The Creative Zone Blog

Fishbowl #3

Michael — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:00:33 +0000

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 [...]

Artists Village

Michael — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:10:11 +0000

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 [...]

Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926-1931

Michael — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:37:29 +0000

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 [...]

Flying Fish

Michael — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:17:48 +0000

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 [...]

Orbiting Infinity

Michael — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:09:45 +0000

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 [...]