Welcome to: The Robotorium: Happy 2020 Everyone

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Happy 2020 Everyone

Happy New Year all. I must say 2019 was good to me regarding art work. 5 shows, 2 prizes, and 3 sales. Turns out my sales came close to covering my costs, and that is one of my long term goals.

Anyway, with the new year in full swing I'm sitting in the studio looking at 4 projects that need finishing. The biggest of the 4 is a robot based on an old Kodak Slide projector. My hope is that I can get the slide tray/projector to work and be part of the piece, that would be epic! Here is where things stand thus far.

Figuring the arms out was a trail, but I got thought that and am moving onto the legs. I have a thought but need to do a little more research before I can categorically choose that path. I also did some reorganizing in the studio and swapped out the bench top. The changes make the space feel cleaner and more organized, I am sure that wont last long though! Below are the rest of the unfinished projects, stay tuned and Happy New Year.

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Artists Statement

Robots, the future was supposed to be full of them. I grew up in the shadow of the Apollo program, transfixed as massive machines left Pad 39A, rising on a pillar of fire. I drank up every episode of The Thunderbirds, Star Trek, Creature Double Feature and Dr. Who. I devoured Asimov, Clark and Heinlein. They showed me a future of great adventure and promise, all accompanied by a faithful metal companion; not a Roomba or a self-driving car. While cool, they lack the reassuring yet potentially sinister metal gleam of Robby, or B9 from Lost in Space. They do not lurch from task to task or generate massive electrical arcs. They are not imbued with superhuman strength, and are missing the frightening single-mindedness of Gort or The Terminator.

I have always loved building things. So, given the robotless state of my present, I grabbed a screwdriver and drill and took remnants from the past to make my missing future. I see potential creations in stuff that gets thrown away. I love the machine age look of polished aluminum, wrinkle finished paint, and Bakelite. I look for parts that complement each other. Using cast-offs from a time before transistors, I try to create something with an aesthetic unity. I want my robots to look like they have been used and worked, while broadcasting a personality and sense of presence. I want them to look real, that’s important. Most of all, when I’m done, I want to look at them and laugh. With each creation I get a little closer to the dreams I had as a boy, a little closer to the future I imagined. Step into The Robotorium and let me share with you the way it all could have been.