Last summer I acquired a bunch of cast off gas pipe & I have been thinking about ways to use it. One idea that has appeal is to experiment with forging to achieve an organic form. Ideas lead to tools, and in this case making a hardy pipe tool for the anvil so that I could test the forging idea. With the initial results quite promising, I started thinking about creating some frog legs. As ideas are apt to do, this one morphed into something quite different.
After making and working with various parts for a while, I recognized that it was really Kokopelli offering me the inspiration; a frog will be left for another time. The iconic image of Kokopelli is commonly found in the Southwest and is one that has often amused me. The name Mr K came from my wife and I liked it immediately, particularly because that was also the nickname of my high school metal shop teacher, Jim Koutsoures. Borrowing Jim’s nickname for this piece seems appropriate because I really appreciate the experiences I had in his shop classes.
In the process of creating metal sculpture I am attracted to the juxtaposition of organic line and form with the rigid geometric nature of machine parts. My intent here is to create something that suggests an organic form but made from entirely inorganic components. In this case, the legs made from forged pipe form the basis to support a gear scrounged from an old snowblower, the head piece is from an industrial stamping, various bits of rod were then bent to form the neck and arms. While the sculpture is static, I am also seeking to convey a sense of motion; fitting as the Grateful Dead often keep me company while I’m working.
The photos give a sense of the journey and process of creating this metal sculpture.
