A Moment of Silence - automaton by Al Conquergood

Check out this automaton by artist Alan Conquergood‎. In the scene, a woman is about to take the head off of a chicken, presumably for a meal. All around, a flock of chickens peck away at the ground happily. The woman carefully aligns the axe, then brings it down suddenly. The chicken's head has vanished and the others suddenly notice that something has happened. The black rooster turns in the direction of the incident. Thankfully, once the deed is done, the chicken's head soon reappears and the chickens resume eating.

See more automata by Alan Conquergood on his web site.

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Attack of the Killer Tomato - an automaton by Kieth Newstead

I posted earlier this week about a Keith Newstead automaton that was in progress featuring a man-eating tomato. The piece is called Attack of the Killer Tomato and will serve as a donations box for Occombe Farm, Devon, UK.

Here it is in full color. The painting turned out fantastic! The plant has an interesting reflective green texture and the tomato really shines. I also love the pattern of the man's flannel shirt. Actually, everything looks good including the man's hair, the watering can, the flower pot. My favorite thing would be the plant's spiked yellow teeth.

If you are interested in making your own, here are some books on carving figures in wood and on how to construct marionettes.

See more automata by Keith Newstead on his web site.

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