A glimpse of what’s going on in the shop these days — a driveway gate & walk-through gate for clients who run a lavender farm in Woodinville, Washington.   As they prepare to open their farm to the public they need a stout & eye-catching driveway gate to 1) attract, impress & spark curiosity as people drive by along the busy road in front of their property, and 2) keep the public away from their property during non-business hours.

The basic design, without artistic components, looks like this: 

The  panels will be variegated black, achieved via a chemical patina process, and the frames will be finished with a textured rust powder coat.   

The really fun part will be adding the artistic elements – realistic looking lavender bunches that pop out from the black panels.  Stay tuned for how we create these sprigs in bronze.

Walk-through gate frame.

Ornamental Metal Driveway Gate in process (1 of 2)

More later as the work continues.  Come back and see!

Now comes the fun part.  I get to take the laser cut steel panels I showed you in the previous post and begin to form them into their intended shape.  When we built the first Shapely I chose to construct an internal armature to support the 16 gauge shell (shown in the next two pictures) . 

Since Shapely and Shapely Two are intended for outdoor venues I want to ensure they can comfortably handle several people climbing on it as well as in-climate weather conditions. That armature worked well on Shapely but this time I decided to approach the structural requirements differently.  I am making the lower section out of 11 gauge (0.120″) instead of 16 gauge (0.060″)  material for several reasons.

• Shapely Two has  a much more, shall I say, svelte look, making it challenging to fit an armature inside.
• I was so happy with the rigidity of the box construction provided on the first Shapely that I am confident the added thickness will provide plenty of structure
• best of all, it simplifies construction.

There are no flat surfaces on Shapely Two. A characteristic of virtually all of Jennifer’s work.  Each side has varying degrees of curvature.  Some are small enough that I can easily position them using blocks,  clamps or just by pushing.

Others will require more aggressive forming to obtain the proper shape.  Since I have yet to acquire a slip roller, I use this low tech bender for shaping the sheets. It is effective but I have to be careful not to put kinks in the panels.

Before I start bending each panel I need to establish the  line it will curve along.  Once that line has been drawn I add perpendicular lines every few inches.  I align these perpendicular lines to the axis of the tube I am bending the sheet around.  Skipping this step would risk putting unwanted twist in the panel.

Here you can see how two of the panels are fitting up.  The closer I can get them to match without clamps the easier they are to tack together.  Minor gaps can be adjusted out during tacking and final welding.  

Another view of the fit up between the sides. The section closest to the camera will be pushed into position during tacking.

Once I am reasonably happy with the fit it is time to tack the panels together.  To ensure that the base will be ”square” I fixture the panels on the top of the work bench and true everything up.  You can’t have too many clamps. 

Tacks are small welds that temporarily lock the panels together but can be easily broken or cut if necessary.  I place tacks every 6″ to 12″ depending upon the curve.  The tighter the radius the closer the tacks are together. 

I am also paring the tacks so that any shrinkage at one  tack is counterbalanced by a tack on the other side of the panel.  This helps keep things from moving around. In the next picture all 4 sides are tacked together.  Now I will set this piece aside while I tack the mating section together.  Then I’ll come back and fit up the top plate (which must match the mating section) and install the bottom mounting plate.

I’ll cover that in the next post.

I went around with my camera today taking photos of our goings on. 

We recently got this southwestern porch railing back from powder coat.  Next stop, palletize & ship to North Carolina.

Laser cut parts for the ribbit railing.

Rust happens! Natural oxidation in action on the railing we built for our house this summer. It has to get ugly before it gets pretty and develops that overall deep orange brown that we are looking for as a finish.

We love metal here at Cobalt Designworks and pride ourselves on offering infinite possibilities in custom metal work.  Got an idea?  We’ll help you realize it as long as Dave gets to play with iron, alloys and cool tools, and I get to add some design panache.  The challenge with offering such a wide range of goods is that sometimes sculpture as pure art gets placed on the back burner, yielding to functional art or sometimes just plain function.  The past month here it’s been all about railings, and this week it’s looking more and more like we’re in the sign business.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big believer that more art should be built into everyday objects and I’m glad we get to influence that in our own small way. Not to mention that we’re quite happy to have railing and sign jobs right now. Period.  

But today the art-for-art’s-sake urge hit me like a ton of bricks.  I WANT TO CREATE A SCULPTURE!  Early on when we formed the business Dave and I made a pact to always have at least one sculpture in process at any given time no matter what else we’ve got going on in the shop.  For the past few weeks we haven’t been living up to our promise, so today I started looking through my sketchbooks trying to make the delightful decision of what to bring to life next.  I’ve been hesitant to post raw designs but figured I’d risk it and throw them out there for all to see and give you a little glimpse into the early stages of a sculpture idea.

The above design is second in our Shapely series, a play on big simple shapes and bright bold colors. A bit sleeker than the original Shapely and still open to an infinite array of color choices, I envision it standing 10 feet tall. Here’s the original.

This mermaid design has been in my sketchbook since 2002 and I just happened upon it again. I love seafaring mythology. This sculpture would add to our growing collection of powerfully feminine figures. I look forward to refining the design of the scales and breasts, and exploring different textures for each. This will surely give Dave some new fabrication challenges and a chance to expand his metalworking skill set.

The design below is further along in process; from my 2-d pencil sketch we created a refined 3-d version using Rhino software. It is a possible commission for a client who has an office along the Columbia River with river-themed elements throughout.  The waves will be cast glass, a new process for us.  I’ve taken one casting class, and will no doubt need to practice a bit before working on this piece. 

Which sculpture do YOU think we should build next? Leave a comment and let us know.

Rise - Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

After a few people commented that they’d love a small version of our sculpture Rise , we got to thinking about creating a mini rendition of the 9-foot winged woman. At first it seemed counter to the norm; artists usually create a smaller model, or maquette, before creating the larger piece. A maquette allows you to present a design concept for a large piece to potential clients, as well as figure out the best construction techniques and determine where fabrication issues might arise. It is a less costly practice piece, and as such it is usually constructed faster and less deliberately than the final sculpture.

We never built a maquette for Rise, but instead used computer design software (Rhino) to create a 3-D version of my conceptual sketch that could be shown, or rendered, from any angle. It’s the next best way to present a concept without the time and expense of building a physical model.

Rise - Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

When redesigning a 9 foot high sculpture into a 2 foot version, some modifications must be made in both design and fabrication technique. The basic concept is the same but it’s not an identical sculpture. The biggest change is the body; instead of a hollow form with curves in all the right places, the body of the small Rise is a solid piece of 1/2″ steel, as shown below. Other fabrication differences include the way the head is attached and the construction of the conical base, still made of of sheet metal but using a different fab technique. We are considering having future bases machined.

Luckily there were no changes in either the wings or the luscious “lollipop red” powder coat, the two dominating traits of the sculpture. Here is the finished Rise – mini-style!

Rise (26″ x 12″ x 4″) Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

Some work-in-progress shots:

Rise - Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

Here are work-in-progress photos of an art deco gate we are creating for clients in Portland. Dave has added the lock box and hinges since these photos were taken. Next stop powder-coat.

Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

This is the design rendering we presented to our clients. It was the chosen design from three options we created.

Copyright 2009 Cobalt Designworks, LLC

To see the finished product go to this post.

Dave and I play on our differences to create sculpture together.  We are yin and yang.  Dave is linear thinking; inspired by high craftsmanship, process, lines & angles and order.  I have a more free-flowing way of going about things.  I am inspired by my surroundings – the environment and the people around me, and their relationship to each other.  The union of Dave’s and my diverse ways, our preferences and skills results in an art-making process that is cohesive and fulfilling.  At its simplest, I design and Dave builds.  I am the artist, Dave the craftsman.  Our partnership is a dance of communication, collaboration, give and take (with careful attention not to step on each other’s toes!). 

Our sculptures distill elements of both the natural world and the human figure into graceful forms of movement and flow.  Sensual and feminine in nature, our sculptures take on a dance-like motion.  We work to create art that simply and beautifully captures a mood, a relationship or a gesture.

Each sculpture begins in two-dimension on my sketchpad.  My images come from the infinite and innately perfect designs that already exist in nature and in human life.  Instinctively I wonder how I can recreate these forms in metal.  This instinct evolves to intuition as I capture the essence of an image in my head and translate it into an evocative sketch.  I design with an eye toward simplicity of line and form, and use curves thoughtfully to add softness and femininity. 

That elusive third dimension comes alive in a cardboard model, or more often these days using 3d-rendering software.  We try to add dimension in intriguing ways that will captivate the viewer from every angle.  As Dave joins the process you can almost hear his gears spinning as he engineers the technical aspects of the sculpture – how to build it for strength, durability and ease of installation – all with the highest level of quality and craftsmanship.  He brings my designs to life by cutting, forming and welding sheet metal, whether bronze, stainless, mild steel or aluminum.  Culling from his years of experience customizing cars and building dragsters, he works adeptly with his hands and tools to tame the rigid medium into soft, graceful shapes.  It is in the studio working like this that I see the true passion of my husband; he is at his happiest and most peaceful, and I truly believe these qualities find their way into our sculptures. 

Depending on the mood we want to convey, we finish the forms with either vivid powder-coated colors or earthy patinas.  When our dance of collaboration is done, we hope to have a sculpture that suggests its own dance-like rhythm and invites viewers to follow its motion with their eyes, their hands, their imaginations.  Perhaps as well, they will feel a subtle sense of connection with the mood or rhythm that the sculpture has captured.

Both Rise and Shapely are examples of box construction, a design and fabrication style we  use often in our sculpture where we create a closed form from cut and formed pieces of sheet metal.  Each metal shape becomes a wall, and corners are created when two pieces are joined together with a continuous weld along its length.  This process is done until we have a hollow, closed 3-d form that appears solid.  Dave grinds the welds until they are no longer seen.  We are sometimes asked if our sculptures are cast, and I find that to be a delightful question to answer and a testament to Dave’s craftsmanship.

 I don’t remember who I overheard referring to our new sculpture as Hot Rod Angel, but I had to chuckle.  My original idea to explore bold metallic colors came from watching American Chopper and seeing the painters apply multiple layers of yellow and green to a new motorcycle tank.  It was bitchin’, and I couldn’t stop thinking about doing something like that on a sculpture.  When the idea for Rise landed on my sketchpad, I knew I found a place to try that rich color combination. 

There was a slight problem.  Dave and I have chosen not to use solvent based paints and have made a commitment to the powder coat process.  But try as I might, I couldn’t find any yellow-greens I liked in powder.

As the design for Rise started to crystallize, I got to thinking about red instead of yellow-green.  A deep, rich, translucent red.  Red like passion.  Red like the flow of blood.  A red that would enhance the meaning of Rise –  about striving to reach our human potential during our limited time on earth.  You can’t do that without quite a bit of fire and passion!  My hope was that red might help convey that, although Rise is angelic in her presence, she is very human in nature.

The choice has been well-received, with “Lollipop Red” wowing nearly everyone who sees it.   The color changes continuously throughout the day, and at the right time and angle looks as smooth & slick as enamel.  This has only fueled my desire to continue exploring rich translucent colors, and seeing just what we can do with some creative, high quality powder coat applications.  Thank you to the great folks at Masic, our powder coat supplier in Portland who has been very supportive of our work and our ideas‎.

Now onto my continued search for that perfect yellow-green…..