Stuffsmith: The Found-Object Artwork of Keith Lo Bue.

ONEIROCRITICA: The Found-Object Sculpture of Keith Lo Bue

2009-12-15T21:13:00.001-08:00

As the new DVD takes shape (obviously I've chosen a title), it has brought me back to my roots in a big way. Spending time with my early work has been like having a family reunion. Look forward to seeing scores of never-published pieces, all hypnotically worked into slowly drifting dreamscapes of imagery. Or so I'm attempting. The software curve is steep, but I'm thrilled at what has happened so far.

Here is a sneak peek at a few of the very early pieces from the late 1980's that will feature on the DVD (click to enlarge).

One of the big new developments to announce is the inclusion of several incredible composers whose work will elevate these films. At this moment, in addition to Guy Klucevsek's crucial sounds, musical contributions span the globe, from electronic music / found sound masters Akira Rabelais, Taylor Deupree and Adrian Klumpes to acoustic minimalist composers James Blackshaw and Lubomyr Melnyk. I'm fairly jumping out of my skin at my good fortune - these are some of my favorite musicians on the planet. Check out their websites, listen in, and you'll see why I'm so honored.

Well, back to the keyboard - just thought I'd touch base and fill you in.

KL

A new DVD in the works

2009-11-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

Lest you think I've fallen off the planet, I'd like to announce here that I'm now deep in the process of putting my new DVD together. Untitled as of this writing, it will be a survey and celebration of my non-wearable, sculptural artwork.

The main feature of the disc will be my first-time-available film from 1994, entitled 'The Dying Alchemist', which has been remastered and re-worked, and features incredible music, once again, by the inimitable Guy Klucevsek. It's a spontaneous romp through the making of one of my box sculptures in my studio in Westport, CT, from those early days of my output. It can be seen as the stylistic forerunner of 'Within and Without', the 2003 film I made with my partner Irena, that focussed on making a wearable piece.

There will be several other short film segments that have never before been made public, as well as a set of dynamic moving stills of sculptural work from 1988 to 2009, all cinematically set to music. Travel inside my sculptural work as never before. You can think of it as my website in joyful motion.

I'm having a blast sifting through my massive image archives and pulling out some pearls that are now only known by the people who bought them decades ago.

Below are some sneak-preview stills from 'The Dying Alchemist'.

Check back here for updates on the DVD's progress. Now it's back to work...

Ciao!

Keith

Endings, beginnings

2009-10-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

My visit to the US is nearing completion; I head back to Sydney and family on Tuesday for a long-overdue reunion. It has been a phenomenal experience this time 'round; extended visits with my parents and siblings made it soul-satisfying - not to mention highly unusual - as normally my teaching schedule is pretty unrelenting during my time in the US.

But it was professionally eventful as well. Teaching at the lovely 'Art Is You' event in Connecticut, lecturing to the excellent graduate metals students at East Carolina State University, under the virtuosic hands of Bob Ebendorf; lots of inspiration flying around for those days.

This past week has seen two exciting developments for me. First was the new acquisition by the MAD Museum (Museum of Arts & Design) in New York of my 2004 neckpiece 'RETROSPECTION'. Following on the heels of being published in Ursula Ilse-Neuman's beautiful book 'Inspired Jewelry from the Museum of Arts & Design', it's a wonderful opportunity for my more recent work to be viewed by a larger audience. The neckpiece will make its public debut at the museum in November of this year. The second remarkable event has been the purchase of my newest piece 'THE DIARY OF AN ANTIQUARY', also seen in progress in the previous 4 postings below. It couldn't have gone to better owners.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my studio in November and continuing to explore all these new avenues that my recent work has laid the groundwork for. So stay tuned.

Cheers,

Keith

The Diary of an Antiquary, Part 4

2009-09-03T20:29:00.001-07:00

Let's bring this piece to a close with this last epic posting. The enclosure more or less finished, I measured out the interior space to come up with the dimensions of the book (this ass-end-up retrofitting is just my style!).

I settled on this gorgeous leather cover from 1852 as my raw material for the final covers.

It was exciting to see the empty space occupied at last, if even for a moment.

Beginning the long process of cutting out the book pages in heavy gauge brass.

The raw elements stacked up, giving me a general feel for the proportions.

Each 'page' would consist of two plates of brass, riveted together, with elements trapped in the sandwich. Above, my three pages and covers.

Because of the substantial weight of these plates, I knew they would have to be pierced quite a lot to eliminate all that metal. The designs are loosely based on medieval iron grillework.

The six sheets taped together, forming 1/2 inch of solid brass. The holes for my sewing stations would have to be drilled through all at once.

The first page takes rough shape - the early part of twelve hours of very difficult sawing.

With throbbing hands, I examine the cut sheets of brass.

Couldn't resist making an ice-cream sandwich of it to see what it looked like, as I knew it wouldn't be so transparent once the elements came together.

A cacophony of grilles.

Now each sheet was shaped.

Page one, getting close. The three pages took three days to complete the metalworking.

Now for the really fun part of creating the visuals behind the metal. Sheets of mica would keep the pieces in check under the grilles. Here, Mrs. Col. Wm. Douglas lends her face to the cause.

An 18th-century engraving takes center on the other side.

The elements taking their places.

The smallest rivets I've ever made. Chalk up another first.

Carving space into the front cover for a pearl.

The window would allow Mrs. Douglas to peer through when the book was closed.

Page three metalwork.

Mica measured and cut to size.

On to the binding. For this stage I have Keith Smith to thank, for his excellent book 'Smith's Sewing Single Sheets', which was my manual for this part. I built this frame to hold the raised cords of the binding upright for easier sewing. The frame is about half the size Smith laid out - plenty of size for a miniature book, however!

Ready to sew the bottom page on.

Second page gets added...

The book block ready for some covers.

This part was seriously daunting. The cords are 7 strands each of heavy antique linen, as I wanted a chunky profile for the spine.

The cord unwound and poking through the cover - now each strand needed to be frayed to lay flat against the inside cover for gluing...

...like so.

The back cover with frayed threads ready to be glued in place and covered with end paper.

The front cover was even more difficult due to the window. Note the recessions cut in to allow the thread to lay flush on the board.

Exsquisite end paper from the 1860's to paper over the thread.

The book needed a closure, so I fiddled about until I came up with the solution. I would use this old fork, dug up in England as my material.

Brittle and fracturing even after annealing, but it held strong - I even liked the cracks, so away we went.

Part of the business end would be used as well.

Before soldering together.

Terrifying task #4,360: putting a large hole into a finished book, to create a strong metal tube that would allow the mechanism to move without damaging the fragile book board.

As the book, now completed, got attached permanently to the enclosure via a long chain, I needed to scoop out recesses in the box to accomodate the protruding clasp.

Last step was creating a visual interior for when the book was removed from the housing. The gem for this job was the left-hand side of this awe-inspiring page of illuminated manuscript from the 1500's. It was given to me along with some others by a generous student (is that Ukrainian, I seem to remember? Anyone?). It seemed a fitting treasure see when the box was open.

Thanks for walking with me through this important piece in my output as a maker. This post is a week later than I thought, as it took an entire week to photograph the finished piece.

Which you can see here.

Hope you've enjoyed the ride - I know I have.

The Diary of an Antiquary, Part 3

2009-08-23T05:09:00.001-07:00

Welcome back. This third post in the in-progress series of the making of The Diary of an Antiquary begins with the construction of the chain structure for the hinged box, that by this point I had decided would house a handmade book. My plan was to make it worn very low, at or below the waist, to recall the girdle books from centuries back, albeit in a very different form. Although at this stage the book had yet to be made (I'd cross THAT bridge...) I did envision that the book would be removeable from the box, but chained to it, and so married to the holding structure.

In imagining the chain for this piece, I began to mull over different materials than I was used to working with for this purpose. I'm not sure what got me thinking about wood, but soon I was readying to try whittling a 'whimsy' - the age-old practice of carving shapes in wood that was often mastered by sailors on their long voyages. I have a few antique examples - both are cages that contain balls that move inside them, carved from a single piece of wood. So I began by choosing a length of wood that would lay over the shoulder and neck (I wanted the piece to be worn not like a necklace but over the shoulder like a handbag). This first group of images shows the links being created from a strip of maple. I didn't photograph the wood before I began cutting, but it was a rectangular block that I then rabbeted out along its length as shown.

The links are now roughed out in size.

Removing wood from the interiors of the links.

A big moment is when the first link comes free...

...and can be shaped.

Working along the length, shaping them as I go.

The links ready to be painted.

A short video of the aftermath.

Painting the chain to harmonize with the box.

Next came another part of the chain - which would be straight bars, with decoration turned into them - to hang along the length. Here the brass segments have been hardened and textured and are ready to be sized and turned.

Cutting large steel jump-rings to use as the bulk of the chain.

The long links finished and ready to integrate with the steel chain.

Wood, brass and steel rubbing elbows.

Getting the length established, I snap myself in the mirror with the piece on.

Then I find a much more attractive model (in-house, of course!).

At this point it occurred to me that I would like to have the box mounted on a stand, so it could be elegantly displayed when not worn (because of the design thus far, it wasn't able to stand upright on its own).

As a base, I settled on an antique Indian candle-holder of cast brass and cut it apart.

One of the very few solder joins in this piece being prepared.

Fabricating little posts to protrude from the bottom of the box, to straddle the bar of the stand.

The posts installed on the box.

The stand completed (the horizontal bar is wrapped in 1920's linen thread, which I'll use much more of later).

Small 'claws' grip the posts on both sides of the box...

...and the posts, seen from the back here, keep the piece stable.

Now there were absolutely no more excuses for pushing the book until later - it was time to tackle it. The home was ready for its occupant.

So I plunged nose-down into Keith Smith's excellent book 'Smith's Sewing Single Sheets' and got my head together to try another first for me - fabricating and binding a book.

Stay tuned for the next and final post, which will see the piece to completion.

KL

The Diary of an Antiquary, Part 2

2009-08-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for episode two in the 'Diary' chronicles...

Once I had gotten the hinge working on the enclosure, I began to see it as a housing to hold something removeable. As I was sitting with the stucture talking about it with my partner Irena, she held it off to the side of her stomach and commented that it would be interesting for it to hang low, and it got my mind racing - her feedback is always right on target, I'm a lucky man. Soon I came around to thinking about girdle books, which had always fascinated me. Once quite common, only about 25 have survived the centuries; these were books bound to be hung from the clothing - here are a few examples.

(Girdle book from the British Museum)

The piece was now in high gear, as I began to envision a small book to inhabit the low-slung box. That would be a whole different set of problems, as I'd never bound a book myself. I'd have time to mull on that - there was plenty on my plate first. I found the title for the piece at this point, from a newspaper from about 1870. So the next step was to create a plate for the top of the box that would incorporate the title, as well as some kind of hook and eye closure. This jogged my memory to 2004 when I photographed the incredible armor at the Metropolitan Museum in NY. I had taken many images of interesting metal connections, and this supplied the inspiration for the catch I was about to fabricate.

Getting ready to etch the brass plate.

Etching in cupric chloride.

The closure begins.

The design for the plate.

Coming together...

Creating four brass 'bumpers' to protrude from the front and back of the box.

Ready to tube-rivet the hook mechanism.

The top plate complete, with fresh-water pearls set under the swinging hook.

The box nearing completion, I now would turn my time towards creating a really special chain for it to hang down to the 'girdle'. The next post will show you the very unconventional solution to that next challenge - and would find me chalking up another 'first' in my repertoire of making.

Until then, ciao!

Your feedback is most appreciated.

The Diary of an Antiquary, Part 1

2009-08-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

OK, time to make our way into my new piece, which at the time of this writing is still unfinished. As you'll see, there were many wrong turns, unexpected twists and first occurances during the last month of working on this, my most ambitious wearable work.

The springboard object that began the process for me was this lovely wooden frame that housed two thick glass lenses; this assembly was made for a hand-held stereoopticon, or 3-D viewer, from around 1870. I picked it up in Baltimore, as I recall, a few years back. Right in the antique store I saw the potential for this object to be sawn into an enclosing structure, and so it was with this in mind, and nothing else, that I began working. This was begun back in late June, during the construction of 'Two Sides of History.'

The committment is made!

I made the provisional decision not to use the lenses in this piece, as they are very very heavy. They'll wait for a future opportunity, so into storage they go.

This simple strap hinge, from an old Sterno can cover, served as inspiration for the hinge design.

A key was chosen to act as a turning handle that will open and close the two halves. This key would later fail (see below) and be replaced with a stronger key.

The key cut down and being readied for drilling, to accept a brass bar.

It was this small rivet that compromised the integrity of this key and bar, and I didn't trust its structural strength, so the next key was soldered in place.

Designing the hinge, using a photocopy of the bottom of the wood frames as a template.

Sawing the hinge.

The sides will bend around the wood.

The hinge starting to be shaped.

The brass bar has been soldered to the middle knuckle of the hinge.

Now the wood iwas carved out to allow the hinge to be recessed a bit.

And two beautiful labradorites were inserted into drilled holes.

'KL - IX' was pierced into the hinge...

...and backed with a doublet of New Zealand paua shell.

With attention turned towards the glass panels, I tried four different designs, none of which felt right. Above, one of the attempts. The iridescent silver glass has been slumped into a brass keyhole. It will be saved for possible future use.

Much more suited to my structure are these two beautiful pieces of opalized glass I unearthed from my garden after I moved in to the house a few years ago.

A page from a Victorian children's book.

She was affixed to one of the glass panels. The other I decided to keep unadorned.

Coming up with the scaffolding around the wood, allowing the piece to hang, involved a few days of unsuccessful pathways. I've learned over the years not to lose heart, as it seems when I'm most at a loss, the solution is about to show itself. Which it did. I've had this lovely object for about 12 years, just waiting. I believe it is part of a horse harness or farm equipment - can anyone elaborate? Would love to get more info about it.

Removed from the rest of the object, this will be a real focal point and provides the asymmetry that gives my brain the most satisfying problems to solve.

Fabricating elements to help everything hang.

The two long bars will run down the sides of the wood.

Serendipity stepped in and I came up with a new, lo-tech way to turn designs into the bars. Wow, this was a major discovery for me, and one I'll make a lot of use of. I chuckled for hours about this.

Laying the elements into position, I can assess how it will start to come together. There were some big unexpected changes on the horizon as I got ready to fabricate a unique hasp to close the box on top.

Tune in later in the week for the next installment.

- Keith

Big things brewing...

2009-08-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Things are cooking here in Studio Lo Bue. I've been at work for a month on my latest piece, entitled 'THE DIARY OF AN ANTIQUARY.' It is proving to be the most difficult, complex and rewarding wearable artwork I've yet made. It involves multitudes of new techniques and forms; among those, it features my first bound book as well as the most intricate metalworking I've done.

Watch here within the next week, and I'll put up my first installment of its construction.

Two Sides of History, Pt. 2

2009-07-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the kind words about seeing the process as I go. Picking up where we left off last post...

The kiln reveals my tiny glass lenses, fused to the steel strap.

Left, a drawer-pull as it was originally, right the result of two fuse firings.

Top of a 150-year-old thimble getting tube-riveted into place.

Laying the lens in place where it is to go. The tab of the lens has been riveted into place on the trap, but it acts as a pivot point, so it will be chained into place from above.

Creating the object to be viewed through that lens: a sawn-down piece of seaweed roots, with tiny shell fragments still embedded, will become the organic center of the piece.

The lens gets attached in four places with the tiny chain.

The drawer pull, now in place, will need to be suspended from the iron jaw above, so time to modify those parts to make that happen.

The drawer-pull ready to be drilled

with a tiny pin drill and miniature bit.

The steel jaw gets similar treatment, this time with a flex-shaft tool behind the bit.

Having finished with the metal manipulation of the trap, I can attach the more delicate materials with less fear of damaging them. The keyhole first, with glass fused into it...

The keyhole as it will be seen from the front.

A pearl to live in back.

Removing an eye for the central opening in the root ball.

And put in place.

Which leaves me safe to attach the lens permanently, as well as the little drawer-pull above. Now the structure is coming together.

Hand-drawing the text for the title into some asphaltum resist, which will then be etched into the nickel-silver bar.

While it's etching, I can move on to the cord.

Creating the clasp.

The hanging mechanism, complete.

The etched title bar is shaped,

and elements are created for it. Here I've taken two antique earnuts and some fine steel wire.

The whole assembly soldered together.

Creating the hanging element for the title bar completes the piece.

The neckpiece hung on my 'just finished' hook, awaiting its studio photo session.

************************

The finished images of 'Two Sides of History' can be viewed here.

Or, for the person who simply can't live another day without owning it (there's only one out there!), you might prefer to check it out here.

At the time of writing this, I'm deep into a new neckpiece that will be posted here next week after my teaching weekend in Melbourne.

Thanks for visiting. Ciao!

Two Sides of History - In Progress, Pt.1

2009-07-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

I've just emerged from my studio lair with a major new neckpiece, which I've documented all the way. This post will take us halfway through the fabrication of the piece, to be followed later by the completion. I'll be shooting beauty shots of Two Sides of History later today, to finish my documentation.

Ready? Let's hit the bench.

After deciding on one of my collection of antique animal leg traps to use as the body of the piece, I choose some elements to add glass to in my new kiln.

Keyholes ready to slump glass into.

A beautiful and tiny brass drawer-pull gets prepped for similar treatment.

The trap, jaws and chain removed.

Readying to remove the small setting strap after shaping the metal above it...

...for modification.

Drawing the new contours of the trap.

And sawn.

A keyhole window gets a cutting template.

Slow work in old and brittle steel.

A stunning optometrists' lens, glass altered from below, will take center stage on the pendant.

A real fisheye-grade lens!

Gathering materials to make the swing attachment for affixing the lens to the trap.

The tiny assembly ready to go.

The trap, shaped.

To remove the rust, the trap gets a day in a rock tumbler.

In the meantime, I start work on the jaw. Note the lovely deep dent on the right...must've snapped shut on another piece of steel long ago...?

The tiniest chain of this design I've ever made.

The trap cleaned, now the jaw gets rounded out on a steel form.

A beautiful steel eye bolt is riveted to the jaw.

And fitted with a large brass ring, while the upholstery tacks are bent into loops to hold the little chain.

Part two will start by showing what emerged from the kiln and we'll take it from there.

Ciao!

Visiting The Hermit

2009-06-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

As I begin my new work in the studio, we can look back a bit - here are a few shots taken last month during the making of THE CHAPEL OF THE HERMITS.

Pouring the epoxy resin around the mud-wasp specimen.

Cutting the book leather for the back.

Shape drawn to be cut out...

...and glass chosen to fill the void.

The back before the leather gets attached.

The glass form.

Copper plate etched and about to be patinated.

Readying to attach.

The back leather panel, seen from the inside.

Attached in place - a secure fit.

See the finished piece here.

New work all over the show...

2009-06-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

The piece below and many of her happy cousins can be viewed in finished splendor over at my website as of right now...

Have a look in the New Work section, as well as the Sale section (in Neckpieces and Brooches), for different pieces. Do drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Keith

The newest piece, and how it all transpired

2009-06-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

The following sequence of images will bring you on a tour through the making of my newest neckpiece, entitled "REPETITION / CHANGE." The beauty shots of the piece will be posted on my website in the coming day or two. Hope you enjoy.

The object of my affection: Angering classic cars buffs the world over, I prepare to gut an early 20th-century automobile radiator gauge

The double-sided glass bezels are hard to resist

The thermometer, lodged firmly in place by century-old ossified rubber

Intact - phew - and put aside to be used some other day

As it's quite a heavy hunk of metal, I give it some consideration, trying to see what it can live without

Testing out the new cordless Sawz-All (Pocket Review: It rocks)

Sawn, and

on to the interior...

Sawing out needless weight

Tough work.

Too tough. No worries, panic averted as I realize the piece will be held together with screws on both sides, remember?

Nut, shaped and tightened, so I can hang an element from below

Miles & Audrey on the studio steps, making sure dad's doing it right

Beautiful Victorian key, ready to be sacrificed for Art

Keys soldered square brass wire

Balling up some copper wire

Copper wires run through the brass and

forged

then folded down into hooks, small brass wire being threaded through

finishing the wire outer structure

and the main housing ready to be occupied.

Money well-spent in Port Gamble, Washington

Beheading the subject - a steel-point engraving from 1845

Mid-bling: tiny silver balls dropped into the starfish legs, to be finished with a tiny opal in the mouth

Starfish set, and the resin being colored

Beautiful little seed 'cups' scavenged in Hall's Gap, Victoria

Filled with pearls

and placed.

As is often the case when trying to seal chambers full of resin, airbibbles appear the next day after it semi-sets. Time to inject resin into the bubbles. Luckily there is a tiny gap between the glass crystal and the metal, or I'd have been out of luck.

Had to make a custom hypodermic out of an insulin syringe and some stainless tubing (the original syringe was too tiny to suck up the viscous resin)

Fixed.

Couldn't resist adding some sailor's touches...

The copper elements of a swivel-connection to go between the pendant and the cord

The assembly riveted to the key and patinated

Choosing lovely little keys to hang the piece from

Riveting key to cord

A lovely old wooden dresser knob to hang underneath

Tapping a thread into the knob

Voiding the warranty on said knob

Drilled out

Sanded and painted.

A miscast glass pebble becomes the best of the bunch for me

The pebble ground down to fit

A beautiful symbol from a 16th-century book to be refracted behind the glass pebble

The chamber gets a resin assembly

The piece is signed (KL •9•), waxed, and readied for

photographing.

Two Tons of Fun

2009-06-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

I recently received my copy of the exhaustive 30lb.(!), 2400-page ' Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellers 2008', published by Darling Publishers of Berlin. I'm pleased to be featured in the two-volume opus, which was only possible via a nominating process (I was nominated by Jeannette Jansen from Germany). Pictured are the two pages I was allotted, as well as my nomination, included in the book in interesting fashion as an arterial 'tree' of nominations that spanned the globe.

From the press release:

As Bruce Metcalf explained to somebody during the making of the Compendium:

"It's true there's no overarching curatorial viewpoint - by design. Lim wanted to make the selection process more open & democratic than the usual methods used for an omnibus volume like this. That's why he put the power into the hands of the jewelers themselves. Why shouldn't jewelers be qualified to select other jewelers? They are no less expert than curators or writers. In effect, the book will show what jewelers think, collectively, about their own field. I think of the selection process as similar to a work of conceptual art. Lim set up a structure, and then let it operate like clockwork. No doubt there will be dogs, but there will also be surprises. Think of it as an exhibition with 1000 curators. You have to be elected first. Lim makes no exceptions to this rule; he has been quite firm about it. Nobody can offer to write a check and thus be accepted. Certain notable jewelers have demanded exceptions to the rules, and Lim refused. Those notables - and there are two that he told me about - then refused to participate. Lim did not relent. I admire the integrity with which he has protected the selection process. To be credible, the structure has to be incorruptible.

There‘s also an element of chaos that Lim designed into the book. Every jeweler is in charge of designing their own pages, and every invited jeweler gets two pages. What‘s fascinating is that everybody gets two sides of a single page - no facing pages. That means every jeweler is thrown cheek-by-jowl against two others, in alphabetical order. A clockwork system that produces chance encounters... and nobody can exercise control! I don‘t know about you, but I think that‘s pretty great. Very subversive of the jewelerly demand for control. Very Duchampian."

The book was unveiled in mid-March at the prestigious Schmuck 2009 in Munich, to much buzz. It was hand-bound in an edition of 1500 - 1044 went to the artists in the book, the remainder being available for purchase by museums, libraries and the undaunted jewelry fanatic (I'm guessing the $US835.00 price tag will keep it off Amazon...).

Click here to download my pages in the book.

Batteries Charged

2009-05-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hi all... I'm back from my sojourn to the US where another great group of workshops went down. Thank you to all of you who signed up for classes - you keep me in the saddle making my work.

Off to unpack my new treasures into my studio and get my head into some new work. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from my classes - and other mysteries!

Cheerio

Keith

Ding-dong, bell.

2009-03-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there is a sea change in the studio, 'into something rich and strange'.

THE INNER SIGHT was a big disappointment, and it caused a great deal of soul-searching and thinking back on my last few years of output.

I came to the realization that much of what I have made since my twins were born almost three years ago has suffered from a bit of an attention deficit (or should I say Traumatic Stress Disorder!). Because my studio time has been squeezed stressfully into my childcare regime, I have not had the brainspace necessary to explore the inspiring avenues that were opening to me in the wake of my Macleay Museum studies. I was also neglecting to rummage properly through my materials, and in doing so I was often on auto-pilot - this eliminated the joyful discovery process that is so central to working with found materials. No wonder I was feeling dissatisfied.

Perhaps simply stating that fact to myself broke the spell. THE INNER SIGHT out of my mind, I set my outer sights on creating the kind of work that speaks to those impulses that had consumed me before the children arrived. And out of the ashes rose "THE AERIAL OCEAN (MAY IT WATCH OVER YOU)", a double-sided swiveling neckpiece that coalesced alchemically in the studio. It was easily the most thrilling time I've had making artwork in the last three years, and will be my own personal talisman. I will be going into the studio to photograph it properly later today.

What a note to close the studio for a month on. I know that I will return after my teaching travels energized with these revelations.

(A small postscript: this is also the first piece to feature my first glass bead! It doesn't shout out, but it can be seen where the chain joins just over the top of the pendant, nestled in the 'frame' of links.)

2009-03-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

I appreciate all the good words about my last posting. As I have an 11-year-old already, I'm no stranger to the gear-shifting necessary in raising kids. But two! Neither my partner or I were ready for that, and it is a different kettle of fish, to put it mildly. Miles and Audrey are the most amazing little humans, and I don't play weekend daddy with them - I'm right in there with their day-to-day. I'm grateful that this work I love so dearly can support my super-sized family, but it does make a soul-satisfying run in the studio rather a rarity nowadays. I'm still buzzing about the experience of making this new object. The last step in the creative journey of a piece for me is to take beautiful images of it, that show it to its best potential. I have just finished doing that. So, before it goes onto the website's New Work space (in May), may I introduce to you (properly this time):

THE AERIAL OCEAN (MAY IT WATCH OVER YOU). 2009
Pendant: 5" x 3" x 1.25" (13 x 8 x 3cm), chain/cord length: 29" (73cm)

Materials: Spigot handle, raccoon trap jaw, mid-19th-century drawer pull, Masonic Odd Fellows glass seal stamp (1830's), 'Lepine - Paris' binocular lens and housing (1850's) - found washed up on beach, wasp nest, oil lamp wick, fresh-water pearls, jade, turquoise, garnet, shell, Czech crystal, dichroic glass, 16th-century paper, lens, faceted glass, crushed glass, paper twine made with 16th-century kozo paper, Georgian watch-winding key, sterling silver chain, brass, steel wire, copper, artist-made glass bead, steel-point engraving (1850's), linen thread, leather, soil.

Click on images to view them large...

2009-03-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, time is careening past. I'm in the dungeon, putting finishing touches on a few pieces in preparation for my upcoming trip to the US on a teaching tour. I'm excited to see my old friends and new faces as I travel the west and mid-west states.

(Just an aside - anyone who is taking one of Working With Wire 2 day classes, please go to the supply list and check it out again, I have added some tools that are important.)

I will post in the next few days some in-process shots of my new neckpiece entitled "THE INNER SIGHT."

No, really.

Ciao!

Things heating up as temperature soars

2009-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

It's a wonder I can do a thing in this ghastly heat. Sydney is a fireball at the moment, and I wilt in summer at the best of times. My kingdom for a snowball...

So, um, what's the logical thing to set up in my studio to beat the oppresive temperatures? Of course, you guessed it - a lampworking station.

This will enable me to work glass marbles and beads into my work. I've played with it whenever I've had the opportunity over the last 10 years, but only now will have it in my studio to explore more deeply.

As you might imagine, my beadwork will be rather untraditional. Thus far I have been at work creating molten 'blobs' filled with bubbles and other textures; these look as if they've been unearthed at Pompeii. My partner Irena and daughter Mira are excited to have a hand at it as well.

I'll post next week when I'll get back into the studio for some new work. Now back into a bathtub full of dry ice.

Happy January...

2009-01-01T01:30:00.000-08:00

The year has rolled over, and with its passing my head is turned towards the coming weeks. In a few days I'll be striking out to Southern Queensland to teach at the fantastic McGregor Summer School. This is the major residential art retreat in Australia and is in its 41st year. It will be the first two-week intensive I've taught since I lived in the US a decade ago. I'm counting the seconds.

Here's wishing you all a creative and productive start to your year. Be in touch on my return!

Studio-rama #2

2008-12-22T02:21:00.000-08:00

SENSATIONS is now finished. I have been wrapping up several pieces as I ready to pack my tools in anticipation of teaching a two-week workshop in Queensland on January 7th. This has been a fertile time at the bench. I guess with all the child-care focus (we've got 2-year-old twins as well as a 10-year-old), my output comes in fits and starts. Add to that the fact that it has been some time since I allowed myself the time to play, and it is plain that I am bristling with avenues to explore.

A page from a beautiful 1790 book detailing the trial of Warren Hastings

will drape over the back of the can.

The splits allow for the paper to conform to the uneven surface.

A dove perches in the center.

Creating the bail, or hanging mechanism of the pendant,

out of 8-guage steel wire. A bit of grunting is obligatory here.

Creating the terminals for the leather cord.

The clasp, in progress.

The clasp, complete - a giant, oversized finish to the neckpiece.

I'm really loving this heavy steel wire - twice the guage of my beloved rebar wire.

SENSATIONS. Materials: Sterno can, steel wire, Victorian yellow glass, copper, crab claw, Labradorite, steel tack, color lithograph from 1880's, epoxy resin, book paper (c.1790), steel-point engraving (1850's), leather, paper, text, soil.

Have a lovely holiday, everyone! Thanks for looking.

- Keith

Studio-Rama #1

2008-12-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is the first of an ongoing series of in-progress reports from the workbench.

Yesterday saw a good run of work out in my studio. Although I'm working on three pieces currently, I'll focus on the neckpiece below. About 15 years ago I was making a lot of work using tin cans as my structural element.
I've been off in other directions since, and it's always fascinating to me to revisit those older interests, with the added perspective of the years.

Here was my starting point - an empty Sterno can for keeping food warm. This is what the can looked like about three days ago, before crushing it. It was just the crushed can when I started yesterday morning.

After forming the dome into the back of the crushed can, I attached some very heavy-guage steel wire (maybe 6 guage??) on top and soldered where they twist together.

My bench at this stage.

Laying in the imagery that would form the background (a color lithograph from about 1880). I thinned the paper down significantly, so when I poured epoxy resin in, it would become very indistinct. That's a bead of labradorite.

The epoxy poured, objects added in (including the title, 'Sensations'), Victorian glass over the top, and here, clamped to set.

The chamber at this point. Notice how dislocated the face has become. Love that. Many people wouldn't even see the face now, but someone studying the piece close-up would see an eye, and the whole thing would change.

Building a set of bars to cage the glass in.

The cage, ready to be attached through the side panels of the tin can.

The piece as the day finished. Off to finish it (hopefully) today..

A Few Examples

2008-12-11T19:57:00.001-08:00

For a vast gallery of my work, visit my website.

A Word of Introduction

2008-12-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

WELCOME. I'm Keith Lo Bue, and since 1988 I've been creating objects - jewelry, sculpture, eyewear, digital collage - using, as my guiding palette, the immense world of found objects.

Many of these objects are centuries old, and they lead me to create works that seem to have been conjured from a rather improbable past. Presenting themselves as scientific instruments or devices of divination, these assemblies appear to have some particular function. Without that utility, however, these pieces are left with a sense of mystery; of questions yet to be answered.

Within these pages I hope to chronicle my journey as a maker of objects. In the last several years I have enjoyed photographing the objects I make on my bench as they come together. It gives me a visual diary - a map - of how my intuition guides my creative process. I will be posting pieces in progress as they develop, in the hopes of sharing some of the surprise and discovery that fuels every day in my studio.

Lastly, I will be using this forum to post anything pertinent to working with found objects, encompassing the work of others who have inspired me, whether in assemblage, collage, or wearable work.

Shall we dance?