS VILLAGE

I first heard about this collaborative project from artist Margaret Dessell in March of this year when I taught workshops in Long Beach, Washington, when the project was just getting under way. Margaret is the driving force behind ‘Escape Artists’, a creative paper and mixed media art group.

I wondered about this project over the ensuing months, but never heard another word about it, until I received photographs of the magnificent finished project from participating artist Cheryl Torbet. With permission from the Escape Artists, I am pleased to present photos of ARTISTS VILLAGE for your viewing pleasure and inspiration.

Margaret Dessell- Istanbol Carpets

Juanita Murray - back view of Gallery

Cornealia Bragg, Betty Schlicting and Cheryl Torbet originated the ‘Village’ concept, after participating in my class titled ‘Telescope Book’ in January, 2008. Participants in this 3-hr class make a 3-part articulated telescope, add tiny books to the fronts of each section and create a pocket to house the telescope. I provide cardstock patterns for the class project, and once the mechanics are understood, it’s simple to make telescopes in larger (or smaller) sizes, and to add additional sections.

Betty Schlicting - Stitch 'N Time

Shelly Burnett - Shelby Building

Cornealia, Betty and Cheryl, the village ‘founders’, presented their idea to create a village to the ESCAPE ARTISTS with these parameters:

A. The telescope pattern from my class would be used as the structural basis for each building

B. Each artist starts with a 5″ square foam core block upon which to build their chosen storefront/s theme/s

C. The height of each storefront was to be no more than 8″ using the basic telescope pattern. Each artist can alter the pattern by making it smaller in height and/or wider but still keeping it within the boundaries of the 5″ square block

D. The three ‘founders’ would create the municipal buildings for the village ’square’. These buildings could be larger than 8″, but each - library, post office, fire station and city hall - had to fit on a 5″ foam core block

Cheryl Torbet - GiGi's Gems

Ruth Campbell - Scottie's Pet Shop

Here’s a list of the twelve participating artists and the buildings each created:

Cornealia Bragg - Artist Village Library (village center), Holy Cross Church on Kindred Spirits Lane, Mahoney Elementary and Bragg Middle Schools located on Cranium Court, and Pike Place Park

Shelley Burnett - Movie Theatrer and Book Store on Arts Ave, and Shelby Building on Shelby Court

Ruth Campbell - Scottie’s Pet Shop, Pretzel Bakery and Locksmith on Campbell Court

Judy Castle - Liberty Bank and Bebop Music on Asset Ave

Margaret Dessell - Istanbol Carpets, Pic Point Paper Arts, Dr. LM Puller Dental Care on DeCelle Drive, and Marnie’s Ice Cream Parlor and Kolde Bldg on Picnic Point Pt. Rd

Mary Lee - Mary’s Flowers and Ann’s Sweets on Giving Alley

Wanda McWilliams - Funny Bone Theatre, Take A Break Coffee Shop on Jadwin Street, and C# Music and Dance Studio on Music Row

Juanita Murray - Art Center and Gallery on Juanita Drive

Betty Schlicting - Post Office, Artists Village City Hall (village center), Hill St. Blues Police Station, Pike Place Park, Stitch N’ Time Sewing Center on Quilting B Lane, and Harmony Barber Shop on Harmony Way

Bonnie Taylor - Coffee Shop, Bon Bakery and Wine Shop on Taylor Place

Cheryl  Torbet - Fire Station # 41 (village center), GiGi’s Gems on Emerald Alley and Boudoir Beads on Tanzanite Lane

Geri Wilgus - Sisters Antique Shop, Bargain Boutique Thrift Shop and Lil People World Child Care on Salleys Alley

Bonnie Taylor - Coffee Shop

Wanda McWilliams - Funny Bone Theater

STATS

• Time frame was approximately 4 months; the project was completed in June 2008
• Official name, voted by the group, is ARTISTS VILLAGE
• Size of base is 21.5″ X 28″
• Tallest building is 13.5″
• Four Municipal buildings are hinged together to form the    village ’square’
• Foam core board, cardstock, paper, cardboard and adhesives are the basic materials used to create the structures
(and, as Betty Schlicting stated in an email to me, ‘Of course there are many, many embellishments added’)

Judy Castle - Bebop Music

Cornealia Bragg - Holy Cross Church

Note from Betty:

ARTISTS VILLAGE is booked for two displays:

Francis Anderson Center, Edmonds, WA, from Dec. 1 through December 14, hosted by the Edmonds Art Commission

Lynnwood Public Library, Lynnwood, WA, for the month of Feb. 2009

Our goal is to have the village displayed in various community venues for the public’s enjoyment.

When working on the village I, as the others just did whatever it took to make the houses stand, etc. After I had my three together I managed to insert a small wood rod/tongue depresser to make the buildings stand upright  on my acreage. I also folded the bottom or added an additional foot so they would stand.

As I cannot see a project from beginning to the end I just added whatever came to mind as I progressed - always make a much better item the second time around. I named the store and streets after my nickname, ‘Marne’, DeCelle street, etc. I hit the miniature stores at first but didn’t find much there or what I did find was too large for our project. I did find street lamps, foliage, bricks at the miniature railroad stores. The garbage can came from an antique store.  The other items were from the collections here at the house.

The ladies surprised themselves by this project, even though they agonized a bit at first. But as a group, we are attempting to work more ‘out of the box’ and that is difficult for some of us, including myself.

I wanted to tell you that as one of the ‘founders’ my biggest challenge was making all the blocks (13- 5″ square blocks & 4 triangle ‘filler’ blocks) fit on the base while still making it as aestetically pleasing as possible.

This was trial and error. We used the 4 triangle blocks as fillers, (police station, park, schools, and barber shop). I believe I and other artists tended to work by the seat of our pants, if one thing didn’t work we would make changes until it did work. It was a fun and challenging project and isn’t that what creativity is all about!

Mary Lee - Mary's Flowers

Geri Wilgus - Bargain Boutique Thrift Shop

Official catalog for Calder exhibit

My friend and fellow artist, Fred Mullet, who knows I’m a big fan of Calder, recently sent me a link to the Whitney Museum of American Art, which is currently hosting an exhibit titled Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926-1931.

Ironically, two weeks ago I’d put a hold on several books on Calder and his art at my local library, and one of those books, pictured above, was delivered three days ago and it turns out I’m the first person to check it out! This book is hot off the press, and just happens to be the official catalog for the current exhibit, which opened on October 16th.

Calder’s career spanned 50+ years, but I am particularly interested in the art he created in his early Paris years - namely, his circus, wire sculptures and portraits, toys and free-standing and motorized mobiles. This beautifully produced book covers all those areas in detail, and also includes wood and metal sculptures, circus drawings, gouache and ink paintings, oil paintings and more!

There are photos of Calder’s art that I’d never seen in other publications, and lots of them are in full color. Calder was a master wire worker, and there are 25 wire portraits in the book, caricaturing the likes of Calvin Coolidge, Jimmy Durante and Joan Miro. Other wire sculptures, including ‘Aquarium’ (1929) and the interactive copulating ‘Pigs’ (1930) are simply amazing. Then there are the photos of his circus animals, people and props - incredible articulated sculptures on a very tiny scale.

The text in this 304 page book thoroughly covers Calder’s first five years in Paris, and his artistic life (with images) just prior to his arrival in Paris in 1926.

The exhibit at the Whitney runs through February 15, 2009, then travels to the Centre Pompidou, Musee national d’art moderne in Paris, where it will be on display from March 18 - July 20, 2009.

Click here to view images and a video from the exhibition.

The following information is quoted from the Whitney Museum of American Art Website:

About the Exhibition
On view October 16, 2008 - February 15, 2009

“For decades [Calder's] Circus, lent by the artist in 1970 to the Whitney Museum of American Art, has set flight to the imaginations of visiting children and adults. Now the museum is celebrating its genesis in “Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926-1933,” an exhibition opening on Thursday that brings the young Calder and the giddy ferment of his artistic circle to life.”
–The New York Times, October 12, 2008

When Alexander “Sandy” Calder (1898–1976), arrived in Paris in 1926, he aspired to be a painter; when he left in 1933, he had evolved into the artist we know today: an international figure and defining force in twentieth-century sculpture. In these seven years Calder’s fluid, animating drawn line transformed from two dimensions to three, from ink and paint to wire, and his radical innovations included openform wire caricature portraits, a bestiary of wire animals, his beloved and critically important miniature Circus (1926–31), abstract and figurative sculptures, and his paradigm-shifting “mobiles.”

The Whitney has the largest body of work by Alexander Calder in any museum and is proud to be the exclusive American venue for this landmark exhibition, co-organized with the Centre Pompidou.

©2008 FLYING FISH - interactive wire sculpture, 14.5'' h x 15.5'' w x 9.5'' d • Turning crank at bottom right causes fish to 'swim'

©2008 FLYING FISH • V-shaped part of crank mechanism at top right makes hanging fish move back and forth, causing them to 'swim' in a realistic manner

The past couple of months I’ve been pouring over books with photos of Alexander Calder’s motorized and crank operated sculptures and toys, and am duly impressed with the number and diversity of his creations, some very simple and others incredibly complex.

In my September 15 post under the ‘Something New’ category I talked about Alexander Calder’s 1929 wire sculpture ‘Goldfish Bowl’, and how it inspired me to fabricate a similar version (and challenged any wire workers out there in the blogosphere to make one and send me digital images). Making the bowl and the two articulated fish was easy enough, but not so the crank mechanism - I made several cranks before I got one to work properly. I posted two images of my fishbowl in that post.

This month, I challenged myself to make another fishbowl with three fish that swam, and to make the bowl bigger, shaped differently, with ’seaweed’ of my own design, a base, and a different crank mechanism. The first two photos show my completed ‘Flying Fish’ wire sculpture, the third photo is a closeup of the crank mechanism, and the subsequent images depict the sculpture under construction. Enjoy!

©2008 FLYING FISH • Closeup view of crank mechanism • Note spiral wire 'tube' which places L-shaped rocker pivot 3 inches into bowl - necessary to make mechanism work, and a challenge to figure out!

FLYING FISH is for sale - please click here if interested.

FLYING FISH is maintenance free and you’ll never spend a dime on fish food (with real fish, you’ll be buying fish food forever). Not only that, you’ll be the proud owner a very cool interactive wire sculpture which will be a big hit with your friends when you entertain. And finally, the fish will only swim when you turn the crank, so you’ll never get dizzy watching real fish swimming monotonously back and forth.

©2008 ORBITING INFINITY • 15'' h x 11'' w x 11''d

I recently completed a commissioned piece, titled ‘Orbiting Infinity’, and shipped it to its owners in California last month.

It’s a mixed-media creation, made from wood, wood veneer, brass screws, nickel-plated washers, acrylic gels, pastes and paints, copper and colored wires in various gauges and horse hair, and contains a battery-operated motor hidden from view on the inside.

The motor is accessed from the back and causes the delicate wire and horse hair top section to slowly orbit the main body of sculpture.

©2008 ORBITING INFINITY • Top view

©2008 ORBITING INFINITY • Close up view of top section