Captain Nemo #2 2008 (16" x 26" x 10")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:50:32 -0700

I was really pleased with the results of a recent portrait of Captain Nemo, and wanted to take the idea a little further. In this case there is more movement, though if you look closely you can still see the tiny Captain at the helm of his ship.
Materials:
Suitcase, mirror frame, brass lamp parts, motors, aluminum condenser, rivets, magnifying lens, model railroad engineer, LEDs, computer scanner lights.

Octovarius 2008 (36" x 21" x 21")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:44:25 -0700

This piece revisits a few favorite themes. Primarily, other uses for violins, and creatures with tentacles. Attempting to move past the previous “Waste Deep” sculpture, this one moves each tentacle independently.
Materials:
Steamer trunk, violin, chair parts, tobacco pipes, taxidermy eyes, steak serving platters, motor, semi truck exhaust guard, cold cathode light tubes.

Blink 2008 (47" x 2'4" x 18")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:36:12 -0700

A while back I found these cool old display tubes that show scientific symbols. I finally got around to building a little robot that uses the “volts” and “ohms” symbols as though they were different stages of eyes during a “blink”. Hence his name. There is a home made cam mechanism in his head that causes them to switch back and forth.
Materials:
Floor polisher, vacuum cleaner parts, baseball bats, fence caps, ski bindings, wooden gear, LED’s, motor, golf caddy cart parts, circuit board.

Above it All 2008 (5'8" x 2'4" x 11")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:31:46 -0700

With a multi-colored light display and swaying arms, this fellow is ready to wade through any harsh environment.
Materials:
Cooking pots, baseball bats, coffee table, lamp parts, bicycle brake parts, electric massager, screen door latch, motors, LED’s.

One Eyed Jack 2008 (28" x 18" x 11")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:26:56 -0700

Another entry in the ever popular Jackalope series
Materials:
Food processor, bean scoop, float switch, weather head, teapot spout, brass lamp parts, antlers, cheese slicer handles, motor boat parts, glass eye.

In the Valley of the Blind 2008 (28" x 18" x 11")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:21:49 -0700

Push this one along on its wheels and the head bucks, causing the rider to follow.
Materials:
Fabric steamer, electric drill, electric sander, vacuum cleaner parts, hedge trimmer, antlers, velvet, brass peep-hole, wheels.

Deer 2008 (16" x 9" x 9")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:16:57 -0700

Materials:
Weather head, spoon, hair clippers, garlic presses, lamp parts, coffee table parts.

The Raven King 2008 (19"x 6"x 11")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:12:32 -0700

It seems when one sees elephants in the wild, they often have these imperious little birds on their backs.
Materials:
Jigsaw, bicycle pedal cranks, brake levers, candle stick, box lid, plastic knobs, wheels.

Toad 2008 (8"x 9"x 8")

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 16:09:04 -0700

I originally named him “Fat Brasstard”, but that seemed even too corny for me.
Materials:
Brass lamp section, door handles, bicycle brake parts, rivets, vacuum cleaner part, vacuum tube.

Little Big Man 2008 (8’ x 5’ x 4’)

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 09:57:57 -0700

This piece was built by request of the San Jose Museum of Art for their show “Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon”. Knowing that it would be surrounded by other robot sculptures I felt compelled to use more wood in its construction to help set it apart from the crowd. I also wanted to further explore the “inner world” feeling that I got from my “Alcohologram” piece a few months earlier. I am pleased with the resulting split personality that this piece has. Equally tough and vulnerable. A motion sensor activates the motors whenever a viewer approaches.
Materials:
Vintage wooden radio cabinet, street lamp poles, vacuum cleaner parts, industrial food processor, antlers, chair legs, dining room table top, floor polisher, miscellaneous found pieces of hardware and scrap metal, motors, lights.

Quicksilver 2007

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:31:24 -0800

Ever since I was a kid I have always loved old scooters. However I have never really wanted the responsibility of maintaining a "vintage" machine. I always thought to myself, "why can't we have the convenience and reliability of modern engineering like a Honda with the class and styling of an old Lambretta?"
Recently it occurred to me that as an adult, I actually have the skills and facilities to address this important issue that has nagged me all these years.
This project began with a very tired looking 1980’s Honda Elite 125 scooter:

...and my usual arsenal of aluminum scrap objects. In this case street lamp, and vacuum cleaner parts make up the majority of it. Many thanks to Rich Humphrey for providing the original scooter carcass and helping with the electrical system, to Wendell Jones for his saint-like patience in bringing the engine back to life, and to Cameron Platt for these lovely photos.
For those curious about the process, I have posted a step-by-step essay of this piece over at Instructables.com. You can also dig around the archives in my blog for additional images.
Materials:
Honda Elite 125, nixie tubes, street lamp parts, vacuum cleaner parts, aluminum scrap, lights, neon.

Waste Deep 2007 (52" x 46" x 24")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:25:29 -0700

This was the title piece for my show at the S.F. Dump. I wanted to make another large scale sea monster to contend with my Giant Squid sculpture.
Materials:
Rocking chairs, shower mat, salad bowl, head boards, bedroom mirror frame, wall paper, motor, lights, curtain rings.

Guzzler 2007 (41"x 48"x 38")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:19:57 -0700

I had originally considered calling this piece “Foreign Policy Machine”, but that seemed kind of heavy handed. At any rate, he is clearly a big consumer.
Materials:
Floor lamp, golf caddy cart, baseball bats, bicycle handle bars, vacuum cleaner parts, gas pump, small engine parts, baking pan, soil aerator, extension ladder parts, brake light covers.

Alcohologram 2007 (37" x 23" x 20")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:07:46 -0700

If you are like me, you have always felt that wine openers look like little people. After finding several of them at the dump, I decided to finally do something about it. I also like this piece because it reminds me that I once wanted to get into stop frame animation. The T.V. cabinet makes the whole thing feel like you are watching a film, a very repetitive film anyway.
Materials:
Television set, cork screws, asian lamp, velvet, player piano parts, xerox machine motor, coffee table, lights.

Impala 2007 (23" x 9" x 21")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:02:47 -0700

Another entry for the Jackalope collection. Though this one has qualities not unlike a Deer.
Materials:
Antlers, power sander, bandsaw blade wheels, projector flywheel, vacuum cleaner handles, weather hood, meat grinder, motorcycle clutch, cheese slicers.

Big Game 2007 (48" x 21" x 18")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:59:05 -0700

I think this one would look great in an old A-frame lodge somewhere. The antlers are large in this case, elk I think.
Materials:
Outboard boat motor cover, antlers, floor polisher, kitchen countertop, vacuum cleaner bag attachments, lights, barber chair foot rest, brass edging. I think this one would look great in an old A-frame lodge somewhere. The antlers are large in this case, elk I think.

Catmonkey 2007 (25" x 9" x 24")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:54:46 -0700

I felt that this piece definitely looked like a cat, but it seems to have the posture of a monkey.
Materials:
Saw handle, chair parts, bean scoops, food processor, vacuum cleaner part.

Heavy Metal 2007 (22" x 15" x 11")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:48:47 -0700

I’m afraid I don’t have video for this one so you will have to imagine the jaw moving up and down when the button on the the right is pressed.
Materials:
Electric guitar, electric jackhammer, vacuum cleaner parts, engine parts, antlers, toy motor, LED lights, antlers.

Captain Nemo 2007 (11.5" x 8" x 6")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:33:50 -0700

Inside this box can be seen Captain Nemo aboard the Nautilus while under attack from the fearsome Giant Squid.
Materials:
Cigar box, in line switch, model train person, vacuum tube, halogen light, scanner light elements, brass screen, magnifying lens, drawer pull, sheet metal, etc..

The Delegate from Atlantis 2007 (24" x 16" x 8")

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:47:16 -0700

It turns out that much of mans difficulty in finding the lost continent of Atlantis was due to the fact that Atlantis is in fact very small. This device was built to enable a delegate from the tiny sub-aquatic continent to visit our cities on dry land.
Materials:
Suitcase, picture frame, animated beverage sign, flatbed scanner elements, sound effect device, magnifying lens, lamp parts, light bulb, model train person, plexiglas