Just for Fun

Today, I assembled and welded up two movie props I’ve been commissioned to do. A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from a set director working on a feature film. In the subject line was “your work in film.” The e-mail said “I'd like to feature your work in some upcoming feature films. Please call me. Thanks.” How could I not be intrigued (and flattered)?! The sender had seen my work down at the gallery and after a brief conversation and description of the film, I was told what the set director is looking for. I have been asked to make a creative looking desk sculpture using things “just found lying around in my shop” that a “unique” scientist would

have sitting on his desk… I can’t say more than that at this point but can say what fun it was to round up found objects all week from my bins and even the Thrift store! I ended up making two sculptures which, I’m not even sure the movie people will want, but what a kick it was putting them together today.

I used everything from an old in-dash radio/cassette player, a garbage disposal o-ring fitting, several kitchen utensils, bike sprockets, various hardware components to a really cool kids rubber ball that lights up when you bounce it! With the exception of the cool rubber ball, my criteria was for sturdiness and that each of

the pieces needed to contain some base metal to be able to weld to as I didn’t want to have to use any super glue. The in-dash radio / cassette player had a steel wrap that provided the perfect base and in the sculpture featuring the rubber ball I used an upside down stove element drip pan that cradles the ball. These pieces were so much fun to make I had to reel myself in a bit because I could easily go off on a mad scientist sculpture tangent and weld nothing but found object Bots! Heck with all of the garden art I need to be making for the Market, wouldn’t a booth full of Bot Parts be way more fun instead?!

In March, The Anchorage PRESS started advertising for their annual Post-It Note Art Contest. Each entry must be drawn on one 3x3 inch Post-It note. I picked up a large cube of Post-It notes in various colors and began drawing different small scale works. What a great exercise in thinking in terms of 3x3 and staying “within the square!” I entered in several categories including Cityscape or Landmark and Free Draw / Open. My “Powerlines” entry WON in the Cityscape category! I used my new set of Prismacolor colored pencils on a sky blue sticky note. The powerlines theme is one that I have been developing over the winter and first applied it to some fiber art. To see some of the other winners including the incredible work of the queen of minature detail -Wanda Seamster, check out the PRESS article here. If you are in Anchorage, there will be a First Friday reception for all of the entries May 6 5:30-8pm at Blaine's Art corner of Cope and Benson Blvd.