The Mechanics of Elephants

Yes, this is one of my paintings.

No, I did not paint it in one day!

This is one of my new steampunk pieces for fall this year.

People don't believe I do this art form after looking at my other pieces.

Why steampunk?

I enjoy painting rust, metal, wood, and just putting them together.

The complexity fascinates me, driving me further and further into their realm.

The steampunk started several years ago when I was painting public metal sculptures.

The first show I took them to display, several people said "I like your steampunk!"

Frankly, I had to look it up myself.

Turns out, it is an artform that has been around since the late 1800's.

(Think Jules Verne 20,000 leagues under the sea.)

The word steampunk is attributed to a reporter in the 1980's.

Anyway, after starting to display the paintings of public sculpture.....

I was called out by an artist and asked to stop.

I thanked him for the opportunity to grow as an artist.

I then started building them in miniature and on paper.

I built one miniature piece (a seahorse).

Then I decided it was too much trouble to do that.

I then started "building" them on paper.

Each Mechanics piece starts out with a simple line drawing.

(The entire series is called The Mechanics of...)

I then start pulling out all the pieces of metal that I have in the studio.

I have old tools, sewing machine parts, cooking utensils, springs, wheels and other things.

I also have photos of architecture, engines, farm equipment, car parts, and machinery.

I photograph them after laying them all out on the outline.

I then manipulate photos into the sizes I need them to be, transferring them to tracing paper.

Lots of tracing paper.

Each drawing takes anywhere from a week to two weeks.

Then it is transferred onto the canvas.

Sometimes I do a sepia underpainting, others I just dive in!

The painting can take another two weeks to complete.

We took them to five shows this spring, two of the shows awarded the steampunk a prize.

This year, I will have a separate booth at the National Shrimp Festival of nothing but Steampunk.

(Don't worry, I'll have my other marine life as well!)

I love them, and I hope you do as well.

The Mechanics of Elephants, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 30inches

Day 72 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2022