It’s not uncommon for someone who is unfamiliar with my work to ask me, “Can you do a rolling ball sculpture that would go on a wall?” or “Could you do one that was more of a cube than, say, a rectangle?” Not everyone has enough time to scan through my entire catalog of past designs and see what I’ve made. Not only that, but I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of vast possibilities that I could create, so my existing sculptures hardly provide proof of what I might yet make!

I still remember the first time I had a special request for a frame, something that wasn’t a standard geometric shape. A dentist asked me, “Can you do something toothy?” I was happy to say yes! The result was “#30 Molar.” The entire frame is shaped like a giant tooth! Not only that, but I had a little side dental tool knowledge, and I said, “So, dental instruments, those are made out of really high grade stainless, aren’t they?” “Oh, yes,” the dentist said. “They have to be.” “Well,” I replied, “since my sculptures are made out of stainless steel, if you have any leftover ones that you’re not using anymore I could take those and physically add them to the sculpture – “ She grabbed my hand and rushed me toward a room, “Oh, that’s so cool! We have all the old ones here that we can’t use anymore! Take what you need!” That was a wonderfully fun sculpture to create, and it still fascinates and pleases visitors at that dentist’s office.

In addition to more exotic shapes, like the sailing-themed piece, “Flying Hulls,” with a frame modeled directly after the client’s catamaran (I even looked up images on the web to make sure I got the placement and proportions of the sails correct), there are a variety of traditional frame designs that I can do as well. I made one with a circular frame that mounted to the wall as well as a number of rectangular wall mounted sculptures. I’ve done several rectangular box-type frames for free standing rolling ball sculptures that were desktop displays or placed in a display case.

Designs can be incorporated in different ways as well. For instance, instead of doing a rectangular design that mounts to a wall, I could mount it on a half-wall where it would serve as a striking room divider. I have been asked to do one that fits exactly into the space where an aquarium used to be located in a dividing wall, such that both sides of the sculpture can be viewed from different rooms. I created another piece that was tall, narrow and extremely shallow so that it could be placed inside a trade show display case. I can do a design that would fit into a particular display case you already possess or something that fits into a particular existing structure, like a staircase.

Do you have a design in mind, perhaps something themed or maybe just a slightly unusual shape? Maybe it’s an animal theme, or perhaps something sports-related? Or maybe you’re interest runs toward motorcycles, like the query I received to build one shaped like a Ducati engine? I can design themed pieces for events, too, like “The Good Bean,” the small desktop with a kidney-shaped frame I made for a National Kidney Foundation benefit, just let me know your ideas, and we’ll see what we can create!