Category Archives: mobiles

art, mobiles, wire, wood

Concerto & Mobiles

Leave a comment

I have found it very difficult to photograph mobiles. In part, this is because they are three-dimensional, but an even bigger reason is that the way they take up space in those three dimensions constantly changes. There is no way  to capture that in a single photo. Finally,  there is the obvious fact that mobiles are mobile: they move. That character is completely lost with a single photo. I have a book that has photos of dozens if not hundreds of Calder’s mobiles and, as beautiful as the book is, it hardly does them justice.

So, going forward,  I will be experimenting with short videos of my mobiles to see how that works as a presentation medium. And, if and when I have time, I will try to get down to the National Gallery of Art and Hirshhorn museum in DC to shoot some of Calder’s mobiles as well.

I hope you enjoy this first attempt and please feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

art, artist profiles, mobiles, wire

Artist Profile: Ekko Mobiles

It’s a real pleasure to say a few words about Ekko Mobiles.

ekko-mobileEkko creates a wide variety of truly fabulous mobiles and stabiles.  Many of their designs are unique, while at the same time, as with just about all mobiles makers, there is a tip of the hat to Alexander Calder.   With a 1200 square foot studio space, they have enough room to go big, creating mobiles that work in large public buildings.  But they also create some really nifty table-sized stabiles.

ekko-stabile220One thing that other artists and mobiles creators should  take a look at is the presentation of Ekko Mobiles and the related Ekko Workshop websites. These sites are top-notch in their professionalism. Great colors, large vibrant images, and extremely “clean” design make for a great user experience.  And, as you can see with these two images, the photography is gorgeous.

Also, while you’re at Ekko Workshop, be sure to check out their killer catalog and watch their super video; or see it embedded here.





Ekko Mobiles from Little Engine PDX on Vimeo.

 

art, mobiles, wire, wire sculpture

All-wire Mobile #2

Here’s another example of an all-wire mobile, which has been a style/material I’ve been experimenting with in the past couple of weeks. I really like spirals, arcs, squiggles, and geometric shapes, so I find this appealing. The wire is galvanized steel, 14 gauge, lightly spray painted with black paint and a touch of orange in a couple of places for highlights. It’s about 18 inches high, wide, and deep.

large-wires500px

art, mobiles, wood

Artist Profile: Schmitt Design

brian_schmittSchmitt Design is the mobile and furnishing company of Brian Schmitt. Brian started his company making mobiles primarily, but has since branched out into other products related to home furnishing, including lamps and furniture. His mobiles, which are beautifully crafted out of bamboo, are designed to move gracefully through the air with the individual pieces moving entirely independently (or almost) of each other. This is something that is different from many mobile designs which tend to sculpt a basic shape in space within which there is some freedom of movement. But, as I see it, in Brian’s bamboo mobiles, the overall shape is less defined, but you get a nearly infinite set of relationships among the individual pieces as each is free to rotate 360 degrees in space while the piece above, below or across from it is also moving through 360 degrees. One could view these mobiles from underneath and, assuming there was some air movement in the room, see an endless variety of constantly changing patterns.

colored-sticksThis character, or perhaps we can call it behavior, is what attracted me to making mobiles in the first place. Though I love Alexander Calder and find his work inspirational, most of his mobile creations are built so that the individual pieces flexibly move together, not independently of each other. Here, on the left, for example is a simple mobile I did a few days ago to test some ideas.
Each of the pieces can rotate mostly independent from the other pieces, although in this case, since they are all joined by the same nylon line, the movements affect each other; another effect I find engaging.

For more on Brian and Schmitt Design, take a look at this video:

behind the scenes with Brian Schmitt from Brian Schmitt on Vimeo.

art, mobiles, wood

Wood and Wire Mobile

In terms of size, this is my most ambitious project to date. The three large triangular pieces are about 6-8 inches in diameter and altogether, it is between four and five feet wide. It’s also fairly heavy–perhaps ten pounds give or take–so I’m a bit surprised that it doesn’t pull the hook off of the ceiling, which is only held by adhesive. It may come crashing down some day, but hopefully I will be able to find a home for it before that happens. The paint is acrylic.

largewoodPieces

art, mobiles

Artist Profile: Ivan Barnett

As part of this blog, I am going to start doing short profiles of other mobiles artists. (I believe that is the approprate term as “mobile artists” implies something very different). I just discovered Ivan Barnett, who does some incredible abstract mobiles. They look like a mix of Calder and African or other traditional art. Very vibrant, contrasting colors and neat angular shapes. Here’s an online gallery worth checking out.

I’d love to see these in a gallery someplace, especially since they are 4 to 5 feet high and would make quite an impression. And, of course, when it comes to mobiles, seeing the third dimension is crucial.

For more background, see this page on Ivan.