We have been keeping a blog since 2008. It is a chronological listing of many topics related to Wood that Works. You will find information about sculptures, inspirations, other artists, day to day life in the shop. The topics are many and fascinating. If you are an avid follower of David's work we encourage you to subscribe to this blog to receive the regular updates.
David has just introduced a new sculpture edition. He has revisited the mesmerizing yet peaceful motion of flight combined with a touch of playfulness in "Frolic".
David developed a new ratchet system which allows for the sculpture to be very, very quiet, almost silent but not quite. He has again added music to the video because he discovered a new on line source for royalty free classical music!
Frolic Technical Details:
Limited Edition of 95 - Signed and Numbered Size: Can vary but basic dimensions are Power Source - constant Force Spring Run Time - Approximately 9 hours per winding
Frolic is composed of two base pieces, one is the spring and power source and the other is the motion. There is a degree of flexibility in how these are mounted on the wall which allows for Frolic fitting into many different spaces well. It works in a room with high ceilings as well as one wit normal 8 foot ceilings.
Frolic is on display (along with lots of other sculptures) in David's studio/gallery which is open by appointment. Click here for more information on visiting.
He will be crafting the first group during September and they will be ready for shipping at the beginning of October. He is taking orders now. Click here for more information on ordering. There are additional photographs and details on the Frolic webpage here.
We started collecting votes just over a week ago on the two variation concepts and the results are surprising in a number of ways.
First, we are surprised by the number of people that did indeed vote, or submit a name or send a comment. Thank you for taking the time to consider and to share. To date we have received 409 votes. It has been great fun collecting them, reading the creative name suggestions and especially reading the comments.
Second surprise: The Variation David thought would garner the highest vote didn't. However, the pattern he likes a little better was the strong favorite of the participants. The results show that 284 like Concept A and 125 prefer Concept B. I am including the video again so you can recall the visual difference.
We were impressed by the ingenious names provided. I am listing them all in attached pdf documents so you can skim through them as well. I had to resort to a Google search and Wikipedia more than once for some of the less common suggestions. Truth be told I had no idea what a Quipu or an Ouroboros was and the answers are fascinating. Additionally there was an inspiring international flavor to many suggestions. Votes came in from 6 continents and many countries.
It is just another example of how the Internet is making our world smaller and more connected everyday.
I have separated out the suggestions for concept A and concept B and attached them in PDF files for you to scan if interested.
Within each grouping I have noted those that had multiple recommendations with the number of times it was suggested in parenthesis after the name. I have also noted with an asterisk all of the names that have already been used by David for other sculptures. The most popular name was Kaleidoscope getting suggested 24 times for Concept A and 3 times for Concept B. David has already used both Kaleidoscope and Kaleisdoscope II in previous designs. Other popular names were Nova (10) and Starburst (18).
There was definitely both humor (Fiddlesticks, Bucky Ball) and ethereal ideas (Eternity, Spectral, Wonder) represented. And some that had me scratching my head - Chocolate Pudding?
In the comments it was clear there were "discussions" going on in offices and homes as colleagues and spouses had to submit individual votes and names.
Most heart warming were the many thoughtful comments sent about David's work. People spent time looking at the designs and giving wonderful information about the whys behind their choices. They also shared stories of the sculptures from earlier years, still in their homes and entertaining new generations. This little survey has brought hundreds of you remotely into the studio for a visit. Welcome! We appreciate your taking the time. Some day visit in person!
And over 200 of you have requested advance notice of when David has a new Variation sculpture set to share. We will send a directed mailing to you sometime in 2013 once David has made this concept a working reality - Ah, the challenge! In the meantime, I will keep you posted on updates here on the blog.
Between the years of 2003 and 2008 I have designed nine different sculptures in the Variation series. I started with Variation - Wind and ended with Variation - Dream.
Variation- Wind • 2003
Every Variation in the series used the same mechanism. At the time of the last one, I decided I would not do another until I had ideas for a better mechanism. Advances in my mechanism designs over the past year have brought new ideas to the foreground and that has me thinking, sketching, planning.
Meanwhile, I have been designing new patterning wheels. I have always enjoyed tinkering with the kaleidoscopic possibilities in new wheel design and have even created some Adobe Illustrator/After Effects connected templates that make it easy for me to design, animate, view, tweak, modify, animate, etc. Once I get going, the possibilities just keep expanding.
I wondered what type of design my followers liked best and decided to ask. I have narrowed down my favorites to two different styles and have created animations of each viewable on the survey page.
Voing has ended. You can read about the results and suggestions here.
While we were at it, we also thought it might be helpful to inquire about name ideas. I have often mentioned that the naming of a sculpture is difficult. We are not word smiths and would love input from those of you that are. At the above link you can also choose to recommend possible names for the new Variations. If you include your email address (optional) I will send you advance notice of the release of the new Variations scultpure, but also notify you if we use your name.
Understand that this Variation design is in the concept phase now. There is a lot of work, both in designing and actually creating, before a new sculpture will emerge. It chould easily take at least six months. Because this includes a new mechanism concept it could take longer to refine.
Below is a parade of the nine different Variations. You can link thorough to their individual websites to see animations of the kaleidoscopic patterns created by their rotating wheels.
Tim Prentice is a fellow kinetic sculptor from Connecticut and I have always admired his work. His sculptural style is completely different from mine yet there is a kinship in love of motion. He has written a book about his work and creative career, Drawing on the Air, and it was recently released. It is well worth adding to your kinetic sculpture literary library. I did. It is available here on Amazon.
I especially like this quote from the book.
"Making the Air Visible
The air around us moves in ways that are organic, whimsical, and unpredictable. I therefore assume that if I were to abdicate the design to the wind, my work would take on these same qualities.
The architect in me studies matters of scale and proportion. The engineer minimizes friction to make the wind visible. The artists wants to understand it changing shape. Meanwhile, the child wants to play."
The book uses QR codes to connect images in the book to online videos of the sculptures in motion.
Yellow Zinger by Tim Prentice
Tim Prentice participated in the kinetic Art show at the Atlantic Botanical Gardens back in 2008. The following video was created for that show and there is a great section with Tim Prenctice discussing his work. Many other kinetic sculptors including Kristina Lucas, Zachary Coffin, Geroge Sherwood, David Fried and Susan Pascal Beran discuss their work as well. Worth waiting for the download to view.
New sculpture ideas arrive frequently but it is rare I can remember the original inspiration. A few days ago I received an email from someone who follows my work online. It contained a link and and the word, "Enjoy". It was during my "design break", an hour or so each day where I sit in a comfortable place, (this particular day it was the sunroom, with my laptop and a cup of coffee) and I explore new ideas with sketches and animations.
Take a look at the video, it is an amazing stage performance, part ballet and part juggling with a bit of mime thrown in. I think you'll see where the inspiration came from.
Animation is the first step. It is simply to confirm that there is something here worth pursuing. At this point I have only a vague idea of how I would build this concept into a mechanism that could be spring driven, but if I get excited enough I'll find a way.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 9:35AM 
