Don't Lose Focus - Practice Cutting

Although the model has a beautifully developed body, I think his body pose is less than ideal, and his eyes, arguably the most emotive element of a face are cropped out.

What truly drew me to this shot was the background.  The model is running through a forest with dappled sunlight striking foliage behind him.  His back and shoulders are backlit.  The foliage in the original image is out of focus, and I wondered how I would go about using the cutting technique which has very discrete sharp lines defining the edges of color to create an image that was out of focus, which by its very nature has no such lines.

I think the result is successful.  This makes me want to work with other intentionally out-of-focus phtographs.  Below is the off-axis shot illustrating the complexity of the out-of-focus areas.

It should be noted that the piece is 16x20 and consists of seven layers.  The lightest of these is a little too light.  The highlight on his chest, distracts a little bit from the bright explosion of shades behind him.

Daibes Sunset - Test Cutting

This is the small scale test (16x20) for the same image as "skyline yellow" in more realistic colors.  The yellow shades of the previous piece were very close together tonally.  I think the more diverse spread of shades adds depth to the image.  Below is the off-axis shot.

Skyline Yellow Test Cutting

I wanted to expand the detail of the previous work so I recut the same image in the same colors at a larger scale, in this case, 16x20.  Below is the off-axis shot, illustrating the individual layers.



Skyline Yellow - Sample

Although this piece has a full compliment of seven layers, the tonal gradient across them (except for the black) is mild.  I think this piece is all about color selection.

It measures 8x10 so the relative depth of the layers is high, creating the shadows in the photograph above that I would normally try and minimize.  But here I feel they contribute to the finished product.  It might be worth exploring manipulating these shadows going forward.

Charlie in 7

This is the finished work first begun with the test cutting "It's Him or Me", last year.  It's based on a nude photograph of the model Charlie Rawlins, taken by Dylan Rosser, and used with his permission.

Unlike the test cutting it's completed in flesh colors and with extra layers that provide more detail and depth.

The image above is a photograph of the finished piece.  The one to the left is an off-axis shot.  Below is a close-up of his face.

One More Pull-up - Sample Cutting

This is one of the smaller 8x10 sample cuttings, done as a test.  The gradient change over the body is relatively simple.  I'd normally react to this by adding additional layers to increase the detail.  But the folds of the singlet around his knees are exceptionally complicated, more layers would make them even more so.

I'm not sure this test is successful.

This image has been cropped down from a larger shot.  I do not know the original photographer.

Men In Blue - Test Proof

I often do a test cutting of an image at a small scale, typically 16x20 to test out how it reads and to keep for myself when the final piece is sold.

In this instance, I cut the 16x20 piece for the photographer in exchange for the license - at his request.  This is the piece shown at the right.  It varies slightly from it's 8x10 brother, adding detail, but its third dimension reads much more clearly in the larger piece.

To the left is the off-axis shot clearly showing the individual layers of the finished piece.

I've had a few questions about the individual layers and how they look unassembled.  Layer #3 is shown to the right.  You can clearly see other future layers behind/ underneath it.

To the left are the original 8x10 sample and the younger 16x20 test side by side.  The larger image seems to be more easily read, but this could just be a function of the distance to the camera.

Exhausted- Sample Proof

This is a sample cutting, 8x10 of another photograph taken by Jeff Palmer, and used with his permission.

To the left is the off-axis shot of the above piece, illustrating the seven individual layers.

Men In Blue - Sample Proof

This cutting, based on the front cover of his book "Temptations", photographed by Jeff Palmer, and used with his permission, was more about chiaroscuro than any other piece of mine.

The figure on the left is almost completely in shadow.  Because of his body position and the relative brightness of his companion, his face and body detail is so well implied that one can almost see it, even though it isn't there.

This proof, unlike all the others measures only 8"x10".

Uncle Dave

My Uncle Dave, my mother's brother, passed away in late January.

A few years ago he and his wife retired and moved to North Carolina.  I wasn't able to make it to the funeral but wanted to do something to say good-bye.

I did this cutting, based on a photo taken at his sister's wedding.  It was the last time I saw him.

He will be missed.

Light Pipes & Sconce

In addition to the cast concrete logo, the office addition of 2007 invovlved other unique architectural features.  One of them was the idea of light pipes.

The design called for a half dozen individual offices to be positioned against the 12" thick, concrete block, outer wall of the building.  The original plan involved cutting windows in each of the partitioned offices.  When examination of the wall showed that it would be inadvisable to cut such large openings along the base of a 30' high wall, I came up with the idea to "pipe" in the light from outside.

Instead of cutting 4'x5' openings, we would instead core-drill a vertical row of 6 holes, each 2" in diameter.  Solid acrylic rods with sharpened polished ends would be inserted through the openings protruding from the otherwise flat surface of the exterior, and southern-exposed wall.  The sharpened ends would catch the sunlight, and act like giant fiberoptics

On the inside, a specially designed wooden light fixture (non-electrical) would support a seventh vertical acrylic rod, notched to receive the 6 that pierce the wall.  The seventh rod was actually inserted within and through a series of 6 acrylic cubes.  The cubes are strictly decorative, and help to mask the circular aspect of the pipes.

In order to demonstrate that the effect was possible, I built a functioning, scale model.  The seventh vertical rod is missing in this case, the six hornizontal ones in the model pipe light directly into the cubes.

The goal wasn't to provide a view like a window.  It was to allow the office occupant, with no access to the outside, to be able to discern the natural cycle of daylight time and weather conditions as indicated by the continuous change in the appearance, angle, and color of the light emerging from the pipes.

Because glare was expected to be an issue, the fixtures were located behind the desks of the office occupants, and not in line with the reflective view of any computer monitors.

The images above and to the right are of the finished full scale interior light fixture. 

To the left is a photograph of the scale model on a windowsill.  The back wall of the model is correctly scaled, and the light coming through the cubes is traveling through the equivalent of 16" of solid wall.

Below is the original concept sketch for the acrylic cubes and to the right is the to-scale working drawing of the sconce as constructed.

The Sob - Test Proof

This work, based on an image, "T" taken by photographer Rick Day (used with his permission) is different from all my previous work in several key aspects.

Although it was originally designed with six gradient layers, I added a seventh after the fact - in order to articulate the line between the wall and the floor. 

Differentiating this line made the model's body pop forward in a much more three dimensional way.

In addition, previous work all consisted of the black mat on top so that it could form the framing mat as well as the darkest shadows of the image.

The detail photograph to the right, shows the highlights and deep shadows in the legs and feet.  It was difficult to figure out the layering in such a tiny area.

The detail photograph below, shot off axis illustrates how the darker areas are the deepest.

A Little Lower - Test Proof

As I've developed my cutting skill, the selection of layer colors has proven to make an enormous difference in how the work is read at a distance.  Because of this, when working with new colors, several tests are needed to be sure that each shade is appropriate both to the others and to the image.

This cutting was done as an experiment in golden-brown earth tones.  I suspect the same image cut in blues would give it a substantially different appearance.  Once I haven't ruled out exploring.

I do not know the model nor the photographer.  This image was cropped down from a much larger one, found on a human-art blog.

The Kiss - Test Proof

When testing out an image I use pre-cut mat boards 16"x20".  The designs cut into them are generally no bigger than 10"x16" because the wide black border makes the colors appear brighter.

Here I oversized the image and cut the border down to just 1.5".

Concrete Tabletop

At the urging of a friend I took a class at 3rd Ward, an enclave of artists that teach classes in woodworking, web design, welding, etc.

One of these classes, "Concrete Creations" said it would teach students the basics of formworking and casting concrete.The class description said the goal was to make a small, 16x16" tabletop.

In essence we were all casting nondescript concrete blocks that were flat and wide.  We used acrylic to form the top, and laminated plywood for the edges with a bead of silicone caulk at the corners.

The most interesting element of the class for me was that the instructor had a formula for calculating by volume the precise amount material to mix for a given mold.  I'd previously only done it by "feel" and "eye".

The class was informative and worth it for that alone, but my aesthetic view differed from my classmates.  Everyone was interested in getting their cast top highly polished, and that seems anathema to the idea of concrete.  I enjoy its grey imperfect surface.  I even cast recessed imperfections into my top.

The recessed panel in the center of the above piece is identical the recessed panel in the concrete flower pot, but it's been cut apart to give it a straight-edged organic look.  It's a simple method to add visual complexity to an otherwise straighforward design.

Company Holiday Card



Photograph by Khaliq Sharpe



Even though it wasn't within my job description, I was asked to design a company Christmas Card.  I chose a complex, uninteresting site photograph with a group of men working.  Using photoshop I "painted" santa-style hats on the men, and falling "snow" on the rest of the image.

The punchline came inside the card, "Not all elves build toys."

This card won me a backpack.

It turns out, our insurance company, which insures more than just general contractors, holds an annual holiday luncheon during which they display all the cards they receive in December.  The employees then vote and award a prize for the one that celebrates the holiday season and best exemplifies the work of the submitting company.

Card Interior



Lego Business Card Holder

The NYU job fair was an education in marketing give-aways for me.  I didn't expect the TP to be something people would want to take home with them.  In fact some even asked for bags - too embarassed to be carrying around a roll of TP.  This served as the basis for the next give-away.

Lego, the popular toymaker created software called Lego Digital Designer - in essence AutoCAD for Lego models.  Users are allowed to select individual Lego bricks and position them in space to construct a model.  As it's created, the program keeps a running total of the cost of the model.  Upon completion, the program uploads the model to the Lego website which sends you a bill for the bricks, and a week later, a package arrives in the mail with exactly the pieces needed to build the model.  This program would have been a dream to my 10 year-old self.

The cost of the business card holder was $7.33.  We bought small plastic tube-like containers to hold the pieces of the set, and created our own Lego-style pictures-only instructions for assembling the piece.  In addition a company business card was included in the package.

In order to customize it, we had stickers created that fit on a key block on the front, and the mini-figure's torso.  The goal was to make it look as though he was wearing a company t-shirt.

In all, 150 of them were created, and were only used once, given away at a charity event at the Lake Mahopac Country Club in 2008.

It should be noted that Lego does not in anyway endorse this.

The packaging, the pieces, and the completed model.

Concrete Oil Candle

Most of my concrete work with candles involves building a box or shade of sorts around an ordinary votive or tea light.  This was an attempt, like the Concrete & Glass Oil Candle, in order to create a casting that would be more than just a shade.

The candle was cast in two parts, with a hidden glass well in the lower portion and a glass tube containing a fiberglass wick in the upper portion.

This casting is notable because it was done very early, predating almost all of the stained glass work.  It was the first time I didn't chamfer the edges of the mold to allow for an easy de-mold.  All edges are for the most part, ninety degrees.

Parsons Cube Tabletops





Pre-cast concrete tops installed on West Elm Parsons Cube Side Tables.



 I bought two Parsons Cube Side Tables from West Elm to use as coffee tables.  I figured they were small enough to move around or adapt to other uses, and at the same time sturdy enough to put my feet up or sit on.

Unfortunately the finish on the veneer shows marks rather easily so I initially planned on adding additional coats of finish.  Instead I cast concrete panels that would fit on top of them.

I've often considered creating decorative wall panels or actual tile out of concrete either as something that could be mass produced or as one-off works of art.  I resist partly because it seems too easy to create a shallow mold where the artwork, while still three dimensional, is more about fields of texture in bas-relief.

I arranged the tables so that one of them was pulled forward to their respective midlines as shown in the photograph to the right.  The concrete planter with its square shape fit nicely on one of them.

The tops I cast would have to respond to the planter, because I wanted to keep it in that location.  For a while the design actually included a recess so that the planter would "lock-in" to its intended location.

Because I was going to need more than one top, I decided to go with using the rubber casting material I had used previously on the Concrete Pot and the Concrete Oil Candle.  It saved me no time because while casting the second top didn't involve the creation of a second mold; making the original mold out of rubber involved several additional time-consuming steps.  I only used the rubber material to insure that both tops would be identical.

The steps involved creating an original negative mold out of foamboard.  Several pictures are included below.

Original negative mold in progress.

Completed negative mold.

Negative mold filled with Polytek 7420.

Completed postive cast full scale being demolded.





Final rubber positive cast.



 Once the rubber had solidified enough to remove it from the mold, it took several hours to get the foamboard off it, even with liberal amounts of release agent applied to the mold before casting.

The picture to the left is a rubber full scale model of what the finished product would look like in concrete. 

This model was then placed in a foamboard box and the very same casting material was then poured on top of it.  This would create a rubber negative mold essentially identical to the one I built out of foamboard in step one.

This is the finished mold on the right.  Polytek 7420 as a casting material will bond with itself unless a release agent is applied in between the positive and the negative.  While I did apply the relase agent I wasn't as precise as I should have been insuring that it got into all of the grooves on the positive object.  This resulted in several tears in this casting when it came time to demold.  Fortunately its effects on the concrete casts were minor, and the defects in the mold itself are correctable.

One of the cast finished pieces is shown at the right.  It has a few minor imperfections related to concrete mixing, but overall, and considering that it was completely hand made, I'm happy with the result.  There was some concern that the grooves (which get deeper toward the center) would compromise the panel structurally, but this appears to not be the case.

The picture to the right is the very first concrete panel to come out of the mold.  I set it next to its rubber prototype to get a sense of the spiral pattern I was looking to create across the two tables.  The color variations on the concrete are the result of water still evaporating from it.

In order to better protect the finished product I applied Aqua Mix water-based "Stone Enhancer" as a finish.  This doesn't affect the appearance but it gives the material a slightly waxy texture.  I don't normally finish my concrete work with any sealer because I like the look of the raw material, and most sealers will change the color, sheen or texture of it.  In this case I did so because they would likely be subject to the occasional food or beverage spill

Company-Branded T.P.

After reading the book "Your Marketing Sucks" by Mark Stevens I was motivated to completely change the kind of marketing materials that my company puts out there.  Both the president and the marketing department were less than enthusiastic about my vision.  Even though this was for work it was outside my area of responsibilities at the time, and a clear output of my underworked creativity engine, so I'm including it here.

I think the picture to the left is provacative enough to almost not-need any sort of text.  It opens the door to all sorts of possibilities.  When the company president asked me what it means I flippantly replied "Servicing assholes for seventy-five years." He laughed and then said, "no way."

Almost a year later my boss told me that the company was going to have a table at an NYU job fair, and I should come up with something.  Since I was given only forty hours notice it was my decision to go ahead with the toilet paper, much to his initial dismay.  We made about thirty of them, and  changed it so that it had more information than the company logo on it.

The back of the label reads, "Performing construction work in New York requires you to deal with a lot of $#!+.  Maybe you need to work for a construction company that knows how to clean it up."  They were just stacked on our table at the job fair to attract attention.  I never intended anyone to take or keep them, but we ended up giving away a couple dozen.