Mike Roig, Sculpture
The Texas Two Step: Avian Edition
Decmber 22, 2019
I always go into December hopeful that it can be as productive a month as I think it can be,
and then the end of the year to-do list keeps throwing up its endless distractions. I thought with no
plans to travel beyond a trip to New York to take care of some family business early in the month
I'd be able to stay focused in the studio. But that business extended to almost a week away, and then
a bout of sickness brought home from that trip had me definitely pacing what I could accomplish.
However, progress has been made.
The first step was to take all that square tubing stock and sand the surface to take it from the dull grey
finish it starts out with to the refractive sheen that transforms stainless steel into a medium with life. From
there I built a work stand that would hold the two armitures in the correct ratio of separation and height
differential so I could work on them at floor level. Then building off those stainless steel hubs the vertical
elements of the armiture went from theory to fact.
The rings that wil support the birds are rough rolled, and the next step there will be connecting them to those
vertical elements. Meanwhile I've been doing some designing and refining of the base elements and
the bird shapes.
After making a couple of paper models of the base, I've settled on what I've deemed the most
elegant propotions that will hold the birds aloft with grace and strength. My first idea appearing to
my eyes too chunky and heavy I opted for a slimmed down version that will still have plenty of
visual presence without overwhelming the more delicate dance of shapes in the kinetic elements
above. I'll be getting a start on the base this week and will have the bolt pattern for anchoring
set and ready to send by the end of the week.
There will be well over one hundred birds on the kinetic elements by the time all is said and done.
Here again I opted to play with the design and rather than use a single pattern decided to go with
four. By sequncing the pattern of wing positions to mimic flight it should make for an interesting
and more naturalistic illusion of a murmuration of mockingbirds. One of the comments I read about
as to why mockigbirds are the Texas state bird talks about their fierceness in protecting their territory.
Somehow a stately procession of identicle birds just didn't seem in keeping with that independent
temperament.
I'm having these shapes laser cut, and part of my learning curve was to learn how to generate
CAD files for the computer controled cutting machine. With the help of my much more tech savvy wife
and another very good friend who is owed a very good dinner out I believe we have those ready to go
tomorrow.
As a sign off for today, enjoy the animation my wife made from these images - and Merry Christmas.
- Mike Roig 12/22/19
