Tom Haney - Setting the stage, where magic happens.
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I was excited to get Tom’s Exquisite Doodle box all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. Within my curious imagination, I envision Tom on a stage where I see him taking a bow with his top hat in hand, while gesturing with his other hand to his automata which fill the stage all around him. And then in turn, all his little figures within their automata stages take a bow one by one.
Photo: (Portrait of Tom Haney) ©Gregory Campbell; Photo: “Innocence Revisited,” ©2006 Tom Haney
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I was delighted to find that Tom had doodled on every white space available and that he also painted the interior of his box. I had started his scroll with a few drawings of a tiny flea musical, and then ended it with a toy ship in a bottle…
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and as you can see, where he took it from there is just wonderful.
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This is one of Tom’s electric works. On his website you’ll find he has categorized his sculptures into electric, crank-operated, and motor-driven works, and also figures. You’ll quickly note how well Tom documents his process. Once you’ve clicked on an image to see it enlarged, you automatically get access to a series of photos showing how the work was made: http://www.tomhaney.com/portfolio.htm.
Photo: “A Collection of Thoughts,” ©2008 Tom Haney
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Tom also creates static figures. Even when they don’t have cranks or motors, they are so full of life. Makes me wonder if maybe she doesn’t come to life in secret when nobody’s watching. I’ll never know, but there are plenty of videos to watch other works in action on his website and on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tomcathead/videos?view=0.
Photo: “Serene,” ©2011 Tom Haney
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Here is the way the scroll turned out after Tom doodled in the white spaces I left for him! See Post 14 to compare. Scroll pic 1 of 3,
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scroll pic 2 of 3,
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and scroll pic 3 of 3.
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On Tom’s blog you’ll find the story behind recently finished work with great pics like these: http://tomhaney.blogspot.com.
Photo: “Mixed Signals,” ©2012 Tom Haney
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Looking at Tom’s eyes here as he beholds the little flea, the magic behind his work becomes apparent to me. The beholder is captivated by the work and is magically transformed into storyteller. For the story in Tom’s imagination that led him to create a work fades to the background as the beholder gives new meaning through what he or she sees. The stage has been set, and the story finishes in the beholder’s imagination.
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See, I told you he painted the interior of his box! I separated the box parts to show how he didn’t leave out a thing.
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And this beauty is Grace. She’s powered by an 8mm camera motor. On Tom’s website you can watch a mini video to see how she moves: http://www.tomhaney.com/closeup_grace.htm. And so I close this post with Grace, now you see her stand, now she curtsies and bows her head, and now the curtain closes on the stage…
what happens next, well, that is entirely up to you. Photo: “Grace,” ©2006 Tom Haney |
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