Phoenix Art Museum Installation: Contemporary forum

 Hey Folks, boy have I been busy.  This is part of my installation at the Phoenix Art museum.  I've begun my residency at the Livery in Scottsdale and I've been working there in earnest.  Here is the making of the X-Ray machine.  If you want to see the final piece check out the Contemporary Forum show at the Phoenix Art Museum or check it out on my website under "Little Terrors".

More Making-of to come

 

 MDF sure is nice

 

 Hey, check it out....

 It folds up so you can put it away!

 Creepy stuff in the mail.

 The Varnishing

rated: PG-13

 Perdy colors.

 Sometimes I think I should just make great looking multiples of nothing.

 no indigo.

 Getting there.

 

Sorry, no making-of here... just done.

  

It pays to have a auto painter for a father-in-law

Danger

Funbeams Part 2

This Saturday was a great time at the Phoenix Art Museum.  I have a few more in-progress images followed by images at the event itself.  Thanks a bunch to Liz Lohr, Kara Roschi and the rest of the crew at ASUAM for a super smooth event.  If you want to see more pictures please go to my official site under "Public Art".

 

Orange slices (that look like bananas kind of)

 Does this water taste flat to you?

 Not quite rainbows

Say "cheese"

What a funderful day.

 Sisyphus climb

Spooning, golf ball balance

All smiles. 

Open wide

"Feed me Seymour!"

A long way up.

Funbeams Part 1

 So, the Sawstop works... Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by the ASU Art Museum and I was commissioned to do a game for their First Saturday Family day in February.  I have a lot coming up between the Phoenix Art Museum and the Scottsdale Public Library installations, but I was interested in the offer, so I went for it.

I decided to make a Cornhole game using some of the established icons I have come up with and from there several smaller games sprouted up.  It should be a really fun day of games and activities.
It opens this Saturday (february 6th) from 11am-3pm

I will post more images as I get them.  I hope to see you there!

 I projected and traced illustrator files onto plywood

 I made stamps for the spines

 Barrel of laughs

 Clouds

 Sad Citrus

Family Photo

Bombing

 

So, I guess it's been a while since I put up anything on the blog.  I've been making a lot, but I keep forgetting to share.  I've been getting a lot of hits, so I figured I might as well show you what I've been up to.

The latest work has been revolving around the idea of children's toys that model questionable adult behaviors.  This piece was up at the shipping container galleries on Roosevelt Row in Phoenix last month as part of Here & Now: 15

I cut down some pieces I had bought to make a mannequin last year and lathed away a Sunday.

Ultimately, it is modeled after a stacking ring I worked on years ago.

Although it fits together several ways there is a "Best" way and that's why I put in tiny registration dots.

To see the final version check out my website: www.nathaniellewis.org

In Flux In-stalled

So I have finally installed phase one of my In Flux installation.  Please see the prior posts for more info on the beginning of the project.  Today I will be showing you the processes leading up to and including the installation.

 

So initially I thought I would video myself blowing this up.... it took an hour and a half to blow up.

 I can't begin to express to you the sheer joy of heating the end of this stand to cherry read and then driving it 3.5 feet deep into the foot of the styrofoam and having it work perfectly.

 Like I said, perfectly.  Here's a coat of white primer.

 Followed by some paint.

 I planed this wood down to a thickness to make it look like it was submerged in the puddle and then stained the top to look like a used popsicle.

 

 Aluminum base for teeth

 Done!

 Let's take a ride in an automobile

 Hooray!

An interesting side effect of heating up a square tube and dropping it into the foam of the sculpture

 A foamsicle

 Let's take a ride

 I mapped out the face using a laser level

 Adhesive-backed vinyl

 Frame for the head

 Frame in place, hoisted up by a cable

 Magic

 Installed

 Melty

 Dreamy

 meh.

Phase two is coming soon.  More additions to be made!