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

Thank you for the kind words Yeah, the paint was partly an attempt at a bio-mechanical feel and what was on hand. In retrospect, I wish I would have not painted it at all. I thought about stripping it a re-doing but just figure I'll do the "next one" differently
Scott

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

Linkedin has different groups, this one is called contemporary sculpture. The Art Prize is pretty big but Sculpture by the sea is a hugh deal over there, I think Bondi is the largest, they also have a peoples choice

Sorry, I didn't realize until after the post, here is one I picked out that could get you rolling...

Thomas "Tj" Aitken • Intuitive Vs.. Intelectual. Hmmm... If we leave the public to their intuition then they respond to glitter and spectacle, and yes subject matter. Criticism requires knowledge of factors to asses. Understanding our intuition requires organized knowledge. The list is how the public learns the factors. A hierarchy of vocabulary which lumps and splits the factors into categories organizes for the purpose, again, of instruction, and frankly thoroughness. The further down the list one can understand, the more intricate and intimate the relationship is between artist, art, and viewer. Truly fine work weaves connections at all levels of the hierarchy of items on the list. Whether done consciously or not. whether perceived consciously or not. But my quest presently is how to start the public education process to deepen understanding.

I agree with; artists focus on technique and viewer on subject in general. So how do we learn? deepen our understanding? structure and basics is what most need to start down this path.

Here is also a flikr page for some of the work in Grand Rapids.

Ya gotta be a member of Linkedin to view this. Is there another way to see it?

Scrapartoz I have just viewed your works and you are the 'king'. I have been dabling in creating works from scrap metal for some time and have sold some, given some away, and have been told I am good at it, but you my friend are awsome ( I just got my wife off the couch to show her your works as she knows how much time I spend out the back and she now realises the time spent and size of my works are minor in comparrision to yours.) I drool at the rust coloured 'gold' you have lying around and could only dream about walking out my back door and into my workshop to create. Fantastic keep it up. Cheers Bully

Yeah, you got watch out for them "normal" folk and them "academic" types, I have a feeling deep in my soul that they are the really "abnormal" ones in my life.

Makes sense to me, but do your neighbors wonder what your doing flapping your arms and hoping around or do they just think your on fire again

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

WOW, i am extremely envious!!! You are right, the quality is great. I've always said i would love to own a junk yard.
So, does your family own a scrap yard or is this just a life time collection?

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

What a vision! I can look at a pile of parts on the ground, and that's the closest they'll get to being art, just a pile of parts. All of the animals are great, but I especially love the Roo. Using the concrete mixer for the pouch was simply
brilliant. This stuff would be worth $1,000's and $1,000's to the right
person. Somewhere there's a designer looking for this exact type of art.
It really needs to be on display in a large park in Perth or Sidney or wherever you're closest to. I sure appreciate you letting us see this, in fact I'm honored that you did!
I told you the piece I liked the most, but of course the most magnificant piece is the eagle. Just pure art, all of it.
Thanks,
Robert

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

I like your work! Inventive to say the least. I do a bit of the same in a sense. Everything I build is made from scrap.

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

On 3/8/2011 at 4:20 AM, Ratel10mm said:

Scrapartoz, Do you apply the fish oil to hot metal, or once it's cold? Paint, spray or rub on?
I've used fish oil at work, but hadn't thought of it for finishing purposes. Being on the gold coast I'm always searching for a method of finishing that will keep the raw metal look without turning to rust in a couple of weeks!

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

That's some majo work that you have done!!!!
Only pity from my point of veiw is the "waste" of all those lovely strait cut gears here they are either expensive or hard to come by!
I just love your work.

Regards Ian

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!"