Arthur Higgins, MFA
Mechanical Hand Sculpture, Pg. 3
Oak Run Studios, 888 Marsh Cutoff PO Box 499, Mosier, Oregon, 97040 (541) 478-3451 ©2006
FLYING HORSE
Turning the crank makes the horse go up and down and the wings flap. This design is the beginning of a series where viewing the mechanical parts is is not as important as shape, form and content. The emphasis is on sculpture with a toy vocabulary. The series will also have designs with the emphasis almost completely on the movement of shape and form, but in the case of the Flying Horse, the horse appears to gallop over the sky on golden wings is primary. There are clouds, made of wood to augment the illusion. The housing covering the mechanics is some kind of plastic irrigation pipe I found at a surplus store.

The horse is stained pine and the wings are gold high polished anodized aluminum. There is a 2:1 reduction gear system made of UHMW to reduce wear.

There are 6 in the edition. Size is 16" diameter, 24 " high.-------------------------------------------------------------$650//(SIX AVAILABLE)

WIBLE
This abstract mechanical sculpture is unique in that the format is horizontal. I designed it to be viewed at table height which means the viewer will always be looking down at it and at an angle. I do not expect there will never be right angle viewing as there would be in a wall hung painting.

There are four shapes that move independantly of one another when the viewer turns the crank. This allows continuous changes in shape and appearance depending on where the viewer stops the crank. This fourth dimensional aspect makes the Wible, and all of my other mechanical sculptures for that matter, quite unique.

The over all size is 18" x 18" x 12". I used cherry wood veneer as the basic medium which is 1/16" thick (2.5 mm) and quite flexible if handled correctly. In keeping with my standard of making fastenings or methods of attachment part of the sculpture rather than trying to hide them, the pegs holding the shapes have covers made of blue "Sculpy", a children's clay that is permanent when baked, and part of the visual experience. The crank and pushrod system is made of brass and copper and the gear comes from the radio control car industry. This is a one of a kind piece. ---------------------------------$1200