The first one ...

Maybe you're wondering how I went from producing bronze sculptures to making recycled sculptures. It IS quite a leap in thinking! But, that's how I think. I love to try new & different things and maybe I could get out of my BOX and try something different. Sure!

I had seen that a public art piece was needed for a park. I wanted to do a sculpture in an entirely different form than I'd ever done before. My favorite movies are the Star Wars saga, and, I love Sci-fi books! The A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) bots and especially C3PO and R2D2 were so cool.

Large monumental sculptures in bronze were way out of the question anymore because of the high costs of casting and the logistics. Several Public Art project requests often did not offer near the stipends to cover the costs of the art work nor the intense physical labor, in exchange for what the art commissions wanted...more, more, more. It usually barely covered my time and materials. Often, I had to put money in to finish the sculptures. Besides, I wanted to get more experimental with whimsical things and really MORE INTERESTING subjects and materials.

A DAY IN THE PARK WITH DAD

"Mountain Majesty"

Bronze 17 feet tall

Glacier Park International Airport

Kalispell, Montana

I began sketching one night, thinking about a recent request for a local sports complex. The first idea for the mechanical and "recycle-reuse" style of my work began to take shape. It was definitely going to be "different" than my other work. I had several ideas but, based on the theme of family and fun,

which the committee wanted, I decided to give it a try and submit a new style.

My first sketch was fun to draw. I always add things that I HOPE will work and deal with it later. This was based on robots and science fiction and all the stories of how A.I. might be developed and function.

It started to evolve. I had to figure out all sorts of things such as How would it stand up? How tall would it be? (12 feet!) What parts would make it interesting? Where would I get the parts? Recycled, of course~ What would make it fun and interactive.? How would all of this go together? How would I managed to put it ALL TOGETHER? and...Where would I make this? So, I redrew it and redrew it and came up with this sketch.

The most fun is, of course, the planning! As you can see, there are so many items to look for. I love to put a puzzle together and this was a BIG one!

I submitted the idea and I also made a model, as required. The committee met! They loved it ! The whole idea was amazing! But I lost by 1 vote! DARN.

However, all is not lost! I decided to make something very similar. Of course, that was really fun, too. I started gathering up more parts!!!!

and more parts....

and began to put it all together.

I found a SAWZALL box to mount this on.

Dad's head is made from a coffee creamer. What else can you see?

Dad had a lot of items to screw together. I don't solder them or weld them. Holes have to be drilled precisely to fit onto the other parts. They are screwed together and often glued in order to keep them stable. I then try to make them in sections so they can be taken apart for packaging and shipping.

I finally had a nice sculpture! And it won a Merit award! Yay! Success.

"A DAY IN THE PARK WITH DAD"

They are about 38" tall. Dad and son finally have a chance to hit a few balls at the sports complex. What a great day for both!

Go back and read the full story of them on my website! They are showing off their "parts" in a several more images. So, go find them and see if you can figure out

(PSSST...The SAWZALL box opens to hide secret things...or just plain old CDs)

They are so fun!

Wouldn't this look good in your Home?

OF COURSE!

Call me! 408-499-2561

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BOSS MOSS

(KD HOP ON POP)

fetch@blackdogdesignstudio.com

408-499-2561

How I made "Charlene, The Chameleon"

(go back in the menu to see her on my website under "Gallery" page 2)

...from wires to WOW!

As I've been packing some of the A.R.T.- bots that I have here in the room, I wanted to show you how I put one together. I decided to show you Charlene. Charlene began as all A.R.T-bots do. First comes the BIG idea! Maybe a certain found object could be something else! Sometimes it may seem

weird but I have a BIG imagination and I

can see what could happen. Once you know what it could be, the process begins.

I saw an old fishing bait box (the kind you hang on your belt) in a junk shop and thought that it kinda looks the back of and animal or bug. Hmmm... What could I do with this?

So, I took it home. You can see it in the image above. I usually start gathering wires and objects I already have in my boxes of junk, or go out looking for them at E-cycling places (Electronics) here in Silicon Valley. There are a few places with huge boxes of electronics that go out to be recycled and I love to spend an hour or so, filling my basket. Some places charge by the pound OR you can make a donation which goes to a local charity.

So, by now, I have decided to make a chameleon. And, because I normally name my pieces after people I know, this will be Charlene. I find some silver Pickle forks and these make great feet for Charlene. Just a note here, I want to make the feet similar to a chameleon so these have 2 tines for toes.

I use screws to attach most of the pieces together on all of my A.R.T.-bots. They can't be soldered together because the heat would ruin the colors. So all the parts have to be correctly measured and then drilled in all parts.

Opening the box, I can see endless possibilities for "hidden" items.

In the following images I will add some notes about those "things" and how I found items to add and how I finished her.

I will add images now to show you some additional assemblage on "Charlene, The Chameleon.

Spark plugs!

A color wheel!

A gate chain!

Items I've found to use are:

* A broken automatic gate chain.

* A book about South America where lots of Chameleons are found.

* A branch for her to climb on.

* I "shrunk" some actual books down to her size and copied them to paper. She is studying how to be a very good Chameleon.

* A little pair of glasses so she can read the books.

* A color wheel that actually turns.

* Spark Plugs from various old cars...keeps her going.

* A little bug catcher. You know she has to eat!

* Her head is made from a shoe stretcher.

*...lots more stuff.

* Open the bait box! Electronics!

* ...Keep looking.

KD Hop On Pop ...My final critic

If you are in the Kalispell, Montana area, I'm hoping to teach a couple of classes at FVCC in the fall. Check back and see what evolves!

Thank you for tuning in. Please join the blog by signing up. If you have any questions or comments. please ask or tell me what you have on your mind.

Email me if you need to : fetch@blackdogdesignstudio.com

"Moving" into the new year...

"Creativity isn't Logical" Pablo Picasso

As some of you know, my husband and I are getting ready to "pull the trigger" and move home to Kalispell, Montana.

The past many years have been both educational and very exciting. We left Kalispell in 1986, right after I finished and presented the 17 foot bronze, "Mountain Majesty" to the people of the Flathead Valley and the visitors that come to our great area. It was my first major

Carla 2018---Fremont Dog Fun Days

achievement. The life size Bald Eagles fly at the Glacier Park International Airport. Now, I felt encouraged to try other adventures before anymore time slipped by.

We packed everything we could and sold the rest, took our precious lab, Dinah, and headed for Maui. After a few years working with some amazing people and galleries, I felt so at home. The locals were awesome and I enjoyed the history and the culture---and THE FOOD! Then, we were offered great jobs in California! Packing again, we made another move. I'm still not sure if I should have left this magnificent, most beautiful place...or the ocean that revealed so many treasures deep down, in the blue waters.

We were off to the Bay Area of San Francisco where I was born. Although my parents were Kalispell residents, as soon as my Dad finished his medical schooling, we left San Francisco and went "home". I was nearly 2 years old!

Now, my husband and I were living in Milpitas, "The Little Corn Field", the heart of Silicon Valley. It was a nice, smaller town just south of San Jose and we really liked it. Now it has changed in the 30 years we have resided here. Many people coming in for jobs, crowded freeways and too many housing developments. This just isn't part of our personality! Now after a successful art career, and a few public art pieces, it's time to come home to the beautiful Flathead Valley.

I'll fill you in next time with how the art business and the packing is going.

Let me know if you have been "a mover" and where you've come from or gone to. Tell me what you think Kalispell is like now after all these years. Are you new to the Flathead? Are you an artist? What galleries are the best ? Why?

I would appreciate hearing from you.

Until next time,

Carla

Fetch@blackdogdesignstudio.com

Miss Thea T. Pott

Miss Thea T. Pott suddenly realized that the silver tray had begun to tip...

$ 345.00

"one-of-a-kind"