In Progress: New Sculpture

The original prototype.

It’s true, I don’t do many sculptures. Usually I mask my sculpture in table object form. You may remember that awhile ago I was working on a paper prototype for one. Well yesterday I started working on it in metal.

First I shaped up the paper patterns, giving a curvier shape to the bottom piece (also giving it nubbins to make it sit more stably.) Then a rough cut some nickel and brass and textured it. Then I whammed it with my hammer, creating various line folds.

After the “fun” process of opening up all the folds and flattening the metal (have I mentioned how springy nickel is?) I then cut out the actual shapes. Now I need to clean the pieces up a bit, anneal them again, and then form them into their final shapes. After that it will all be riveted together (naturally.) There is also another piece of brass that will probably get worked in between the two nickel parts.

New and improved paper patterns.

Waiting to be opened.

Ta da!

Three pieces all cut out and awaiting the next step. ©2013 WTEK

Stealing Content

There has been a recent fervor involving my last post here on Hammermarks – 5 Things About Me. It wasn’t about what I wrote about myself, but basically just one word I used – “stole.” There was a whole conversation on Facebook and it was even posted on the blog of the woman who took offense to my language.

I pointed out (as did Ken Mueller, the person I “stole” from) on the FB post and at her blog that I know Ken, I didn’t really steal anything (it was a meme type post after all), and that the word was used playfully. This woman has blogged extensively recently about stealing in the context of intellectual property such as workshop curriculum, trade techniques, and design. I am opposed to these things as well. It isn’t right to steal someone else’s idea and pass it off as your own.

But that’s not what I did. I attributed the post (and linked to it) and the only content that was copied were the five questions. All the answers were my own. It all came down to the use of one word – “STOLE.” Plus Ken is my friend. He isn’t upset about what I did.

So is one word enough to to talk like this about someone online? To put their name up there as someone who is akin to people who appropriate other’s designs and workshops for their own profit? Is it really like stealing a puppy from a pet shop because I think it is cute? (This is an actual comparison from the FB comments.)

What are your thoughts on this? I’m not asking you to pick a side, but where do you stand on the issue of appropriating content? What about memes? What about stealing puppies?

5 Things About Me

Mmmm, smoked meats from Rooster Street Provisions in Elizabethtown, PA

OK, I totally stole this post from Ken Mueller of Inkling Media. But I’m sure that he’s fine with that. He posted this a bit ago and I thought that it would be fun to do here at Hammermarks also. So once you see the 5 things that I love, why don’t you share your answers in the comments section? Come on, it’ll be fun!

1) Name a food you absolutely love – Meat. That’s right, steaks, bacon, sausage, smoked meats, venison, lamb I am a carnivore through and through. But not organ meat, so I’m not totally hard core.

2) Name a band/musician you love – Led Zeppelin has always been a favorite of mine. I never get tired of them (except sometimes Stairway or Rock and Roll, but after a break I can come back to them.) Plus Sonic Youth is a great stand-by. There are tons of bands I go back to again and again, but these two pretty much say it all.

3) Name a television show you love – If you mean one that’s on currently, I’d say Doctor Who (though it’s gotten a little bit lovey-dovey), Orphan Black and Continuum are two new favorites. Of all time? That’s a toughy. It’s a safe bet to go with Joss Whedon – Angel, Firefly those are both great in my book.

4) Name an author or book you love – Neil Gaiman is a great author and I love his interaction with his fans through twitter and his blog. He’s very open and accessible that

Neil Gaiman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

way. American Gods is one of my favorite books. I also like a lot of fantasy like Tad Williams, Brandon Sanderson, Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire, etc. Lately I’ve been really into N.K. Jemisin, she creates very imaginative worlds with a different perspective than a lot of other authors..

5) Name a sports team that you love – Orioles for baseball, I tend to root for the underdog, though last year was awesome! Plus I watch a lot of international soccer, though I don’t really have a specific team that I follow.

As you can tell, I’m not really a “this is my favorite__________” kind of person. I have a bunch of things that I like at any one time and they fluctuate depending on my mood. What about you? Are you a die hard fan of one thing or all over the place with your likes?

Read more: Five Things I Love and Five Things You Love http://inklingmedia.net/2013/02/15/five-things-i-love-and-five-things-you-love/#ixzz2S9IPVIWx
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