When I first learned about 3D printing, I couldn’t wait to do it myself. I pre-ordered a printer from 3D Systems, which doesn’t even sell consumer 3D printers anymore, and waited 7 months to receive and use it.
For an industry that’s actually been around 30 years, 3D printing has gone through what seems like several lifetimes of transformation. So have I.
I’ve been working for 10 plus years with 3D printing, participating in its growing pains as well as its remarkable advancements.
I commissioned an 8-foot-tall 3D printer that went through almost as many lifetimes as a cat as developer Steve Graber and I upgraded and replaced parts and software. I’ve used Graber’s Cerebus 3D’s Gigante 3D printer to create sculptures more than 6 feet tall.
I’ve printed in PLA, bronze, rubber and myriad specialty filaments, including the one that changed color in the sun – but only about 5 times before it stopped changing. (The resulting sculpture, Soundwaves (upper right), is still beautiful).
I’ve also used 3D printing in practical ways, creating tools, props and other items that are more about getting things done than beauty.
Lately I’ve been using 3D printing to create forms that are then reproduced in bronze, like Oculum Magnum, and mirror-polished stainless, like Spires (left). This is where my curiosity is taking me these days.
3D printing has become more of a tool that I use to create my work than a final sculpting medium. It gives me less to talk about, frankly, because it’s mostly about CAD design rather than the challenges of making what I see in my head come out in luscious translucent or other filament.
That doesn’t mean I’ll stop making 3D printed sculpture – you never know where your curiosity will take you.
I’ll also still post here occasionally, but the wind has shifted for this aspect of my practice, and I’m OK with that. For me, being an artist means following that curiosity (what some may call “passion”).
I appreciate you coming along for the ride, and I will continue to share when it seems pertinent.