Blog | David Franklin Artist

The Old and the New

July 16, 2015 by David

This Tentacle installation has an interesting setting. It sits on a mantle I carved from fir in 2004 along with the panels on either side. The theme of the carvings were wind and water, with creatures from the water and the Moon on the right panel and creatures of the air and the Sun on the left panel. The mantle has wind and waves flowing out to their respective sides.

The Tentacles are a new contrasting sculptural element. They relate as a theme around the home and also to the carved Octopus on the top of the panel on the right. It is really amazing to work with such kind people who continue to appreciate your art as it evolves, and to see it all working together for a new effect.

View of Tentacles with Wind Cliff Mantle and Panels — Tentacles with Wind Cliff Mantle and Panels

Thank You to the Regional Arts and Culture Council Portland, Oregon

July 1, 2015 by David

view of the rippling wall from the Hawthorne Bridge Portland Oregon — Portland Oregon’s Fire Station 21 on the east bank of the Willamette River from the historic Hawthorne Bridge.

This is a great article about public art in Portland, Oregon, take a look. Percent-for-Art: a point of pride in Portland Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council is one of the best organizations I have ever been fortunate enough to work with. The Rippling Wall project for Fire Station 21 on the East Bank of the Willamette was a dream come true for me, and there are very few metropolitan arts organizations that would take a risk on someone like me for a project like this. Not only did they embrace me and my work but have helped the project gain national attention. For this I can never say thanks enough, especially to Peggy Kendellen and Keith Lachowicz, who were a huge help to me. Peggy Kendellen is on of the best project managers an artist could work with.

The organization’s 30th anniversary is approaching and they have a number of exciting events planned, please take some time to check out the article and see what impact a really great art organization can have on a community and its creative people. Here is a link to their newsletter Art Notes July 2015

The Tentacles of Destruction

June 27, 2015 by David

Just for fun, David Franklin World Headquarters presents: The Tentacles of Destruction 1-5. These low quality videos started as something fun to do with failed greenware, (unfired) tentacles, and evolved into slightly better quality, and more methods of destruction. These tentacles would have otherwise ended up in the garbage can, this way they at least go out in a way that will be remembered. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did making them. They get better as the series goes on….enjoy!

Tentacles of Destruction 1: The Plop of Doom

Tentacles of Destruction 2: The Turdicle

Tentacles of Destruction 3: The Bomb

Tentacles of Destruction 4: Trial by Fire

Tentacles of Destruction 5: The Minivan of Death

Rippling Wall Receives Public Art Network Year in Review Award

June 13, 2015 by David

Fire Fighters in front of Fire Station 21 Portland Oregon

THere was bit of good news this week for The Rippling Wall project at Fire Station 21 in Portland Oregon. It was honored with a Public Arts Network Year in Review award which can be viewed here, by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. Their budget number is a bit off in their entry, my budget was a fraction of that and the building cost much more so I don’t know where that came from.

This year The Rippling wall was recognized as one of 31 outstanding public arts projects created in 2014 by the Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review program, the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling public art. The works were chosen from more than 300 entries across the country and were presented Americans for the Arts’ 2015 Annual Convention in Chicago.

Check out the other incredible public artwork that was selected here.

This project could not have been done without Kurt Nordquist of Davinci’s Workshop, or Arron Whelton and Whelton Architecture, who designed the building and worked closely with me on my project, a great team. Peggy Kendellen of Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council was amazing to work with as well.

Portland Fire and Rescue Chief Erin Janssens, Deputy Chief Marco Benetti, Station Captian Marty Getsch and all the firefighters at the station were great to work with too. Connie Johnson was the project manager with the City of Portland, David Dwyer with Skanska was, the contractor, and Ian Eikanas with KPFF engineered the project.

Carving and Knife Making at Marc Adams School of Woodworking 2015

May 22, 2015 by David

This year’s class project was a sculpture of an otter, followed by a weekend of knife making. These are some images from the class. There were some really great folks who did incredibly well on really challenging projects. A week of wood chips, blood, sweat, sparks, and flames in Franklin,Indiana.

Carving the Otter — Jim compares the drawing to his project

Demonstrating the traditional tools of the Northwest

Last year’s project at Marc Adams School of Woodworking

May 11, 2015 by David

I was invited to teach for my third year in a row at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. It is quite an honor as it is the best school of its kind in America and draws students of all walks of life, and from all corners of the country. Its always a great pleasure to teach here.

I have been teaching 3-D wood sculpture classes, and knife making workshops, alongside some of the finest woodworkers and craftspeople in North America here. My students have been interested in last year’s project so I thought I would post the project progression pictures here plus drawings for an alternate open winged version of the sculpture.

Raven Sculpture Step one — Beginning the Raven sculpture

drawings for an alternate wings open version of the Raven sculpture — drawings for an alternate, wings open, version of the Raven sculpture

Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21Video

March 25, 2015 by David

Portland Fire and Rescue put together this very nice video about the new Fire Station 21 on the East Bank of the Willamette in downtown Portland Oregon adjacent to the historic Hawthorne Bridge. Please take a look, it is very well done, and is a great overview of the project. The narration is from the great dedication speech by Portland Fire Chief Erin Janssens.

Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21 Grand Opening

March 7, 2015 by David

Friday March 6, 2015 was the open house for Portland, Oregon’s Fire Station 21 named for former Commissioner Randy Leonard. Both he and Fire Chief Erin Janssens spoke about the successful bond measure that funded the station, and Station Captain Marty Getch and his great crew that man it. She also spoke about the great team that worked so hard to build the station, which I was fortunate to be a part of.

Also in attendance was current Commissioner Dan Saltzman, the team at Whelton Architecture Aaron Whelton, David Suttle, and Mollie Buhrt who designed such an amazing facility and were instrumental in helping me with my project. Connie Johnson the project manager with the City of Portland, David Dwyer with Skanska, the contractor, Ian Eikanas with KPFF the project engineer, were there, as well as Peggy Kendellen from the Regional Arts and Culture Council who was my teammate and ally through the process. Kurt Nordquist, of Davinci’s Workshop was also in attendance, who is my good friend and fabricator extraordinaire.

Portland Fire and Rescue Chief Erin Janssens addressing the crowd at the open house for Fire Station 21

Former Commissioner Randy Leonard, Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Chief Erin Janssens Deputy Chief Marco Bennetti, project manager Connie Johnson, and the team from Whelton Architecture

The plaque at Fire Station 21 Portland Oregon

Fire Station 21 Dock Gate

March 1, 2015 by David

The last Piece of the Fire Station 21 project is up. It is a brand new dock gate at the Madison St. Pier on the East bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. It also shares the ripple treatment similar to the Rippling Wall, the facade of the station, but serves the purpose of being a fully functional security gate to protect access to the new boathouse and rescue boats used by the firefighters at Portland Fire and Rescue Station 21.

. Metal gate with rippling pattern artwork on dock Dock gate with rippling pattern artwork, Portland in background

Masking Off the Original

October 7, 2012 by David

Beginning to mask off a wooden original with bench clay. You have to cover everything you don't want covered in the mold making plaster which is rigid and doesn't allow for undercuts. — Beginning to mask off a wooden original with bench clay. You have to cover everything you don’t want covered in the mold making plaster which is rigid and doesn’t allow for undercuts.