While I had a blast in the Philippines, it feels great to get back into sculpture and design. What you see above is how every sculpture I create begins. While I sometimes sketch out shapes and designs, I work with 1.5 mm aluminum at a 1:8 scale. This will equate to using a 1/2" round bar for the full sized sculpture. The shapes seen on the bottom left is what I am currently focusing on the most.

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I really have no written rules of how I design. I simply start making shapes with aluminum wire, either on the fly or from a drawing, and add to it to see where it goes. Sometimes I will create two shapes and overlap them in my hand, to see if they create a new shape that I find interesting and can build on. Sometimes it is not to the scale to how final piece would be, but I like the design. I then break it down and build it to scale. This process repeats itself until I create something that makes me feel emotion. Its hard to the describe what I feel, but if I can try to put it to words, it would be like a mysterious, dark, but powerful beauty. A good design for me is one that makes me think and wonder more about it, why I like it, and why it makes me feel that way. So I build on it to explore that feeling more. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This is the process I truly love and enjoy. I never know where my mind will take me.

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Once a design is finish, it becomes available for commission. Once a 1:8 scale design is chosen, I create a 1:4 design for the space in mind. It is at the 1:4 scale where the option of color will be discussed. Once the 1:4 design is perfected and approved, I create the full sized sculpture based on the 1:4 scale. All sculptures are originals. This allows me to develop my techniques and create something new every time.

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If you go to the 'Sculpture>Maquette' section of my website, you will see designs I have uploaded. Each design will be labeled as "in progress", "sold" or "available" accordingly. Most unfinished designs won't make it to my website, but I never destroy anything. If you would like to see new ones in their current start that are not on the website, please contact me.

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Michael Tellman

 

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