Nov 20 2011

I’ve talked a lot about my sculptures on this site and a little about the movies I’ve worked on, but something I’ve yet to touch upon is the music I’ve been involved with.  I’ve been playing the drums since I was a kid and I’ve had the opportunity to play with a number of talented musicians, a motley crew of glue sniffers and perverts really.

Chiefly among this group is Brian Williams, a.k.a. Pollimorph, whom I’ve known and had the great good fortune to play with for over half my life.  We’ve played together in a number of groups from the early 90′s to today.  In my mind the most successful of these incarnations has been Pollimorph.  We recorded two albums, “Whet Thine Razorback Grimace’, and ‘Hurdy Gurd Horizons’.  ‘Whet Thine Razorback Grimace’ was released on cassette tape only

while Hurdy Gurd Horizon saw release on CD

and is currently being pressed on vinyl. There will be a limited number of these records available on this site and in a few stores around Manhattan in the coming months.  We have plans to record some new material in the near future.

Here is a track entitled ‘Black to Violet’ from Hurdy Gurd Horizons:

Black to Violet

Oct 2

I was invited to participate in a show called Think Small which takes place every year in Richmond VA and displays work no bigger than 3X3 inches.  I thought I’d do something with bees and this is what I came up with.

It’s two bees touching heads.  They’re roughly 1 inch from wing to wing.  This is it in red wax:

After I was happy with the wax sculpture I took it to a jeweler, Tito Castings in NYC, who proceeded to make a silicone mold and pour it in silver.

Here are some before and after clean up pictures:

Before: Notice the sprues at the base of the bees abdomens.

After:

I bought a small glass dome, from glassdomes.com, and I’m going to attempt to drill a tiny hole in the top.  I want the bees to be hanging suspended in the dome.  Hopefully I will have some photographs of the finished piece soon.

I think this was  a good test for the larger more complicated Bee Flower sculpture I’m still laboriously laboring over.  I really didn’t think the legs and antenna would come out, but Tito Castings did a beautiful job.  I’ve completed two petals for one flower, the end is no where near in sight.

Info on Think Small 6

artspace
is pleased to present …

THINK SMALL 6!
THINKSMALL6!

6th Biennial International Miniature Invitational Exhibition

Exhibit runs from
October 28, through December 18, 2011

Gala Preview
Thursday, October 27, 2011
7:00-10:00 pm
$20

Opening Reception
Friday, October 28, 2011
7:00-10:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public

Second Reception
Friday, November 25, 2011
7:00-10:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public


Exhibition Catalog
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 29, 2011


Lois ADLER-ROUSSELL
Margery ALBERTINI
Jason ALDRICH
Cristopher ALLEN
Leo AMADOR
Judith ANDERSON
Melissa ANDERSON
Susanne K. ARNOLD
Gary BACHERS
Jenni BACHMAN
Lew BAILES
John BAILEY
Diane BALISTER
Leslie BANTA
Doug BARKEY
Pat BERRAN
Billy Bob BEAMER
Beth BEAVEN
BEQ
Todd BIRDSONG
Amy BLACK
Jim BLACK
Susan BOCK
Dare BOLES
Emily BOWSER
Stacy BOYER
David BROMLEY
Judith FAE BROWN
Margaret BUCHANAN
Jessica BURKE
Carol BURTNER
Kathleen CALHOUN
Daniel CALDER
Bridget CAMDEN
Andrew CAMPBELL
Leigh Anne CHAMBERS
Ingrid Moldenhauer CHASE
Ann CHENOWETH
Wes CHILDRESS
Frederick CHIRIBOGA
Sukjin CHOI
Lauren CIFRANIC
Sara CLARK
Cheryl CLAYTON
Diane CLEMENT
Andy COPPOLA
Edward COPPOLA
Brian COUNIHAN
Jennifer COX
David W. CULPEPPER
Victoria DANIEL
Debbie DaPRANO
Renee DeCHRISTOPHER
Santa Sergio DE HAVEN
Nic DeSANTIS
Paula DEMMERT
Madonna DERSCH
Paul DiPASQUALE
Anca DOBRIAN
Rita DRISCOLL
Dana DuMONT
Jamie DUNN
Karen Williams EDELMANN
Shawn EISENACH
Mary C. EISENDRATH
Alan ENTIN
Cynthia ERDAHL
Marc FAGAN
Marti FANN
Geoff FEDER
Colin FERGUSON
Heidi FIELD-ALVAREZ
Susan FITZPATRICK
Matthew FLOWERS
Tiffany FLOYD
Elisabeth FLYNN-CHAPMAN
FOUST
Joelle FRANCHT
Kay FRANZ
Regula FRANZ
Hee Ja FREEMAN
Dana FROSTICK
Donna FROSTICK
Barry FUCHS
Grant GARMEZY
Josh GEORGE
Michael GETTINGS
Janet GILMORE-BRYAN
Tiffany GLASS FERREIRA
Carol GOLEMBOSKI
Mim GOLUB
Reni GOWER
Sallie GRANT
Jamie GREENE
Susan GREENE
Jenna GUTHRIE
Jennifer HANCOCK
John A. HANCOCK
Mark HAVENS
Martha HAYDEN
Rick HAYNES
Susan HEATLEY
Pete HEIBERGER
Frank HELLER
Llewellyn HENSLEY
Mary Anne HENSLEY
Tere HERNANDEZ-BONET
Laura HEYWARD
Sharon HILL
Tom HOHMAN
Marian HOLLOWELL
Jo HOOTS
Ed HOLTEN
Kate HORNE
Mary HORTON
Barbara HOUSE
Erin HOUSHOLDER
Mitzi HUMPHREY
Sheryl HUMPHREY
Yvonne HUMPHRIES
IINDIIGO
Helen ILNICKY
Susan IVERSON
Susan JAMISON
Deborah JAOUEN
Rosemary JESIONOWSKI
Catherine D. JOHNSON
Douglas JOHNSON

Hugh JONES
Louis JOYNER
Dale KEATOR
E.B. KELLINGER
Lou Ann KEMP DANIEL
Meena KHALILI
Eric KNIGHT
Todd KNOPKE
Lela KOMETIANI
Angela KOSLOW
Glenda KOTCHISH
Joseph LABATE
Linda LAINO
Grace Lee LAWRENCE
Carmen LEITCH
Lisa LEVINE
Gail LEVINER
Alice LEVINSON
Laura Sherrill LIGON
Judy LITTLE
Bev LOCKWOOD
Caroline LONG
Keith LONG
Reese LYNCH
Mar MAKAY
Emma Lou MARTIN
Jessica MARTINKOSKY
Sarah MASTERS
Megan MATTAX
Deirdra McAFEE
Scott McCARNEY
Dan McCORMACK
Chris McDANIEL
Martin McFADDEN LRPS
Elizabeth W. MEGGS
Libby MEGGS
Jane MOHR
Tom MONSEES
Beth MORELLI
Richard MOSES
Dan MOUER
Paul MUICK
Karen MULLINS
Chet NAYLOR
Henrietta NEAR
Brigette NEWBERRY
Piper NICHOLE
Annette NORMAN
Julie Adler NOYES
Michael NOYES
Alex NYERGES
Amie OLIVER
Shann PALMER
James PARKER
Lynne PATTERSON
Tricia PEARSALL
Suzanne PENDER
Eddie PETERS
Julia PFAFF
Adam PIERCE
Michael PIERCE
Kristin POLICH
Cris POOL
Joshua POTEAT
Yupin PRAMOTEPIPOP
Michael PREBLE
Kathryn PURVIS
Debbie QUICK
Keith RAMSEY
Katy RESCH
Matthew Damian RITCHIE
Michael C. ROBERTS
Elaine ROGERS
Christopher ROK
Steve ROSENZWEIG
James ROSS
Michelle ROZIC
Robin RYDER
Deborah SAKS
Diego SANCHEZ
Aaron SANDERS
Susan SANDLIN
Ronni SAUNDERS
Ward SAUNDERS
Anne C. SAVEDGE
Chuck SCALIN
Noah SCALIN
Phillip SCARPONE
Jude SCHLOTZHAUER
Alan SCHWARTZ
Pat SCULL
Chris SEMTNER
Pam SHELOR
Mark J. SHIVELY
Jan SHROPSHIRE
Peggy SIEGEL–>
Robin SILBERMAN
Patrice SIMPSON
Jessica L. SIMS
Kay SMITH
Priscilla SMITH
Ephraim “Ed” STEINBERG
Zach STENSEN
Jason STICK
Jana STOCKWELL
Nancy Lea STRUBE
Susan SVENDSEN
Lynne SWARD
Mary SWEZEY
James TERRANI
Beth THOMAS
Allison TITUS
Virginia TYACK
Dawn M. VASS
Jane VAUGHT
Janet P. VISSER
William WAGGONER
Aubrey WALKER
Brian WALKER
Irene WARD
Jordan W. WEAVER
Ann WEBSTER
Cole H. WELTER
Kathleen WESTKAEMPER
R. Sawan WHITE
Susann WHITTIER
Grant WIGGINS
Dennis WINSTON
Tarynn M. WITTEN
Wendy WOLF
Cheri WOLFF
Robert ZIEGLER

email: thinksmallart@gmail.com

Previous Think Small Exhibition Catalogues

  • TS5! – NOVEMBER 6, THROUGH DECEMBER 20, 2009
  • TS4! – NOVEMBER 4, THROUGH DECEMBER 17, 2007
  • TS3! – NOVEMBER 4, THROUGH DECEMBER 17, 2005
  • TS2! – NOVEMBER 7 THROUGH DECEMBER 20, 2003
  • TS1! – NOVEMBER 2 THROUGH DECEMBER 23, 2001
  • HOME CALENDAR OUTREACH GALLERY ABOUT US LINKS CONTACT

    ARTSPACE GALLERY : @ PLANT ZERO : ZERO EAST FOURTH STREET : RICHMOND, VA 23224 : 804.232.6464
    all content copyright : may not be reproduced in any form without written permission

    June 1 2011

    I’ve been able to complete a bit more work on the Bee Flower sculpture.  I made a mold of some real bees, using a pliable rubber called Dragon Skin, and cast them in red wax.  I was able to pull bee bodies and heads from the molds, but no wings or antenna.    The wings and antenna are too delicate to be poured in metal, so it’s something I’ll have to add to the final cast metal sculpture in any case.

    The bees come out in wax needing quite a bit of clean up and chasing.  It’s a project that’s going to take a long time, I’m estimating around 1.000 to 1,200 bees for one Bee Flower sculpture.

    Here are some pictures of one petal in red wax:

    The red wax is a little hard to photograph because it’s reflective, but I think this gives a pretty good idea of what it will look like.

    March 28 2011

    So, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to write a new post.  Work seems to get in the way much too often.

    Just a quickie today.  This is an idea I had for a new piece, that is if I can figure out how to make it work.  It’s an orchid made out of bees.

    Here’s a photo of some real bees placed in the shape of a few orchid petals.  It’s flat and only two petals but I think it’s a pretty good rough approximation of what it will look like.  I got the bees from a beekeeper, Joel, who sells honey at  the local farmers market every weekend.  He unfortunately lost an entire hive, but was able to give me a bunch of bees to experiment with.

    And here are some pics of an orchid.

    I’m thinking of doing a version where the bees are painted like bees, then another version where the bees are painted like the orchid (Patent pending).  Hopefully it’ll be a trompe l’oeil type of effect, fooling the eye into thinking it’s a flower until getting closer and seeing that it’s comprised of hundreds bees.

    That’s the idea anyway.  We’ll see how it turns out.

    Cheers,

    January 29th 2011

    Fossilized remains of a Pestral discovered in Scotland in 1933.
    Fossilized remains of an unknown creature... presumably Pestral... discovered in Scotland in 1933.

    Excerpt taken from the unpublished manuscript, ‘Materials for the Study and Classification of Variants in the Animal Kingdom with Especial Regard for those Falling Outside the Boundaries of Natural Selection’, compiled by Roger Holbien.

    Pestral

    There is scant information available concerning the origin of the Pestral.  We do know that it is a creature which must consume or wear human flesh in order to survive.  Wearing human flesh acts as a balm to their hunger, for a time at least.  The more rotten the meat the more intoxicating it is for them.  Eventually they will consume the meat when the smell begins to alert other animals to their presence.

    The Pestral is a delicate and furtive creature with nocturnal habits.  They are scavengers and live mainly in and around graveyards.  A burial will occasionally bring out an almost silent swarm of Pestrals.  They’re smart enough to remain undetected by most humans, lying in wait until the body is left on its own.  Using their powerful claws and jaws they can burrow down to the deceased and are generally careful enough to cover their tracks.   They will steal and fight with each other over the rights to the flesh.

    One eyewitness account was discovered in 1892 in the archives of Father Gregory Dunn.  It was penned in 1874 by an unknown source. Along with its signature, the letter’s bottom half had at some point been torn off and presumably destroyed.

    “I begin to doubt my own sanity while writing these words, but I cannot continue without relating the events of three nights prior to some other living soul.  We buried old Patrick Warton in the Highgate cemetery where, you may be aware, I’ve recently been employed as night watch.  I believed I heard a queer sound and, going to check, I came upon a creature, no larger than a small mongrel, it had long sharp claws and a powerful jaw.  It had dug a hole through the earth and into Mr. Warton’s coffin.  It was emerging from this tunnel when I came upon it.  It shrunk in fear as soon as it saw me, while I , in turn, was rooted to the spot.  In the little monster’s hands was a long piece of meat, still covered in skin, which it had adroitly removed from the deceased’s body.  The beast regained its wits, or instinct for self preservation, before I and it threw its bloody quarry over its shoulders like a shawl before escaping into the darkness.  I write to you Father because I fear I may need God’s assistance in this matter.  Please help.  I  believe I’ve steeled my nerves for another encounter and have resolved to keep…”

    The letter ends here.  I can find no record of any night watchman employed by Highgate cemetery in 1874.

    January 22 2011

    One of my ‘Imaginary Creatures’ is getting a little closer to completion.  It’s a “pestral”, a creature which must either consume human flesh, or wear it in order to survive.

    Here are a few pictures:

    I sculpted the bones in Super Sculpey, then baked them.  Next I formed the base out of an oil clay and pushed the Sculpey into it.  My next step is to make a mold, then cast it.  I’ll most likely make the cast out of Aqua resin, then paint it a uniform color.

    Cheers!

    January 16 2011

    I want to thank everyone who braved the cold on a Wednesday night to come to the premier of Impotent at Anthology Film Archives. (There are absolutely no refunds, so please stop calling me).  We’re planning on  setting up another screening in the near future.  I’ll post all the information on this site as soon as I possibly can.

    I thought I’d list a few goals for this year that have been swimming around in the old brain box lately.

    I’m hoping to get another movie into production soon.  It’s entitled ‘Zero’ and it follows the fortunes of four roommates, all artists, all talented, but none of them able to support themselves by their art.

    It sounds dismal from that description, but, for me, the best comedies start in that dismal, squalid place. For ex. any of Charlie Chaplin’s little tramp movies, Bruce Robinson’s  ‘Withnail and I’, or Lindsay Anderson’s ‘If…”, all of which have been big influences on me.

    In addition to the movie I have plans for more sculptures.  I’ve been trying to figure out a way to take the ideas found in the piece ‘A Two God Universe’ and turn it into a series.

    Last week I hit on the notion of 1 – writing a history, or mythology, of the gods, how they came to be and how they created the universe, 2  –  Writing a history of the religion they spawned, the human aspect of the story, 3 – creating images that were constructed in their name, such as statues, drawings of temples, etc.,  4 –  how the religion died out, or was stamped out by both external and internal forces.

    In addition to this I have two more sculpture series I really want to work on this year; ‘Fossilized Remains of Imaginary Creatures’, I’m still working on writing biographies for the creatures, and ‘Two Figures Pulling Apart’, this series will probably contain nine or ten more sculptures, you can read more about it in an earlier post.

    I’m really going to have to focus my energies this year if I’m going to get any of this underway.  It’s only January, so I’m still hopefull that I’ll complete a portion of these projects.

    Ok, that’s all for now kids.  Talk soon.

    ‘Impotent’, a movie I wrote and directed (and shot and edited), is going to be shown at Anthology Film Archives January 5th at 8:15 PM. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Ave New York, NY 10003.  Below are a flyer and a press release.  It took about three years to make.  Unfortunately, everyone involved has day jobs, so we were only able to shoot here and there on weekends.  It stars Josh Dooley, Philipp Wolter, Lauren Seikaly, Cotton Wright, and Candice Holdorf.  I’s almost guaranteed  to be a good time.  Lock up the children and come out to Anthology next week.

    December 5 2010

    The Team Work show at Allan Nederpelt Gallery opened last night.  There was a huge crowd and it was a lot of fun.  Here are some images from early in the night before it was flooded with people and I forgot to take any more pictures.

    There was also a very cool aerial silks performance by Francis Stallings.

    The show continues next week.  There are three performances starting at 8PM on Friday the 10th and the gallery is open from 1-6 on Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th.