Greetings from the cultural arm-pit of the universe.

[ArbitraryDesign]

Hello fellow sculptors.

My name is Robert Belgrad and I am a sculptor living in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
In addition to sculpture, I also dabble in photography, furniture and lighting design, jewelry, knife making and forge work, graphics and web design.

Several months ago, while searching the net for inspiration, I stumbled across the web site of Robert Hague, a member of this community.

After several visits to Mr. Hague's web site, I finally e-mailed him to tell him how much I enjoyed his work.
Mr. Hague responded with a nice email, and invited me to join the discussions at this forum....
And so here I am.

I spent the better part of last night viewing many threads in the various forums, and I must admit to a bit of hesitation in introducing myself.

First of all, the collective talent and knowledge in this community is daunting. I am entirely self-taught and I only feel a small percentage of my works are, to any degree, successful.

Second, there seems to be a lot of thinking going on here... and I usually try to leave my brain at the door of my studio.
This is not to say that my work has no direction or intent, but I despise "mental masterbation" art and I am always wary of too much premeditation in my work.

Finally, I am still pissed at Sculpture magazine, and the ISC, for relegating Maquette magazine to the status of a pamphlet included within Sculpture magazine itself.

Maquette was my favorite publication, my sole reason for membership in the ISC and a terribly useful resource!
I discontinued my subscription to Sculpture magazine years ago, and I do not even know if Maquette still exists in ANY form.

Ok, now that I am done venting my decade old frustrations...

Please feel free to visit my web site (which is currently a mish-mash of styles until I design a template I am happy with) and drop me an email to say hello:

http://www.arbitrarydesign.com

By way of introducing my work, I have attached an image of one of my sculptures, and I hope you like it:

Title: Corian Torso
Medium: Carved Corian and brass.
Size: (aprox.) 16" x 10" x 4"

I look forward to meeting you all.
I am sure there is much that I can learn here, and I hope I too will have something worthwhile to share.

Cheers,

Robert Belgrad

[redrajah]

welcome robert,
i've never seen carved corian, interesting and a beautiful piece.

i don't subscribe to sculpture and i am unfamiliar with "maquette" but if you elaborate on what it was or what you miss perhaps we could emulate it here.

[fritchie]

To clarify a bit, when I first joined ISC about 1982 or so, Maquette, the listing of “sculptural opportunities” - commission calls, and so on - was a section inserted into members’ copies of Sculpture magazine. Later, in an effort to make the magazine more of a mainline art offering, ISC published Maquette separately, a simple black and white publication on less-costly paper that was mailed on its own.

After a couple of years in this separate format, Maquette was put back into the main magazine. Robert probably joined ISC when it was separate.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone (not to be chauvinistic)!

[ArbitraryDesign]

Originally posted by redrajah
welcome robert,
i've never seen carved corian, interesting and a beautiful piece.

i don't subscribe to sculpture and i am unfamiliar with "maquette" but if you elaborate on what it was or what you miss perhaps we could emulate it here.


Thank you, redrajah.
I was only half-serious... but Maquette was a fine publication and very useful to me.
I was very disappointed when it was included in Sculpture magazine, and reduced substantially in size.

In addition to the opportunities listings, Maquette also featured in depth articles on new materials, techniques, etc.
It was more of an "industry" publication.

Robert

[Araich]

Ah I wondered what the insert/extra was about. Since my magazine can take 8 weeks to make the 7 day postal journey, it would have been useless to me in any form ;)

Welcome Robert. Feel free to shake it up around here, plenty of fruitless mental loops to, ah, unloop.

What is corian anyway, I've not heard of it.

[ArbitraryDesign]

Originally posted by Araich
Welcome Robert. Feel free to shake it up around here, plenty of fruitless mental loops to, ah, unloop.

What is corian anyway, I've not heard of it.


Thanks for the welcome... and the invitation that prompted my visit to these forums!

to answer your question, Corian is a man made material from DuPont corporation.
It is an extruded acrylic sheet, most commonly 1/4", 1/2" or 3/4" thick. It is quite expensive, so I usually try to purchase scrap material from kitchen cabinet shops and fabricators.

Most varieties have particulate material embedded in it, so it looks a great deal like granite.
It is most commonly used for counter tops, sinks and cutting boards, but it can also be carved using rotary grinders and such.

In addition, certain colors of Corian posess a translucent quality that I find very appealing.
When carved thin enough, it can be back lit, which really brings out the detail in carvings.
Corian can also be laminated, and DuPont makes matched adhesives for each of the colors.

There are other companies that make similar products, most notably Fountainhead... but I have found I prefer working with DuPont's material.

Robert

[Lady Rando]

Hi all. I'm new here also and I have a question before I jump in with both feet and get everyone wet. :D

What is ISC?

[ArbitraryDesign]

Originally posted by Lady Rando
Hi all. I'm new here also and I have a question before I jump in with both feet and get everyone wet. :D

What is ISC?

International Sculpture Center :)

And welcome.

Robert

[Aurora]

Welcome Robert

No need to feel humbled or out of place for being self taught and diverse.

We are all from different backgrounds, studies, teachings, experiences, places and passions. There is no heiarchy; only a common love of art.

Love the piece you posted. Made me gasp.

[ArbitraryDesign]

Originally posted by Aurora
Welcome Robert
Love the piece you posted. Made me gasp.

Thanks very much:)

Usually when I cause someone to gasp, it is because I have said or done something unbelievably foolish..lol

I'm glad you like "Corian Torso".
I posted it here because it is one of my favorites.
After internally debating about it for several weeks, I have decided to do an edition of 10 (+ 1 proof) in bronze.


Robert

[kestonh]

Hi Robert, I've seen your stuff before on alt.sculpture. Interesting work and great use of materials.

I think we could start quite a debate on where the cultural armpit of the universe is actually located...

[ArbitraryDesign]

Originally posted by kestonh
Hi Robert, I've seen your stuff before on alt.sculpture. Interesting work and great use of materials.

I think we could start quite a debate on where the cultural armpit of the universe is actually located...

Hi Keston, and thanks for taking the time to look and comment.
I visited your site and I think your work is very cool!
I like your web site very much and I have bookmarked it so I can look at it in greater detail when time permits.

I noticed on your page that you are from Asheville, NC.
I lived in Asheville for about a year, but that was over a decade ago.
It's really beautiful there, but at the time there was not much in the way of "culture" to be found there.

People have told me that quite a few artists had moved there in the past several years, galleries had opened, and in fact, it had turned into sort of an artist's mecca.

From your post, I am assuming that my information was not correct?

Robert

ps.
The attached image is a work in progress... I worked on it for 3 days and it has been sitting around, un-touched for about 5 years...lol
I may never get around to finishing it, at this rate.

Title: I don't know yet.
Medium: Carved Polplar.
Size: aprox: 36" x 16" x 5"

[kestonh]

Actually, I was thinking more of other places I've lived. (Detroit, Cleveland, etc..)

I've been living 20 miles south of Asheville for about a year. Most of what you have heard about is true. There are a ton of galleries and an active art community. This area is trying to model itself as an art-tourism destination. I need to make a little more work before I start shilling...ah...selling myself to the galleries around here.

Your work process sounds a lot like mine! I've got a bunch of half finished and completely screwed up pieces laying around waiting to be finished or assimilated into a new piece.

[icreate]

welcome from another newcomer. went to your site and was interested to see more, but it was taking a long time to load. It looks like you are mulitcreative and the work is impressive. I look forward to seeing more of it.

Bridgette

[ArbitraryDesign]

I know it's been a while since I posted this, but I thought I would let you all know that I have updated (completely re-designed) my site.
It now contains MUCH less superfluous flash animation and should be faster loading.
I have also added a lot of new work, which I hope you will enjoy.


Cheers!

Robert

[arcdawg]

All I can say is WOW...........

website is great and the art ROCKS -

[ArbitraryDesign]

All I can say is WOW...........

website is great and the art ROCKS -
Thanks a lot :)

[dwright]

Yep...the website is stunning and so is the art. Nicely done.

[ArbitraryDesign]

Yep...the website is stunning and so is the art. Nicely done.
Thank you very much.
I'm glad you enjoyed the site, and my work.

~ Robert

EDIT:
I just visited your web site... and your work is FANTASTIC!
You've got a new fan. :)

[Scout]

Wow, I must agree, that site is very interesting and upbeat. Great music choice. Wonderful sculptures too. One compliments the other very well. Scout

[ArbitraryDesign]

Wow, I must agree, that site is very interesting and upbeat. Great music choice. Wonderful sculptures too. One compliments the other very well. Scout
Thanks, mate!

~ Robert

[dirdim]

Nice title for your intro posting Robert, but as a fellow Baltimorean I really must disagree, if only on principle.

It's been a while since we met, I would love it if you could come over again to see the lastest and greatest work that we're doing with art and sculpture. Bring a piece over and we'll scan it for you - it'd look great on your website in 3D.

We've moved and grown since your last visit and doing a LOT in the sculpture area for artists, foundries, galleries, museums, etc. Check out our new website at www.directdimensions.com, especially the 3D interactives.

And check the back cover of the latest Sculpture magazine for an image taken during a recent project

Hope to hear from you.

Michael Raphael

[ArbitraryDesign]

It's been a while since we met, I would love it if you could come over again to see the lastest and greatest work that we're doing with art and sculpture. Bring a piece over and we'll scan it for you - it'd look great on your website in 3D.

Deja vu!
This is exactly the same offer you made several years ago, which I was quite excited to accept... and yet you never followed through.
Instead, you showed me around your facility, discussed your capabilities and web site at great length, and you devoted only passing interest to the sculpture I brought to be scanned.
After my visit, you kept me on the hook for several months, primarily discussing graphics you wanted me to design for your web site, and I finally lost my enthusiasm and all interest in your company.


We've moved and grown since your last visit and doing a LOT in the sculpture area for artists, foundries, galleries, museums, etc. Check out our new website at www.directdimensions.com, especially the 3D interactives.
And check the back cover of the latest Sculpture magazine for an image taken during a recent project.

Congratulations on your success, and on your continued and remarkable ability to turn any forum topic into an advertising venue for your company.
Once again, your focus is not on my art (the topic of this thread), instead your comments are focused only on promoting your company.


Hope to hear from you.

Actually, it was you who stopped responding to my e-mail when I finally lost my patience and asked if we were going to continue talking, or actually DO something.
Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice... well, you know the rest.

Have a nice day.

[dirdim]

That's great Robert, with an attitude like this it's a wonder you aren't more successful.

Actually my reluctance then to scan that piece or have you do any work for us was that your attitude came thru then too. How could I forget that and send you such a nice email yesterday.

Guess we both got fooled.

Best of luck with the promotion of your art. Obviously you don't need us, you have a certain way about yourself that will always come thru, I am sorry to say.

Michael

[ArbitraryDesign]

That's great Robert, with an attitude like this it's a wonder you aren't more successful.

Best of luck with the promotion of your art. Obviously you don't need us, you have a certain way about yourself that will always come thru, I am sorry to say.

Michael
This is the second of my threads that you have hijacked, first at Google Groups and now here.
I trust the more discerning members of this community will recognize your post as the unsolicited SPAM it is, and respond accordingly.
In the future, if you wish to promote your business, I suggest you start your own topic rather than appropriating other people's threads to serve your agenda.

If my "attitude" were so objectionable when we first met, perhaps you should have had the courage to say so, rather than stringing me along for months.
Contrary to your revisionist history, what really happened was you lost interest in me as soon as you realized I was not going to be a paying customer, yet you kept me on the hook to hedge your bets for the future.
For that matter, had I been so unpleasant, one would imagine you would have remembered it, as I so clearly remember the run-around I got from you.

I'm not going to engage in a public pissing contest with you.
For the sake of fairness, let's say that I am a miserable SOB.
Picasso, Rodin, Pollock and many other "successful" artists also fall into that category, so I am in good company.
Apparently we gauge success differently. Your measure seems to have a dollar sign in front of it, while mine relates to happiness and my growth as an artist.
At the very least, I don't misrepresent myself by offering free services I have no intention of providing, nor do I insincerely curry favor in the hopes of some future personal gain.
So my "attitude" and I will continue to sleep soundly at night. :)

And you are correct. I have no need of your services.
I am quite capable of scanning anything I need re-sized, or modelling in Maya (and ZBrush) anything I might need in the digital realm.
Your capabilities are not the only ones that have grown with time... and oddly enough, sculptors have gotten by for centuries without you and your company.

Robert Belgrad
SOB, Sculptor & Designer
www.ArbitraryDesign.com

P.S.
I received no e-mail from you yesterday. I even checked my spam filter.
Another fabrication.

[Thatch]

Robert,
Hi, I just joined up today and want to say that not only do I like the sculpture in Corian but I really like the idea of it, and using the left overs of the building industry.
I do have a question about the tools that you use on it. I sculpt in wood and use power tools like an angle grinder with Arbor Tech, die grinders with burrs and sanding drums, and rotary rasps. OK, the question; Do you have a problem with the acrylic melting and if so do you resort to using the water cooled grinders designed for working with stone?
Speaking of armpits, isn't Baltimore reknowned for the quality of the local crabs?
Thatch

[ArbitraryDesign]

I do have a question about the tools that you use on it. I sculpt in wood and use power tools like an angle grinder with Arbor Tech, die grinders with burrs and sanding drums, and rotary rasps. OK, the question; Do you have a problem with the acrylic melting and if so do you resort to using the water cooled grinders designed for working with stone?
Hi Thatch, and welcome to the community.
To answer your questions, I use a Foredom flex-shaft carver with a foot pedal for variable speed. For my roughing, I typically use Kutzall (http://www.excaliburtools.com/kutzall_-_extreme.html) burrs, then drum sanders to clean it up before hand sanding.
Heat is not an issue with the Kutzall burrs, as the Foredom is kept at lower speeds. The finer sanding drums can generate a bit of heat if you aren't careful.
Corian can also be thermoformed to some degree, but the heat must be exactly right. Too hot makes it bubble and turn brown, and not enough heat will cause stress fractures and discoloration during bending.
This link (http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Bending_Corian.html) has some good information about bending Corian.

Speaking of armpits, isn't Baltimore reknowned for the quality of the local crabs?
Yup. The Maryland Blue crab is considered to be among the best, but I'm not actually a big fan of crabs.
I got a bad one as a kid..... nuff said! :D

[Thatch]

Thanks,
A pedal controlled flex shaft grinder is going to be part of my next purchase and I had the Kutzall burr site already bookmarked for future buying. Nice to know that what I already had in mind can be used for something as different as Corian. I can get some free samples to fart around with before I buy some, so that is a good thing too.
One other question I have is about the dust created. Do I need dust collecters, respirator, special ventelation or can I get by with just a fan and a dust mask? One of the problems I have with working in hardwoods is that I can only do it outside. Corian might be just the stuff I need for working when it is too hot or cold to be outdoors.

Thatch

[ArbitraryDesign]

One other question I have is about the dust created. Do I need dust collecters, respirator, special ventelation or can I get by with just a fan and a dust mask? One of the problems I have with working in hardwoods is that I can only do it outside. Corian might be just the stuff I need for working when it is too hot or cold to be outdoors.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Corian dust, as well as the dust from other brands of solid surface material, is very nasty stuff.
The main ingredient (or binder) is acrylic, which is not bio-degradable, and your respiratory system has trouble getting rid of it. The particulate matter suspended in it, which gives it the look of stone, is often carcinogenic, and should be treated accordingly.

Aside from the various health risks, Corian dust is very fine, and tends to clog filters in respirators, shop vacs, dust collectors and air purifiers.
It's a real pain in the ass to clean up, and it gets everywhere.... at least it does when I work with it!

Having said that, it machines like a dream and there is no grain to worry about. also, it has a really nice amber glow when it is carved thin and back-lighted.
It's got it's pros and cons, but it's worth playing around with... as long as you have a decent respirator and shop vac to clean up after yourself.

[Thatch]

Thanks again.

Thatch

[ArbitraryDesign]

Thanks again.

Thatch
My pleasure.

~ Robert