scrapartoz

im having trouble uploading progress photos. has something changed about photo size or other perameters.??

SASK MARK Thank you. The belt was an after thought to cover an error I made. The belt was originally the steel strap above the chain .I was working from a photo and it seemed fine but when I finished the area above the buttocks the belt seemed too high so i added the chain and belt loops at a lower height as a visual distraction to the error. I think it still works now with the alteration. njanvilman Thank you .how did you find this thread? "The natural shapes" is what its all about. sometimes exagerated sometimes the wrong size but close to the right shape and positioned correctly in relation to othe ' natural shapes" Sometimes its very difficult to find a shape. Often one must use a half or a multiple of an object to get the right shape. I try to never manufacture / fabricate a component from metal stock but sometimes this cant be avouided. cheers

well finally gotn off my bum and re-started on the shearer and sheep sculpture. here is some progress shots

Hi Scott i discovered a good technique for what you propose . Light a fire and BBQ the thang(burn the paint off.) This leaves a lovely multi coloured finish. ( you can wire brush the carbon off ) and then hit it with some sort of coating . the fire will give a unique pattern of different colours, To Glen 56 I apologise for not responding sooner ( had some stuff going on ) sorry mate. Glad you like the Art.!!!!

here are some shots of my eagle at the recent Easter Holiday Lake Jindabyne "Lake Light Sculpture" competition a kind stranger sent them to me today. Its interesting that Michaels post said the public repond to spectacle and Glitter. I guess that this must be true as the Eagle and hare is most certainly a gladatorial spectacle for people to ponder the bloody outcome of the 'match' and yes they did love it as it won 'The peoples choice" award with landslide proportions. I guess that as there is not much glitter and shallow subject matter so some must see this as not art by that definition. I see this business is going to get a tad complicated for my simple mind.! I think I have some serious reading in front of me! cheers

thanks for the bondi tip michael, i will check it out.

thats fascinating Michael .....How can i view this list?

thanks for tha link Michael I also was unable to visit it despite joining.I think Im waiting for membership approval. cheers a

thanks Bully for those kind and encouraging words. its been a lifes dream to get to this point. my nearest neighbour is 1 km away and thats my dad. so I can have a real mess here, lots of noize at any hour and no one complains. ive only been doing this for just over 5 years and i really wished I had started when younger and made a career of it. I hope you continue to persue your own dream coz it will come to you eventually if just stick to it.Good luck with your art and future . cheers Andrew

Yes sorry bout that BENTIRON i will have to choose my words more carefully. I have no bitch about academics they are an essential part of the food chain and are entitled to an equal say.. (As for 'Normal' I think I should have said 'just your average person') I am amazed (though I shouldnt be ) that the 'peoples choice' awards for an art show are hardly ever the same choice as a highly credentialled , University educated Art Judge. What is it that they see and we do not? Im not sure that the anwer is worth going to university for. Can anyone enlighten me with a simple answer?

yes it does sound a bit kooky but you have to visualise the finished work somehow before you start on the internal frame. as i cant draw well enough to capture the feeling this method seems to work for me and yes i would be embarassed getting caught at it by the neighbours.(my wife already knows im crazy) YVES .....thank you for the compliment . scrapmetal art has recieved a thorough beating by the 'academic experts' and eletist snobs and art critics over the years and some normal folks only see the scrap as scrap, i never agreed with them as its just another medium like papier mache or bronze. im so glad you have changed your thoughts on this sort of stuff. andrew

Thank you Megs and JGRAFF for your vote of confidence. In order to 'capture' movement in the sculpture I try to put myself in the place of the animal. ( psst dont tell anyone my secret ) When you do this and think of an emotion.for eg; fear or anger. you imagine you are the subject. then ask yourself how would my head and neck be positioned where would my arms (paws /wings ) be. I guess i humanise the subject and then use human gestures in the animal sculpture. Does this make sense to anyone?????????????????? cheers Andrew

Hi Scott, glad to meet you. When I look at your daughter's favourite I see that you fully understand gesture and attitude in a sculptural subject. i see the big effort you went to in order to 'tweak' the position of every body part that you used in order to create 'life' and 'emotion.'( I know the amount of time and thought that this requires and must have been a real pain on such small parts.) Well done indeed!!!!!!. if you ever do bigger stuff with that same approach using interesting scrap items i am in trouble as I will have some serious competition. Not sure if i like the paint tho , maybe white would work beter for the bleached bones?' cheers a

thank you Robert for those very kind and encouraging words I am unsure if they have been earned.To answer your question. i normally find one key object that gets me excited and on the path to a specific animal /human.The size of that piece gives me the scale and therefore the rough finished dimensions. I then think about engineering dramas like balance, mounting structure, internal frame , finished approximate weight, public safety etc. With these things in mind i google up many images on the net and learn what the animal is really like ; skeleton, musculature and 'typical' recognisable gestures and stances. i then spend a few weeks drawing different versions from all angles. Eventually i "know" the target sculpture creature in a '3D' sense and what stance i think would best portray the attributes that i think are noteworthy .then the search for junk begins! and a long and deliberate assembly process and hopefully at the end something good is created . cheers andrew

No we dont own a scrap yard. most of the scrap is from the family farms we have had them for 120 odd years.Like most farms very little was thrown away also i work on the local Shire Council as a road construction worker so im always on the lookout for stuff and in my travels and when I meet a local farmer on a road i am working on, I ask him if he wants to part with some junk ...a carton of beer is offered and the deal is done and we both walk away happy.Most people are very happy to see their junk being turned into something artistic and useful.cheers

Thanks JGraff . i am not sure about the quantity but the quality of the junk is great. I have attached some photos .the small treasures near the shed are 4" deep. The others are buried in the grass. I am very fortunate that I have access to 3 more family farm scrap dumps with similar hordes to Michael Dillon ..Thank you I will look into 'Sculpture by the Sea' thanks 4 the tip. Andrew ,

Thank you Kustomsteel and Bentiron 1946 . my apologies for not responding sooner . i am glad you like the stuff I do. To answer your question I have sold only one piece - the horse and that was a commission. I donated the spider to my home town , The Dragon won a $10k Art competition and they got to keep it. The Eagle and Girl are for sale. I am working on my second commission -The shearer and 2 sheep. I am hoping to get a few more commissions and I have prepared a 2.5 hour instructional 'workshop' which I hope I will be able to deliver to rural communities so they might build their own iconic historical 'tourist stopping' sculptures. cheers Andrew

thank you Rhrocker for those encouraging words. When I look at the junk on the ground i dont see much either. What i do see ( and draw many , many, many times ) is the external surface of the subject. this is sort of "3D mapped" in my head. looking at many internet images helps this happen. i only concentrate on one area at a time (eg Head) or i would be overwhelmbed by the size and time of the job . So then i only look for an ear ,or brow, or lip. and the process goes on. I think many others could do this if they used this method. cheers Andrew

thank you bush bugger .When I said my forging skills were poor I refer to the fact that I dont own an anvil (and dont know one end from the other) My only experience with 'fighting metal' is a bit of Oxy acetylene and hammer work along with a love of 4" and 9" Angle Grinders and a stick welder i bought 35 years ago. I would really love to have the time and energy to build swords ,knives , fire tools and crazy xxxx done with twisted metal like you guys. So much to learn ...so little time. To IRONSTEIN I dont know about 'having vision' my best work seeems to come from looking through the bottom of an empty beer bottle!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Folks

Thank you Nathan, would you be able to show me some of your work .I am always keen to learn new stuff from a different angle and different mind andrew

thank you firearm and ian. i hope to post progress on the shearer in a month. happy trails! andrew

Hi Ratel the fishoil is really good xxxx. Normally I apply it after encouraging a uniform rust on shiny metel(welds etc) by applying a mild table salt solution with a spray bottle. MILD IS CRITICAL ( similar to urine - dont ask!) -with too much its hard to stop rapid and uncontrolled oxidation.Apply clean water to continue the rusting ( No more Salt) once satisfied you have hidden any welds and shiny components with rust then paint ,spray ( can or gun) fishoil on the cold rusty components. It (and you) will stink for a while LOL . there will be an initial shiny appearance that detracts from the rust colour but you can make this more 'matt' by rubbing with a rag a few days after application. Your work will darken and the finish will last for about 12 months in a hostile (salt)environment. I try to reapply at least every 18 months. I hope this is of help to you. The Eagle has fishoil the hare or rabbit does not. ( compare these )If you apply this fishoil to polished shiny metal it will protect the shiny metal appearance also. I do not know how long it will endure on shiny metal .The Girl below has had 2-3 coats of fishoil over 18 months and now I am happy with her finish . cheers Andrew

Thank you Ian It is funny to me how we tend to value objects differently. I have heard similar comment from a other people about the gears. Their origin is from 'combine' seeders.They are so the farmer can adjust different flow rates for seed and fertiliser. These obsolete agricultural machines can be found on most old farms where i live so are not seen as valuable or difficult to obtain. I still think they are a fantastic art object. cheers Andrew

thank you Ratel 10mm and Senft for the kind words. Here is the first thing I made back in 2007.

thank you jgraff for those kind &#$%@!!^?@@ words. It great to know that my time isnt wasted. Mac Bruce I love your monster defeating creature. I was told as a child: "It is a proven fact that monsters dont live under your bed " and also that: "if you keep all your toes under the bed clothes ..those monsters cant get you!"