In the works

I've been working on a piece for awhile now. The piece is inspired by a quick doodle I did a few years ago but never had the opportunity to see it into fruition. Thankfully, this residency has allowed me the time, space and energy to finally realize the drawing into an actual object, which is almost complete. Alongside working on the piece, it has inspired a few other pieces all working with a similar theme: a house. I won't go into the details about what it all means but I am enjoying where it's been going. Because I love pencil drawn lines, I chose to create a portion of the sculpture from heavy gauge wire so that it mimics a drawn line but in three dimensions instead of only two. Here is the wire I bought. Funny story: the wire place (Wirewicks) is near the Polish section of Philadelphia. Beth and I discovered this fact on our drive to Wirewicks. Of course, I am never one to pass up a new eating adventure so Beth and I stopped and had a tasty Polish meal at the New Wave Cafe on Allegheny on our drive back to the studio. The meal was tasty and service was delightful.

The primary wooden portion of the object is made of Poplar. Below is the stack of raw lumber that we ordered and have been using. This pile contains both Poplar and Basswood.
Here is the beginning of the wire cage/net form, which will be suspended from beneath a tall house form. I've enjoyed working with the wire and I think it will be making repeat appearances in post-I.T.E. work as well. Those are small houses that are resting in the bottom of the net.
This is a small model I made of the piece when I was trying to figure out the connection of the wire basket to the house. It is about 6"-8" tall and looks a lot like a whisk, which was unintentional.
This is the shelf (upside down), on which the house will sit and from which the wire net will hang. There are 4 high strength magnets in the bottom of the round Mahogany disk in the foreground. It will hold onto the large fender washer, which is screwed into the underside of the shelf. I even cut a dovetail for the shelf. I must admit, I haven't cut a dovetail in awhile so my skills are a bit rusty but it turned out OK although it will, ultimately, be hidden by the wall on which its hung.
As for the finished piece: you'll have to come to see our show to investigate the final results. Our show will open on Friday August 5 at the Arts Alliance in Rittenhouse Square in the heart of Philadelphia. I'll look forward to seeing you there.