Cupid automata

This is a cupid automata that I made for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day.  It's based on a piece by Aquio Nishida from his excellent book Automata: Movable Illustration.  The book is mostly in Japanese and can be order from the folks at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre:

http://www.cabaret.co.uk/store/books/movable-illustration/

Below you can see a video of Nishida's piece and how it moves.  I don't care for the paint job and if I make another one I'll construct the wings out of copper and change the figure more.

New Horse-in-Hoop carving

Another of the Horse-in-Wheel carvings.  This one a little different.  The tail is carved verses the recycled fringe from an old rug I've been using.  The horse is thinner and more one dimensional with the front and back legs not separated.  The hoop is smaller also.  The height of the piece is approximately 10".   This is a gift for a friend of mine who is a professional horse trainer.  The front of the horse was cut open and hollowed out so it would balance.  A little note was sealed inside when the piece was glued back together.

The next one I do will sit on a stand that is motorized so it can spin in place.  I think it will look very nice.

New Horse-in-Hoop carving

The front of the horse has been hollowed out so it remains balanced.  Inside the hollowed out section is a note with the date and who it was made for.  This one rolls really nice across the floor and I really need to get a video of it in action.

Two-Headed Boy Whirligig Version 3

This third version of the Two-Headed Boy whirligig was made for a good friend's 40th birthday.  It now bookends along with a Howard Finster piece, an original Picasso.  I forgot to photograph the piece, so I asked the recipient of the work to snap a picture so I could display it here.  He holds a jug of moonshine and a flattened possum with tire tracks.  Click on the piece for a larger view.

Man with Heart

 This is a piece I made for my girlfriend Karen for Christmas.  It's about 7" including the base.

New Horse in Hoop

I finished this one last night.  It's a wedding present for a fellow bartender who was married last month.  It's the same size as the last one except this horse is not flat and is balanced without any added weights.  It's based on a turn-of-the-century tin toy that sold for around $2500 in 2006.

My first showing

Here's my set-up for my first ever showing of my work at the 10th Anniversary Blue Genie Art Bazaar.  Hopefully a few of the pieces will sell... if not I'll have plenty of birthday presents for friends for the next year or two.

Click on the picture for a larger version.