artist | Mechanical Theatres

Digital Art In The Pearl Skype or Facetime Availability Schedule for September 5-7, 2020

August 17, 2020

art, artinthepearl, artinthepearl2020, artist, artistsstudio, contemporarycraft, fineart, finecraft, handmade, modernart, notinthepearl2020, supportartists, virtualartfair2020 | 0 Comments

I will be available to accept Skype, Zoom, or Facetime calls in my studio all three days Art in the Pearl is open from 9AM until 6PM. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, to see more details of pieces, or just to get a look at my studio. It would be best
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Just in Time

October 7, 2010

artist, automata, kinetic sculpture, kinetic wall sculpture, mechanical sculpture, mechanical theatre, tom hughes | 0 Comments

I finished up the current mechanical theatre tonight but have to change the White Bird Black Bird name because the birds are golden! I am pondering ….. it may take a few days. At any rate it is done for Portland Open Studios and none too soon I might add. I will get some good studio photographs
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Halfway

September 16, 2010

artist, automata, craft, folk art, kinetic sculpture, kinetic wall sculpture, mechanical sculpture, mechanical theatre | 0 Comments

I feel I might be at about midway on the White Bird Black Bird MT. It hasn’t been a straight crow fly exercise, but rather a circuitous route to the current state. The mechanics are working out pretty well, with the decision today to mount the two lower pulls side by side underneath the cam. The
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Stick Picking

August 31, 2010

artist, automata, branches, carving, craft, folk art, fruit tree branches, kinetic sculpture, mechanical theatre, natural artwork | 0 Comments

In the northwest people that pick greenery for florists are known as brush pickers. I need branches, not greenery. The easiest place for me to mine is my back yard. The new piece in progress is called Black Bird / White Bird and it has a lot of branches. The best branches have 3 trunk intersections
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Pull

August 23, 2010

artist, automata, carving, craft, folk art, kinetic sculpture, mechanical theatre | 0 Comments

Pulls for me are typically the last part of a piece of work be it furniture or mechanical artwork. Furniture is a style decision - mechanical works have to have weight + design as the pull for the Cloud Shaft did. I hollowed out the inside of this pull and filled it with #9 lead shot which is a great
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Working on the High Wire

August 11, 2010

artist, automata, carving, craft, folk art, kinetic sculpture, mechanical theatre | 0 Comments

I’ve been currently working on two pieces in my studio. The first is High Wire Mechanical Theatre which is getting very close to being completed. I lined up a few construction shots to give an idea of process. If you look close you can see there are still clamps holding the trees in
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Cloud Shaft construction notes

August 9, 2010

artist, automata, carving, craft, folk art, kinetic sculpture, mechanical theatre | 0 Comments

The other piece I am currently working on is Cloud Shaft Mechanical Theatre. Just like the High Wire MT this one is based on a truss which supports the piece. The trusses are held together with with a lot of #2 x 56 threaded screws 3/16″ long. They’re damned small. I’ve dropped bunches of them on the floor
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