Wednesday
Jul232008
Variation-Dream
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 7:45PM
I started the Variation series in 2003 with Variations Wind, Stars, and Fire. Today I'm bringing out the 9th design in this series called Variation Dream.
I always think the most recent Variation is the last one and maybe this will really be true this time. But...I really like designing these and am always amazed with how much there is to explore in this area.
Reader Comments (5)
i stumbled upon your creation and i have to say indeed very intriguing. fascinating lines, shapes and motion.
Posted @ Monday, January 25, 2010 1:30 PM by hbynoe
Good for you for starting a blog. And this piece is gorgeous. Well done.
Have you ever thought about doing small sculptures? Like maybe just 12"x12" or something? Maybe they won't run for 16 hours, but I bet you'd sell a bunch of them.
Keep it up.
looking forward to seeing more.
jorge
Posted @ Monday, January 25, 2010 1:31 PM by Jorge
My early designs were a lot smaller. They have grow over time as the patterns and motions have become more complex. The wheels in small sculptures have less mass so they move quickly, making it difficult to create smooth motion.
The smallest piece I've created recently is Whimsy in 2005, before that you have to go back to Vortex and Zephyr in 1995.
Posted @ Monday, January 25, 2010 1:32 PM by David C Roy
I love your Variation series and I am sorry to hear that you think that Dream will be your last. (My favorite is Quark Cotillion even though it doesn't have Variation in the name.)
How about using Christmas tree shapes for the leaf and doing a snowflake series? - You could use spikey edges like Fractal to make it look more crystalline.
Or a pair of parallel birds to replace the dark bars in Stars? - You could use a light colored 350 degree loop to connect the pair instead of the light crossbar so that it would still have a sort of floral background (like Quark Cotillion.) This would be especially pretty if the birds are shaped in a way to appear as flowers as they pass through the rotation.
I think there is a lot more you can do with light colored circles and shapes as part of the rotating design, not just as the support structure in this series.
Thanks again for posting these beautiful designs. I've enjoyed seeing your work at the Museum of Science in Boston and in otehr places.
Posted @ Monday, January 25, 2010 1:32 PM by P Rockwell
Thank you for the suggestions of new patterns. There are a seemingly endless variety of patterns that can be created with this design but there are also new sculpture designs to explore and only so many hours in a day.
I'm currently experimenting with a design that uses 4 overlapping wheels instead of 6 and a different type of drive. I hope to have something to show soon.
Posted @ Monday, January 25, 2010 1:33 PM by David C Roy