These sculptures were done during my Christmas vacation in 2008, and in January of '09. I was going to wait until I finished a third piece in the series (that I'm currently working on) before posting them, but tonight I got a special request from my daughter Jenni's boyfriend, Brad, out in Lake Tahoe, California. Here ya go, Brad!...and say "hello" to your artist friend that you tried to show these to (but couldn't find them on my blog)!
In fact...I started this blog primarily to show these very sculptures...guess I got side-tracked a bit! These are "one of a kind" pieces made from Sculpy, wire, wood, aluminum foil and "found objects"...they are not "resin casts". Actually, I was able to make them the way I wanted, since I didn't have to worry about the molding process. The color scheme I chose for the paint job was meant to feel like old sepia-toned photos from days gone by...a limited palette of tans, browns, grays and black, with metallic bronze and brass accents.
The whole idea came from thinking about the flying monkeys from the "Wizard of Oz". (My wife, Cat, gave me a little sign that says, "I HAVE FLYING MONKEYS and I'm not afraid to use them!") I also love World War I bi-planes, Victorian Era inventions and "steampunk" contraptions. I was also trying to think of how I could combine my enjoyment of sculpting with the fun I had making things for tabletop gaming. Above is the first "Flying Monkey" in the "Squadron" with his "AERO-PACK". The dramatic sky photo in the posters was taken by my wife.
Next is my "SILVERBACK with a JET-PACK"! I was definitely inspired by the 1991 Disney movie "The Rocketeer". I liked the idea of a big honkin' gorilla with an undersized rocket booster strapped on.
As I said, I'm currently sculpting one more monkey with a different flying machine, but that'll have to wait for a while before I show it. I'll be posting again soon, to give a more in-depth look at how I made these. Until then...happy flying!
-W
I always knew that the monkey show I was watching before going to the hospital to birth you was going to show up sometime, somewhere in your life.....and now we know! Mom
ReplyDeleteWas I born in the same hospital?
ReplyDeletewar-rain, war-ryn, WARREN!
ReplyDeleteIt took almost 30 years for me to get over the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz now here you come with these
new improved chimps! They are awfully well done though. Great job my friend. Sigh! Okay let the night terrors commence.
These are fantastic man. I absolutely love this series. Great work.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for your enthusiasm on my FMS sculpts. I had fun working on them. I've been goofing around more with sketchbook stuff lately, but really need to get back to the sculpting soon. Got some other ideas ready and waiting to be built!
ReplyDeleteAnd shepdogg, my friend, I didn't mean to scare ya! Just click your heels three times next time the night terrors start!
-W