Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tim Little's Fine Art
Posted By Gavin Sheehan on April 28, 2010, 10:22 PM
While
the function and operation of gear-works have always fascinated the
engineering minds, few look at the industrial mechanisms as forms of
artwork. When in reality the gadgetry pieces of a clock are a
masterpiece in their own right, most take it for granted as an
everyday tool. But one local artist has taken these instruments of
manufacture and turned them into incredible showpieces.
--- Tim
Little has been creating these artisanship machines for several years
now, taking wasted pieces and even just plain scraps from various
places and welding them together into extremely intricate designs,
creating robotic-like pieces from small scale displays to monstrous
models. I got a chance to chat with Tim about his works and now
full-time career, plus his thoughts on local art.
Tim
Little
http://timlittlesfineart.blogspot.com/
Gavin:
Hey Tim, first off, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Tim:
Do you want the boring, artsy, or historical stuff? I am married. I
have six kids and two grandkids. I'm still a kid at heart. I have a
swing in my living-room and still love dragons and castles. I love
the outdoors and wildlife green is my favorite color. My wife will
tell you my mind never shuts off and is constantly creating. I have
been doing art full-time since 2003.
Gavin:
What first got you interested in sculptures, and what were some of
your early inspirations?
Tim:
As a kid, I always was making things with my hands. I remember lots
of clay and lots of doodles. I remember a teacher marking my grade
down on a dot-to-dot that we had to color in. I didn't like the
plainness of the dot-to-dot so I added other lines. I made gold
crown's in my Dad's dental lab and did silver smithing in high school. When I was a jeweler, I thought that I had found what I
loved to do. I found the piece of wood for my first official piece
of art at a reservoir by our house and once I started carving on it I
was hooked. After a month, I quit my job to finish "The
Guardian" and haven't quit creating and never will. I don't
ever plan on retiring. To me this is something I will to till the day
I die.
Gavin:
Did you seek out any college for art studies, and if so, what was
that program like for you?
Tim:
I attended two semesters at Rick's College, now BYU Idaho. I majored
in fine arts. I enjoyed the studies and did well. Unfortunately, I
ran out of money and had to quit school. I got a job, a wife and
kids, and life went on. I often wonder where my career would be now
if I continued on with my education, but I consider myself a
continual learner and believe that my past experiences and lessons
learned have made me a better artist.
Gavin:
Living in Arizona and Nevada, what eventually brought you to
Utah?
Tim: My
wife and I are both desert rats. One day we decided we wanted a
change. A change of art scene, a change of seasons, and a change for
our kids. We decided to move where we always enjoyed visiting. We
love it here. We love the people. We have enjoyed getting to know
the art community and rubbing shoulders with some of the great
artists of Utah. We enjoy having a couple more seasons and the
colors that come with the changes.
Gavin:
How did you first start creating the metal works creatures?
Tim:
I have always wanted to weld. My son got me a welder as a present.
I started having fun with the welder and the rest is history. I have
found that the art world does not as readily accept wood and have
switched my emphasis to metal. I like to incorporate wood with the
metal in a style that I have not seen anyone else use.
Gavin:
Where do you get the parts to make everything in the metal
works?
Tim: A
few bicycle shops, motorcycle salvage, transmission, clutch and
machine shops, old farm equipment, and who knows where the next piece
may come from. Sometimes friends show up with things like old tools
they bought at an estate sale, or junk from their yards. Most people
like the idea that I'm basically recycling or reclaiming something
for a totally different purpose. I guess it can be considered a
"green thing".
Gavin:
Did the designs come about by planning, or was it more accident than
design?
Tim:
Both. I'll sketch ideas to come up with a basic plan and or
proportions. Even then I don't know what it will exactly look like
because of the variety of materials I have to choose from. Other
times I've gone out to the shop with a project in mind, spotted
something in my junk pile that gave me another idea that I liked
better.
Gavin:
What's the usual process behind making one from start to
finish?
Tim:
I start with trying to find the basic pieces for the structure of
what I am making. With the horses and the cougar, I started with a
crank and then hung it up to mount the legs. When I have the basic
shape, I start filling in with parts. With "Big Head, Little
Arms" I knew I wanted the wood in the middle, so I almost had to
work from the outside in. It takes a lot of looking at pieces and
thought. Sometimes, I get stumped for a while and have to take a
break and work on something else. I then burnish it with a wire wheel
clear coat them or paint.
Gavin:
How did you end up with so many different creations in such a short
span of time?
Tim:
I am always looking for a new show to enter or need a new piece for
a gallery. I believe in variety, I don't even like driving the same
vehicle. If I did the same subject all time, I'd be bored to tears
and so would you. I like to have fun with my Art and hope that
others feel the same. I enjoy seeing someone smile, laugh, take a
picture, say "WOW", or show a friend my pieces. If I can do something
that makes you happy, then we are all better off.
Gavin:
Is it a challenge creating bigger designs like the scorpions or the
massive T-Rex, or just the same principals on a bigger scale?
Tim:
On a piece 6' and smaller, I can step back a few feet to make sure
the proportions are correct and there is some balance to it. I
learned the hard way when working on a piece that is 10' to 20',
you've got to take a short hike and view the piece from every
direction. The materials I use also will determine the size of the
piece.
Gavin:
What was the reaction from people when you started showing off these
creations?
Tim:
Usually, “WOW!” I discovered with the bigger pieces that it
became family photo time. I guess it can be a little unique having
your picture taken standing beside a 7' wooden scorpion, a 13'
spider, or a 20' long T-Rex. I found out from someone that lives
nearby that the large pieces in my front yard were used as landmarks
for giving directions.
Gavin:
How did you end up having your work displayed at Michael
Berry?
Tim:
Mike's gallery was one of the first galleries I approached when we
moved to Utah. He really liked my art, but could not picture it in
his gallery with the paintings on the walls and did not think he had
enough space. I always enjoy stopping in and chatting with him. One
time, we were chatting and he was saying how he thought he needed to
put art in the display windows, but worried that the sun would ruin
paintings. I happened to have a horse that I had just picked up from
a show and we decided to put it in the window. He found that the
horse brought into his shop people that normally would not have come
in. Mike will be displaying my art along with Ric Blackerby starting June 18, Stroll night, and extending into July.
Gavin:
What eventually led to you doing city-wide creations like the Flying
Objects displays?
Tim:
Working your way into becoming a recognized artist is kind of like
graduating from college. You have your degree, but no experience.
Most galleries and shows want a resume with solo artist shows, group
shows, gallery showings, awards and such. I am continually
networking and working to improve my resume. One of the areas that I
felt also added credibility to my resume was public art. I am a
believer that public art is a much needed item in any city or town.
It increases their credibility as a entity. I was impressed that
Salt Lake is aware of the positives to displaying art publicly and
wanted to be a part of it. Flying Objects is unique in that it
displays sculptures and not murals, the sculptures are scattered
throughout the city, and they are sculptures that are displayed on
poles. Creating a 12" model to enter was a new challenge for
me, knowing that I wanted to use tools to build the sculpture and
then knowing I would have to make the actual piece about 7 times
bigger using tools again.
Gavin:
Are there any plans to create a series of these, or is it more
creating as you go?
Tim:
I really haven't planned on doing a series of any kind, but if you
walk into my gallery at home you feel like you're walking into a
pasture of horses. Each horse unique with a personality all his own.
I have also made a group of cats that my mother-in-law has most of.
I love dinosaurs and will probably continue to create different ones.
I also know that I would like to do another big dinosaur. But to
sit down and actually do a series, I have not thought about it. I
guess it is more creating as I go.
Gavin:
Going local for a bit, what are your thoughts on our art scene, both
good and bad?
Tim:
When we were in Vegas, the art community was working hard to
implement a Gallery Stroll. We were appreciative of the fact that
not only Salt Lake had a successful stroll, but neighboring cities
like Ogden and Park City. I believe that a Gallery Stroll is an
essential part of a strong art community and something I enjoy being
a part of. We have been appreciative of the art associations and
councils that are there to help the artist. We have learned much
from classes offered and competitions, as well as public art
opportunities that are available. My personal opinion is that because
of the economy and the availability of world wide technology,
artists need to branch out and use different and creative ways of
marketing. The galleries and strolls are a very social part
of the community and are a great educator of the general population.
I have seen all walks of people come in off the street into the
galleries and leave educated and lifted. As an artist, it is not
benefiting me as much because it is more social and people are not
buying.
Gavin:
What's your take on the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll as a whole and how its doing
today?
Tim:
That is something I am always considering and questioning. I don't
know if I have any answers. In my personal research, I learned that
the first entities to pull out of a depression were those that
advertised. Those that were the best known. The more you put
yourself out there, the more success you will have. As an artist,
I used to believe that I could rely on the galleries to make my name
known, but I think with the changing times, we need to look for
additional markets. Back to the gallery strolls, I was disappointed
this year to see that there were less galleries listed than previous
years.
Gavin:
What can we expect from you throughout the rest of year?
Tim:
As a jeweler, I learned when it came to diamonds, women always said
bigger was better. I love the philosophy. So... Look for our 2nd
Annual Fall Show in November at my home gallery.
Gavin:
Is there anything you'd like to plug or promote?
Tim:
Yes, back to big. I think every community should have a big mural
or sculpture depicting their history. Something that every person
could see easily, a landmark. We know history mostly because of art.
We know and understand ancient civilizations through their art.
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