Pictures At An Exhibition

My exhibition in Hervey Bay remains open for one more week. Below are some images from the opening. Photographed beautifully by Phil Syme.

Untitled (raccoon), 2000

Describing the changes in my work as a result of moving to Australia in 1999.

BEFORE THE MIRROR, 1998

WHEN MEMORY FAILS, 1996

A VOYAGER'S DREAM OF LAND, 1999/2005

Peering into THE HIDDEN ROOM, 1995

Discussing the digital work.

One of several collaborative pieces in the show, here's a detail of a neckpiece made with found object pioneer Bob Ebendorf.

A wearable book collaboration with book artist Dan Essig.

Explaining how I began making found object work.

THE AERIAL OCEAN (MAY IT WATCH OVER YOU), 2009

 

A moment with my family - partner Irena and our three kids - Mira, Audrey and Miles.

 

Spoonfed, 2009

 

 The Pearl that Worldlings Covet. 2006

 

Examining THE INNER SIGHT, 2009

 

 An homage to Melville and Moby Dick, untitled (pipe), 2005

 

 My dear friend, book artist extraordinaire Adele Outteridge.

 

THE PARADISE OF FOOLS, a 1997 collaboration with glass artist Sally Prasch.

 

untitled (nautical instrument), 1996

Two Sides of History, 2009

 

A collaborative brooch made with luminary basket artist Dorothy Gill Barnes from 1997, surrounded by a whimsical neckpiece I made that year using actual lobster antennae as chain links.

 

 Demonstrating my new piece, POETICAL MODESTY, in action.

To hear the floor talks pictured above, and to see video of the exhibition itself, a new hour-long DVD of the event is available here. (and a preview of the DVD can be found on YouTube here)

I'll be back to posting some new in-progress work as I get myself back into the studio later this week.

Thanks for visiting!

Keith

Kids Attack Found Objects in Hervey Bay

Before I jaunt off to the US to teach next week, I thought I'd post up the brilliant work done by an enthusiastic group of fifteen 8 to 14-year-old's up at the gallery where my exhibition is taking place. Called the 'Mudskipper's workshop', the kids were challenged, in the two-hour class, to use their own ingenuity to cobble the piles of junk in front of each of them into something interesting.  Without glue.

Check out what went down. (Click on images to enlarge them)

A few mums stayed and got their hands dirty as well.

Serious concentration.

A spaceship, complete with control keyboard, takes shape. Check out the smart use of electrical tape.

My oldest daughter Mira, right, finds a new buddy.

No timid moves here - it's unchecked creativity at work.

Decisions, decisions.

An impromptu exhibition was set up on a table so we could all admire the handiwork.

Puppet, with stand and pet!

A house for secrets.

 

A portrait in sheep spine, of her dad, apparently - are my eyes really that screwy?

A beautiful assembly of fresh plants, which can be replaced at will.

A hanging garden of treasures.

The amazing flying lion!

A complex little contraption.

A gorgeous little viewing portal and treasure trove.

The spaceship - that's a steering wheel and hubcap put to really good use.

A beautiful and sensitive fish sculpture.
 

An intimate Pandora's box.

 

This catapult shoots something long and thin that I can't remember - was it pick-up sticks or knitting needles? Don't try this at home!

A lovely display of tiny sculptures - what a set.

The Hervey Bay Artists Gang, in da house. Congrats to them all!
I'd encourage any of the artists above to post down below and let us know which one you did.
See you soon,
Keith

Poetical Modesty, In Progress - Stage 2.

Welcome back. In the last post, I created my first digital work on glass, then began the process of developing a stage-like machine in which to view it.

The mechanism of the piece is very important, as I want to see the motion of several wheels as the glass is raised and lowered. And for the first time, I am going to be making all the machine parts by hand, rather than using found objects. Combined with the found elements - the box itself and the candelabra base, I hope to make it a genuine parlor device.

A pulley system is what I need, so using my quick sketch as a guide, I make a careful rendering in Photoshop of the pulley wheels, referencing the crank I'd made earlier so they'd all work visually together.

The image of the pulleys is glued to my brass sheet, as with the crank, and I ready to drill and pierce the negative spaces out.

My trusty Dumore begins the work of drilling. I want a car with this wrinkle-paint finish.

Looks like I'll have my work cut out for me. I wish, actually.





Cutting out and shaping the mahogany discs that the brass wheels will embellish.



Creating an inlay area.


Dyed New Zealand paua shell is then sandwiched between the brass and wood. Here, the first of the four pulleys coming together and viewed on the drawing for the backing plate.

And the backing plates being prepped to cut out.



The tiny chain that I envisioned using as a drive belt would need some guides to be fed through so it wouldn't rub on anything. Here I'm bending some brass tubing for the job.


These little shapes will mount at the top of the structure for the chain to suspend the glass from.


One of the large pulleys about to get riveted together..


Brass wire getting decorated as one of the support rods.


The little brass guides are soldered in place at the top.


After all this prep it's a rush to sit the elements together so as to see the general structure taking form.


Setting it up as I pictured it in my drawing, the pulleys seem awkward in this position. This is why my sketches, when I do make them, are really rough and it's assumed they act merely as a launching pad, rather than a technical blueprint. I move the pulleys down the sides until the whole composition has the right balance. What a thrill to be working on something so large after my long absence from making larger work!


Looks like it will work well, but there are a lot of unknowns ahead. Setting it all aside for now, I set about assembling the two side pulley structures.





Curling the ends around to straddle the pulleys.


One side finished, I can't resist feeding the chain through and pulling it back and forth to see the pulleys operate. Good so far.

Next week: fabricating the chain reel & cranking system, and deconstructing the box. Tune in!

Keith