Sculpture thats not sculpture, nor really even art.. | Sculpture | Forum

I like that "Stuff". Isn't this part of the whole process of creating things, seeing things in different ways, trying things just to see what it might look like, or how it feels? There is value in each piece since it is part of building your life's creative foundation. And, who knows where these things may lead in the days ahead. In a year from now, you might have one of those light bulb moments, and find a great use for some of that "stuff". Don't stop making that "stuff/art". One never knows where things may lead.

Sometimes the bestest art piece was, to the creator, a failure ...

Just a thought :dance:

Now all you need is someone who can market it!

SOmetimes it's a nice change just to do stuff for yourself that isn't on a timeframe or billable hours. It's damn near therapeutic.
I like it, it's pleasing to eye as they say.

The rub is it's really hard to make it at pure art, last winter I threw myself into sculpture,and had lots of fun making it. Come summer I had enough pieces, and got accepted to the ''Loveland Sculpture Invitational'' show at Loveland, Co. It's huge. If I'd made a grand,or at least made some contacts, I would have walked away feeling ok.But the crowd was real fickle, for me and lots of others. It wound up costing me $525 for the booth:banghead: I have plans to do other sculptures though, it kinda seems more like therapy than a profession, but I like it. Made 10k on a railing last fall and I hated every minute of it..........paid the bills though.
Billable hours are one thing, having a little fun is another. I think most of us got into blacksmithing because it started out to be fun, anyway ya got to remember that occasionally. I started cause I'm a pyromaniac........bm

Oh and, the only piece of yours I wouldn't have in my house Larry is the scrolls, I hate scrolls,scroll burn out.......unless they were Florentine etc., But ribbon end scrolls have paid allot of my bills...bm

What you are talking about is exactly what scares the shit out of me about turning the toiling i do into a business. There is nothing i enjoy more than going out to the shop and just making what ever i want. I think if i HAD to pay bills doing stuff i hated, i would feel differently about my hobby. Of course i go to work everyday and bust rods as a union ironworker, after 16 years i hate it. A day in my shop building some thing for someone and making money at it would be a thousand times better than punking 20,000 pounds of rebar on my shoulder in a day!
If you don't have any paying work at the moment, it seems to me you're being smart toiling around creating stuff. Who knows you may hit on something that becomes a big seller, at the very least you get to be creative at something you enjoy. I like the stuff made with bolts. Something that Brian Brazeal once posted rings true everytime i create stuff. It was something like: start with something the furthest away from the form you intend to create, this seems to really create artistic forms.

usually making things we like doesnt pay thay great,

usually is you want to make money you make repetive things and since that isnt much fun you get someone else to make them

seems like people dont get paid to think but to produce the less you think and the simpler things are the more you can make

industrial stuff is always needed and business's usually dont screw around they know that they need it now if you say 20 grand they figure its a fair deal and they wont have to think about it again its a done deal.

i was working inside the ultimate steel stamping factory in milton ontario fixing some guards on these conveyors
they have 1200 ton presses 5 in row with robots
the scrap flys below where we were working in the oil bath (talk about loud) the dies on these press are about 40 000lbs top and bottom
it all comes together and gets bailed and spat out into the traincar

they stamp out tailgates for f150's and the whole side of the camaro and the charger and challanger and numerous other car companys.

I worked there as grunt for awhile quit that job around christmas
worked in the stainless shop for awhile quit that and now work for a smaller welding company

funny thing is all of these places are about 1km.
Although I havent been smithing much i have been learning somethings and having fun the beer is good out here and the girls even better although i have been working about 50 hours a week

soon hopefully I will find something smithing

For me its not the destination its the journey! A couple to keep you guessing how to price art look at Andy Goldsworthy or Anish Kapoor. Just build it!