Swingnaut, part deux

For those of you paying attention, I posted some art a ways back that I co-created with the brilliant Wes Smith. The subject was a mash-up of images I had absorbed from all manner of media- TV, magazines, movies, etc.- pertaining to the atomic era of the 1960s. Specifically, I saw the 60's defined as astronauts, adult beverages, cigarettes, and lounges.

However misguided my imagination was, that is what I saw in my head. The resulting art, which was painted on an amoebic piece of wood, was a delightful astronaut that made me smile when I saw it. I guess I could not leave well enough alone. I decided to give the old guy a little more life by creating him as a wall sculpture. (note to self... find out if 'wall sculpture' is actual terminology in use, and see if it describes what we are talking about.)

This hep cat is roughly 2.5 feet tall from top to bottom. I used mdf fiberboard for the majority of it, carving into it with scooped chisels I picked up in Japan. The bartop is a slab of oak. The stool was particularly trying because the legs broke a couple times, They were just too brittle for my heavy monkey hands. They survived the third fix, and I was able to hang it.

I am pleased with the way in which the hands were carved out to hold the martini (thin plastic) and the cigarette (wooden dowel.) I should have taken a close-up photo of the cigarette. I took an especially long time on it and am very pleased with the realism, which includes an ember that, if you squint, looks like it is really lit.

The ultimate compliment, for me, is that it sold. I hope the person who bought it has a softer touch, and was able to get it safely hung without upsetting the barstool.