PLAY TIME!

Well, if last week wasn't busy enough, the morning that Bruce Metcalf left San Antonio, I also began teaching a two-day workshop about simple mechanical motion. The students worked on constructing a simple gear box in which/on which we added other mechanims - shafts, bearings, cranks, levers, cams, followers. I think they all got a basic understanding of how these mechanisms work and everyone had fun.

If you're interested in taking a similar class, I will be offering another this summer...it will be a two-day workshop again. And this coming fall, I intend to offer my first term-long course about making simple mechanical objects.

Thanks again, Maggie, Irene, Louis, Claudia, Steven, Miki, Betsy, and Mary Lee - you were all great students.

Mechanical Motion workshop in Austin

Well, I think the simple mechanical motion workshop this past weekend went well. It was held at Courtney Gray's studio/Creative Side Jewelry Academy through the Austin Museum of Art. The students worked hard and came away with some interesting variations of creating a gear box while using levers, cranks, linkages and cams. Another focus for the workshop was for students to play with creating and exploring mechanical motion from simple and readily available materials like cardstock, matt board, wire, and wood...but figure out themotion first...refine the aesthetics later. Soooo, I compiled a quick video of objects created by students. Enjoy!


Oh, one of my students also gave me the website of an artist that makes large kinetic sculptures ...actually came across these works a couple years ago...they are terrific! The artist is David C. Roy.