My dog Roland always needed somewhere to lay while I was working on motorcycles in my shop. A draped blanket over a tire became his favorite spot. This got me thinking. There is a large supply of used tires around the shop and tire waste is a growing issue around the world. With access to a large supply of used tires I was able to create a reproducible product that could reduce tire waste while providing a comfortable sustainable dog bed.
With this Shop Dog was born. Used motorcycle tires reborn into the toughest dog beds around. These repurposed beds are handmade from durable duct canvas surrounding a steel reinforced ring then hemp cord is tightly bound through the tire by a special loop stitch technic. These beds have removable stuffing and base for easy cleaning. The rubber edges prevent your best friend from chewing and destroying the bed while still having a soft laying platform.
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The material selection was based upon some of my closest personal values I’ve turned to attributes I look for when choosing an artifact. I look for things that are durable, sustainable, cost-efficient, outdoor (abuse) ready, light, multi-use, esthetically interesting, look relate to/based on functionality. The paneling on the bag in thin gauge white PVC, it is light, durable and recyclable. This material I have used for years to create stencils and is symbolic of that past for me. While it is a durable material it is not extremely flexible. Motorcycles have also played a large role in my art and design choices, the edges were pilot drilled for future sewing and I took one of my old motorcycles tubes and I cut the tube into strips. I took these strips and sewed them inside out to attempt to create a seamless tube like a motorcycle tube. This backpack utilizes two jacket zippers to run parallel up each side. The shoulder straps are made from recycled 1” climbing webbing with hand-made steel lock rings. For me, this bag is expressive as well as functional.
A study of the muscle construction of the human leg. The muscles of the human leg were studied, deconstructed and separated onto a plane. After forming the bone structure out of a dowel and wire knee joint for flexibility the deconstructed sections of muscle where attached focussing on the sequence and anatomically correct location. Cardboard was chosen as a muscle material because its linear frame resembles muscle tissue and allows contour while holding structure.
Height 12 in
Clay relief form study based on the created live model of manipulated fabric around found objects.
Height 14 in
The goal was to explore the combination of visual hard and soft forms. After the plaster mold set the block was carved by hand.
Subtractive plaster sculpture
Height 6 in
A shape was created then repeated with a unique combination of equilateral faces in mind. These serial forms where combined creating a sense of moment. Its composition, as well as its rearrangeable plug design, allows multiple configurations.
With so many configurations I wanted to have an element of reason in how I connected each form; color, letter count of each color, matches edge count of face connected. ex. Red has three letters so red builds off triangular face only. This matching continues for square, four sides, four letters in blue. Green and the pentagonal faces; adding an additional angle to the design.
3D Printed, Modeled in Form Z
