With this mobile as with others, there are hints of fish and other animal forms, hence the title. It is made out of galvanized steel wire and lightly spray painted black. This “beast” is fairly large; about 45 inches wide. See close-up views below.
Category Archives: art
Angular
I like how this one came out: good balance and spacing while the overall shape seems to “work.” Next time, I will try to make it a bit larger. This one is about ten inches tall and four or five wide.
It Flows
This piece is a little different from anything I’ve posted so far. It is a single piece about a foot tall and 5-6 inches wide. It could be called a mobile in the sense that it can hang and rotate, throwing interesting shadows if conditions are right. But it could also be hung on the wall as a stationary object, so perhaps it’s best to say it’s “wire sculpture.” Either way, it is all about the lines. I am calling this one “It Flows” because that is the first half-way coherent notion that came to mind when I tried to think up a name.
Entity 1
For various reasons it has been a while since I’ve posted. Part of the reason has been that I have been working on putting up an Etsy site to sell mobiles and wire sculptures. More on that in coming days. I have also been creating more sculptures and mobiles to sell, but I’ll also be posting them here.
Lately, I have been experimenting with wire only mobiles, such as the one below. The idea is to create interesting shapes and curves and have it all be in motion as it catches a breeze.
I should also say, that I have continued to work on photographing these critters. For the most part, I only spray the silver wire lightly so it can also catch the light at times, but this means that it is very difficult for those parts of the wire to show up against a light background.
Finally, I should say that naming these things is also a challenge. I see and meant to create animal shapes in the design, so I’m giving them titles suggestive of live beings.
Entity 1
Close up
Wood and Wire
Just put this one together a couple of days ago. It is about two feet long, but less than eight inches from top to bottom, leaving out the length of the chain. The largest wood triangles are about four inches long/wide. So, even though it has some large pieces, this mobile can fit into a relatively small space with low ceilings. It throws some interesting shadows too.
Wire No. 3
Mobile in Motion
I’m still exploring video and sound, while working on the technical aspects. One of the neat things about mobiles is that they generally move slowly in response to air currents or another force that sets them in motion. This slow, steady movement can have a calming influence if you give it a bit of time. I believe the music enhances the effect, but it is by no means necessary.
Wire Mobile
Wire No. 2
It is difficult to name these things. Something I need to work on. This one is about 20 inches high, including the base.
Concerto & Mobiles
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.
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