My gravitation towards industrial machines comes in part from the environment I was raised in rural North Yorkshire, England. The area was heavily industrial, filled with steam engines, ships, foundries, and metal workers. The work I create also reflects a combination of my skills over many years working in the film industry as a sculptor and special effects artist.

Self-taught as a sculptor, I combine my fascination with characters who tell stories in their own right and meld them with animated apparatus, vehicles, and gizmos that speak to our history coexisting and engaging with machines.

I am constantly on the lookout for discarded machine parts that seem to have a purpose no longer. For me, new assemblages happen in two ways; I find metal parts or instruments that inspire me and roughly mock up the piece drawing from the stock I have in my workshop. This stock is a collection of parts I have amassed from aerospace and traditional scrap yards, flea markets, and charity shops.

My other process is to start with a concept and develop the design in drawings, then either search out or make the desired components from objects that have had past lives like machines, tools, scientific instruments, or ornaments.

My goal is to entertain the viewer with an interactive experience with curiosity and humor and share the hidden beauty of the mechanical world.

In this piece, “Steam Trike” I sculpted the figure in clay and cast it in resin, then painted it. The back boiler glows with lights from LEDs. The wheel is from a vintage baby carriage.

More info: christowlesculptor.com

“Steam Trike” front view

“Steam Trike” side/back view

“Steam Trike” side view

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