Moving-eyed monster clock by Dug North now on display

I combined my love of clocks with my affinity for wooden monsters to create this new piece. The monster is made of basswood, ebony, and tagua nut. A small weight-driven German-made clock movement powers the eyes and clock. It is titled simply "Monster Clock No. 1", which implies I may be making more of these!

The monster clock is part of an art exhibition titled "All Creatures, Real & Imagined" at The Arts League of Lowell Gallery in Lowell, Massachusetts. The show runs from June 6th to July 13th. The Reception for the show will be Saturday, June 21 from 4 PM to 6 PM. The piece can be purchased from the gallery at this time.

What
All Creatures, Real & Imagined

Where
The Arts League of Lowell Gallery
307 Market Street, Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: 978-221-5018

When
June 6th to July 13th, 2014
Wednesday - Saturday: 12 - 6 PM
Sunday: 12 - 4 PM

Here is where you can see more work by automaton artist Dug North.

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How to make wooden joints for puppets, automata, and posable figures

My latest column on automata-making is now available on the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre web site. This installment provides step-by-step instructions and plan drawings for making a wooden leg joint. The joint is a little more complicated than some, but it has a few big advantages:

From the article introduction:

To depict a realistic human motion, it is helpful if the figure's joints only bend the way real humans bend. Joints that only move in the correct way give you more options for providing the necessary input motion also. This, in turn, creates a greater range of resulting motions from which to choose.

In the article, you will learn how to create a wooden joint that mimics the motion of a human knee. The joint is suitable for elbows and a few other types of joints as well.

Here's where you can read Dug’s Automata Tips, Techniques and Tricks No. 8 on Creating Wooden Joints for Automata Figures.

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