Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)

 

These are projects I created while taking continuing education classes down at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. I started by taking drawing and figurative clay sculpting classes. These were fun classes but I didn't have the artistic talent to excel in them. I found that I did better in the more technical classes like Jewelry Making and Metalwork.

My main interest is in combining Engineering with Art. I like to work on what I call Dynamic Sculptures. It's basically taking some object I've creating using art techniques and then adding motion to it by using mechanisms and electric motors.
 

This is a motorized copper globe I forged completely from flat sheets of metal. It's hard to believe but with a hammer, a torch and some anvils you can shape metal into just about any form. The globe you see here was constructed from forging two metal hemispheres. Inside is an electric motor that rotates the globe about its axis. I spent ALOT of time making this but I would say it's my best art project to date. It's hard to see but there are continents mounted on the globe. 

Stay tuned..... I will add more pictures and an animated gif.
 

Here's a little bicycle I made using silver soldering techniques. I would say silver soldering is the most important fundamental skill I've learned from the jewelry making class.

I hope to add a how-to section on soldering soon.
 

This is an animated kid I built for some type of sculpture class at MICA. I don't remember the exact name of the class but it involved building the human figure out of a chick wire frame and then coating it in burlap soaked in diluted white glue. It's what I call the poor man's fiberglass. Surprise, surprise! I decided to take the liberty of animating my sculpture with motors and electronics.  more....