"Guitar Man"
2008
16 x 22 1/2 x 10 1/4

This piece was commissioned by a woman who saw "Man from Plaid" and was inspired to have a special piece created for her husband's birthday. His head swivels as he strums his Martin D18 and his shetland sheepdog wags his tail in time.

Movie #1
"Man from Plaid" with his banjo
1.83 MB, QuickTime

Movie #2
Close-up of the piece
2.08 MB, QuickTime

A women in Birmingham who owns a couple of my pieces commissioned this one about her husband and his faithful Golden Retriever, Sugar. He owns an acoustic instrument business, loves to play the banjo, and has an affinity for plaid shirts. All the details in the piece were taken from the interior and exterior of the music shop.

Movie #1
"Weatherman" presents his forecast
2.48 MB, QuickTime

Movie #2
"Weatherman"'s mechanical movement
2.72 MB, QuickTime

"Weatherman"
2007
16 1/2 x 23 x 10

This was a commission from a real weatherman in Arizona. The 6 icons on the weather map move in various ways as the weatherman points and explains the current conditions.

"Noah"
2006
5 x 14 x 5

A commission request from a couple that has admired my work for years. (See also "The Visionary.")

Movie #1
"Jackalope" in action
816 K, Quicktime

Movie #2
Inner mechanics of "Jackalope"
2.23 MB, Quicktime

This commission was for woman who owns a graphic design firm in Kansas City. She had me recreate her logo into a three dimensional, mechanical form. As you crank the handle the jackalope jumps through the flaming hoop, turns around, and jumps back through, ad infinitum. The inside of the jackalope is completely carved out to cut down on the weight.

Movie #1
Trio in action
2.43 MB, Quicktime

Movie #2
The mechanics of the trio
2.24 MB, Quicktime

A mischievous dentist in Ft. Worth wanted this humorous piece about his wife, Rocko their African Grey parrot, and himself. The idea of his figure patting his wife'’s backside was totally his idea and I take no responsibility for any future marital discord. I will admit it is a funny piece. It's powered by another 'old school' 8mm camera motor.

Movie #1
"Noah's Ark" is quite lively
1.09 MB, Quicktime

A man in Massachusetts who collects Noahs Arks commissioned this piece. When you crank the handle, all ten animals move in their own way — some up and down, some side to side, and some turn their heads back and forth. Lots of action here!

Movie #1
"Noah" in action
1.71 MB, Quicktime

Movie #2
Close-up of "Noah" in action
2.37 MB, Quicktime

Another piece for the Noah’s Ark collector. When you crank the handle on the side, Noah raises his arm and the dove descends from the clouds to land perfectly in his hand, of course. (See also "Noah's Ark."

Movie #1
See a mini-me in action!
1.66 MB, QuickTime

This was a commission I received from a couple at the Kentuck show. I never considered doing a self-portrait before and it turned out to be fun. The piece is about me in the studio. I fabricated miniature versions of my tables, woodpiles, stacks of paint, various boxes, and even a painted scene out the window. A small landscape and a key-operated work in progress sit on the tables. A lightbulb pops out of my head when you press the right key. "Hey! I have another idea."

OK, that's enough about me.

Movie #1
"Time Machine" in action.
2.98 MB, QuickTime

Movie #2
Close-up of "Time Machine" working.
3.15 MB, QuickTime

Movie #3
Look at the mechanisms.
2.85 MB, QuickTime

Movie #4
Close-up of the complex "readout" mechanism.
1.38 MB, QuickTime

"Time Machine"
2004
14 1/2 x 29 1/2 x 20 1/2

This piece was made for a professor who had seen my "Man vs. Machine" at a previous Ann Arbor show. He commissioned me to do a time machine version as he was into mid-century science fiction and such. The mechanisms got more and more complicated as the piece developed (see detail photos of mechanisms). The most complicated and time consuming part was the 'year' with the 4-digit readout. It was one of those things that sounds easy but turned out, to get it to operate properly, more difficult than I had anticipated.

This tornado was for a man who saw my original in Kansas City and had recently moved to Atlanta. He commissioned this piece for his wife’s 40th birthday and as a memento of their time in the Midwest. He wrote the copy around the base, which testifies to the amount of tornados during the last 40 years.

A man in the Boston area commissioned this piece for his wife's birthday. Not a bad likeness if I do say so myself.

Movie #1
"Bob Dylan Wheel" in
action, wide
1.6 MB, QuickTime

Movie #2
Closeup
2.3 MB, QuickTime

My friend Aaron, who is a huge Dylan fan, saw "Predictions" and was interested in buying it, until my wife, Paula, suggested I make a version with Bob spinning the wheel. We all agreed it was a great idea. When it was completed I think it came out better than "Predictions". I made the wheel bigger so I could fit 20 of Aaron's favorites songs on it.

A man in Kansas City was interested in "Woody Guthrie", but asked if I would make him a version with Bob Dylan. He told me, "I like Woody, but I like Bob even more, could you make me a Bob?" Normally, when I make my pieces, I stay away from modern themes and figures, but when someone request a special subject, I usually bend the rules. This piece surprised me; I really like the way he turned out and I especially like the marquee.

Note: Although this Dylan commission and "Bob Dylan Wheel" were made back-to-back, they where completely unrelated, honest.

Movie #1
Long clip showing complete movement.
3.08 MB, QuickTime

Movie #2
Short clip
1.22 MB, QuickTime

Movie #3
Close-up of mechanics.
1.54 MB, QuickTime

This piece was a commission for a man whose daughter saw the original, Combo, on Saturday and brought him back on Sunday to see it. I had taken the piece out of the booth to give it a rest and because it was sold. Inquiring about the piece, I took him behind the booth and showed it to him. He commissioned me on the spot, even without seeing it run.

On this version I had some extra room for an additional cam, so I added a string for the dancer's leg, and what a difference one string can make. Also, the drummers are playing bongos instead of drums with drumsticks.

This piece was commissioned by a friend who wanted a kind of commemorative piece about her family's summer retreat camp in Canada.

My brother, who is an avid fly-fisherman, commissioned me to do a piece for him after seeing my work in Ann Arbor. I used what's called a Geneva Wheel inside, which enables the line to be pulled taut every 6th time the man yanks on the pole. I'm told that is a pretty good, if not unrealistic, ratio.