Cycloptopus is a fearsome hybrid of two of my favorite monsters, one real, one mythical. This creature is particularly dangerous because of its irritability. You’d be irritable too if you were powered by an open flame and your body was made of wood.
This piece was commissioned to resemble my earlier “Firefly” sculpture. It is rare that I can accomplish this, but I was able to scrounge up enough of the raw elements necessary to pull it off.
This piece was commissioned to resemble my earlier “Treehugger” sculpture (last image in this series). It is rare that I can accomplish this, but I was able to scrounge up enough of the raw elements necessary to pull it off.
Inspiration came in the form of an old conga drum and some military surplus missile fins that just happened to be the same off-white color. A counterweight mechanism is hidden inside the rocket so that it rolls in an elliptical motion when activated. The lights and motors are each controlled separately by way of a wireless remote control (this way the piece can be installed at great heights without causing complications in wiring).
Here is another Homunculus themed piece. Like its predecessors (Little Big Man, Homunculus, Minotaur, etc) the larger figure appears to be controlled by the smaller one inside. In this piece I was also able to put to use some nice old mercury switches that I had been saving for a special occasion. As the figure tips back and forth as he “walks” the mercury flows from side to side, causing the corresponding indicator light to come on.
This piece was designed around an aluminum fishing reel mechanism. If you watch closely you can see that the head travels in an up-and-down motion in addition to the rotating tentacles and eye.
Having carried the name Nemo my whole life, I have come to identify with the anti-hero Captain Nemo in Jules Verne’s 20,000 leagues under the sea. This is the latest in an ongoing series of works that portray this character as he faces his greatest foe: the Giant Squid.
I tend to think of these little dioramas as scenes from the (imagined) films in my head. I enjoy these pieces because they provide a context for the characters that I’ve made, rather than stranding them alone on a pedestal.
This piece gets its name from the latin designation for Rabbit which is “Leporidae”. I simply can’t resist the opportunity to make a pun.
We all get a little tense sometimes. In the case of this character it is a constant state.
I consider this to be one of my most “fabulous” pieces. Something about the decadence of all the shiny surfaces and glittering lights. It was built partially to fill the void left by my “Alcohologram” piece which was destroyed in shipping years ago.
The Narwal has always been one of natures more peculiar creatures. This one is portrayed as perhaps a little more menacing than they would appear in nature. I think all of the bad news pertaining to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill of 2010 may have “leaked” into my consciousness while making this piece. The waves seem slicked with oil, and the creature itself seems equipped to have caused the mess. Maybe it wasn’t our fault after all.
Here is another simple entry in my ongoing Octopus series. Significant in this one is the use of a peacock feather for the eye. An old idea I am just now getting around to implementing.
Believe it or not, it can be quite difficult to make a living as an artist. PoBot is at once a self-portrait, and a solution to this problem. The sculpture will not function without a deposit of 25¢. This buys the viewer several seconds of entertainment and pays for several seconds of studio rent for the artist.
This character suffers from moral ambiguity. He is perpetually torn between Bad and Good (see the meter in his chest).
In 2007 I made a large insect sculpture titled Guzzler that had a gas pump “nose” and a glowing thorax. It was a good piece, but it was built under the time pressures and facility limitations of the wonderful artist in residence program at the S.F. dump. Ever since I have wanted to re-examine the same themes and materials but with more attention to detail. This seemed as fitting a time as ever to also look into the form of the Praying Mantis. One of the coolest creatures nature has to offer in my opinion. I have worked with this form before, but only in two dimensional pieces. I hope you enjoy the results as much as I do. I feel it is a good balance of beauty, menace and vulnerability.
All photos this page: Sibila Savage
This is another look at a favorite theme of mine: little people operating big people. Here we see a tiny vacuum tube headed engineer at work in the brass bowels of a wooden beast. Be sure and check the video to see the range of motion.
I can’t really say where my obsession with tentacled sea monsters comes from, but the condition is clearly present. This one gets its title from the acoustic guitar that forms its head. The sculpture hovers off the wall about six inches allowing the florescent bulbs installed within to bathe the wall with green light. A very cool effect in low light situations as shown in the last photo of this series.
This piece is a direct descendent from my earlier “Little Big Man” sculpture. Both terrible beasts are compelled by the little benign robots within their bellies (aren’t we all?), though this one features some more sophisticated movement in the arms.
A motion sensor starts the little robot working at his machine. One third of each rotation of the big wheel activates the motors in the monsters arms. All the while the Minotaurs head nods rhythmically back and forth in his helmet.
This piece began with some sections cut from a wooden headboard. The face I discovered there was unsettling enough to inspire a whole creature around it. Once under way I decided to resist my typical inclination to think in terms of motors and electric components and focus rather on a piece with more fluid, gestural lines that would imply movement rather than demonstrate it. The result is a little more unsettling I think. The head can also be positioned to face in different directions.
One day I came across something at a yard sale that struck me as particularly foul. It was a mounted deer head with its hoofs arranged to serve as a rifle rack. The cruel irony of killing something and then compelling its corpse to hold the weapon that ended its life really got me. Naturally I bought the awful thing, but only now have I been able to do anything with it.
Re:Animated represents a major breakthrough in veterinary science. Concerned citizens can now bring in the trophy remains of game animals and have the creatures made whole again. The durable metal chassis is bullet repellant and should diminish the likelihood that these creatures, (when returned to the wild) fall victim to the same fate twice.
All photos this page: Sibila Savage
Much like in a previous piece: Psychos-O-Matic, this sculpture is themed around self abuse. Not the intentional kind mind you, but the unwitting variety. Our poor hero pedals diligently at his machine to get away from the persistent clubbing on his head, while all he needs to do for relief is to stop pedaling.
I am intrigued with the challenges and rewards of attempting these pieces which I consider to be mini stage design exercises, or “doll houses for boys” if you prefer. In this case the protagonist appears to be in an underground facility. I like to think of the window to the rear of the room to be a video feed from a planets surface that he toils deep beneath.
This one’s bark is definitely worse than its bite. Turning the knob on his chest counter-clockwise winds the motor in his belly. Once the spring is sufficiently contracted, a red LED behind his eye switches on to let you know he’s ready. A steady ticking racket ensues accompanying a slow side to side movement of his all-seeing eye.
Here is my current favorite example of the man-on-a-bike theme. This one uses a nice balance of aluminum and brass parts. The wooden stand is for display purposes, The piece balances without it (barely).
This one reminds me of grade school lunch boxes. I know I had a few of the Star Wars variety, and I would have killed for one that was animated as this one is.
This piece depicts the interior of Captain Nemo’s submarine in 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. It is difficult to accurately capture the experience of peering into this little box. One really gets the feeling that they are aboard the vessel. The squid shown in the rear is a real preserved specimen. The LEDs surrounding it and the green plastic covering it make it look very much like a hologram.
This piece is rare autobiographical moment for me. I have long been plagued by chronic migraines that seem to be of a psychosomatic nature (hence the wordplay in the title). In this case our unfortunate subject has devised a machine the he must power himself by way of a hand crank. This little generator, once it has stored enough power, delivers painful throbbing bolts of electricity to his head. Brother I know how you feel!
Finally a good use for my collection of Bundt Cake pans! This one was difficult to photograph. The green halo backlight comes across much better in person.
A while ago I made a piece that had a wooden clog for a head. Since then I’ve been holding on to the other one until it felt safe to try the trick again. This one came out considerably more anguished.
I was really pleased with the results of a recent portrait of Captain Nemo, and wanted to take the idea a little further. In this case there is more movement, though if you look closely you can still see the tiny Captain at the helm of his ship.
