Here I am working on one of my current projects.   The process started out on paper after much research.  After I decided on how I wanted the end result to turn out, I gathered the needed materials.  Once I had those in place, I did a dry run, i.e., I assembled all the pieces on a flat service.  This accomplished several things. The first, provided me with a visual on how the pieces would fit together; second, it provided a quasi-visual of the final assembled piece; and third, it tells me if I need to make adjustments, swap out components and lastly if I need additional components.

The slideshow below, shows me in the assembly (fabricating) process.  Here I am using a mig welder  to weld the steel parts together.

Can you tell what the final project will be?  Not yet? Leave me your best guess in the comments section.

Stay tuned as the project takes shape...

I often surf the Internet for sculptures and other art mediums to see what sparks my interest--or catch my eye  if you will. I also look through magazines and catalogues for eye-catching designs or "the look" to spark my imagination. Everything that I look at, whether in print, on the television, or in real life, I examine from an artistic point of view to see if there is art value in it.  As a self-taught artist, this is how the process begins for me and my very active imagination.

Art value to me is something that visually stimulates my spark of imagination or rather my very active imagination.  An item may have the lines or curves that will drive me to distraction and I end up taking out my sketch pad and sketching out several designs that move me.  However, as most other artists know, once I start to paint or fabricate,  the sketch pad falls to the wayside and I create solely from my creative "mind’s eye". Most of my designs do
actually start out on paper, however, without fail, the sketched design never materializes as the end product as my mind takes over and I end up with a completely new design.

I often wake up in the wee  hours of the morning with a new design that I must start on right away.  To say that I am then consumed is a gross understatement...my family likes to say that I am possessed or obsessed (depending on which one you ask) with the work until it is completed to my satisfaction.  Which can take hours or days...most of my work does not stretch out into months, at least not the creating part of it.  The finishing process may stretch out depending on the work in progress for example, one of my steel sculptures, if it is to be painted or powder coated will end as the finishing process takes longer to complete.

The creative process for me is more about the art of discovery rather than the actual creation.  What I mean by that is the discovery process is a culmination of the  sketched design that I mentioned above and the finished piece. Remember that I do not often stick with the work on paper rather I end up with an object of discovery as my imagination takes over and completes the finished art piece.

So tell me, what sparks your creative juices?