I have been making automata since 2019. I am enjoying the challenge of carving the figures and bringing them to life with interesting and what I hope are attractive mechanisms.
My automata are designed with long life and smooth operation in mind. Brass connectors are used at all pivot points and brass bushings are used wherever a wooden dowel passes through a support to minimize friction. Baltic birch plywood is used for gears, cams and the cabinet for its resistance to wear and warping over time.
It is my hope that these creations entertain for a lifetime.
David Byrne – Big Suit
David Byrne – Big Suit
David Byrne of Talking Heads in the iconic Big Suit, dancing and doing the hand chop from their video for the song ‘Once in a Lifetime’. Powered by a wind-up gramophone motor.
2025
Basswood, Mahogany, Black Walnut, Baltic Birch plywood, Oak plywood, brass, steel and acrylic paint.
90 cm high, 34 cm wide (excluding handle), 34 cm deep
$4,000
Nothing Personal (it’s only business)
Nothing Personal (it’s only business)
2024
Butternut, Basswood, Mahogany, Black Walnut, Baltic Birch plywood and brass.
64 cm high, 38 cm wide, 25 cm deep
$2,500
Karaoke Night
Karaoke Night
2024
Basswood, Purpleheart, Baltic Birch plywood, brass, steel and cotton
59 cm high, 38 cm wide, 24 cm deep
$2,500
Knights Battle
Knights Battle has been motorized and enclosed for public display.
Push the red button and the knights will battle for 20 seconds.
Which of the knights will be victorious remains to be seen.
Knights Battle
2022
Domestic and Imported Woods, Birch Plywood, Brass and Steel
61 cm high, 67 cm long, 20 cm wide
$3,500 (motorized)
Knights Battle can be easily converted back to hand-cranked operation.
Happy Trails
Happy Trails has been motorized and enclosed for public display.
Push the red button and she skis for about 20 seconds.
Happy Trails
2021
Domestic and Imported Hardwoods, Birch Plywood, Brass, Leather and Steel
51 cm high, 41cm long, 19 cm wide
$2,750 (motorized)
Happy Trails can easily be converted back to hand-cranked operation.
The Swordsman
The Swordsman
2021
Domestic and Imported Woods, Birch Plywood, Brass, Steel and Cotton
61 cm high, 30 cm long, 30 cm wide
$2,750 (motorized)
The Swordsman can easily be converted back to hand-cranked operation.
Morning Walk
Morning Walk
2021
Basswood, Butternut, Mahogany, Wenge, Birch Plywood, Brass, Leather
67 cm high, 42 cm long, 23 cm wide
$3,000
The Kayaker
The Kayaker
2020
Basswood, Butternut, Cherry, Birch Plywood, Brass
35 cm high, 54 cm long, 45 cm wide
$1,750
The Kayaker was my first effort at a hand-cranked, carved-figure automata. I came across other examples of this type of automata while doing research for Robot Ray.
Robot Ray
Robot Ray
2020
Plywood, Electromechanical Pinball Parts, Metal Parts, Paint
87 cm high, 54 cm wide, 45 cm deep (including base)
Robot Ray was born out of an idea to make a kinetic sculpture using electro-mechanical pinball parts. I have a lot of these parts kicking around as one of my other hobbies is restoring electro-mechanical pinball machines, built from the 1930’s to 1980. Robot Ray is based on a Strenco ST-1 toy robot made in Germany in the 1950’s. The same toy robot is the basis of my painting Dawn of the Machine Age. Robot Ray is programmable in that the sequence of actions can be varied and combined in ten possible steps before repeating.
Robot Ray received a voice module upgrade in October 2020. This allows him to play any MP3 files loaded on a microSD card in the back of his head. Ray will play the files in a continuous loop. The module consists of a voltage regulator, microSD card reader, pre-amp, amplifier and speaker. In December 2021 Ray had lights installed that are linked to his speech output so that his mouth lights up as he speaks.