Architecture & Web Art

Utopic Architecture and Web Design

  • Architecture
    • Administrative Buildings
    • Apartments
    • Clubs, Bars
    • Commercial Buildings
    • Day Care Centres
    • Gas Stations
    • Hospitals
    • Hotels
    • Houses
    • Museums – Pavillions
    • Office Buildings
    • Residential Buildings
    • Stadiums
    • Town Halls
    • University-School-Sport Facilities
    • Workshop, Comunity Centers
  • Interior Design
    • Lamps & Lighting
    • Bathroom Furniture
    • Living Room Furniture
  • Web Design
    • Photoshop
    • Illustrator
    • Logo Design
  • DIY
  • Concept & Proposals
  • Utopia
  • Resources
    • Architects
    • Designers
    • Interviews
You are here: Home / Interviews / Interview with Andrew Chase

Interview with Andrew Chase

November 18, 2010 by Dan

We’ve stumbled upon the art of Andrew Chase not long ago, and frankly it amazed us, because his work is surrealistic, and we just had to know who this man was, and how he creates this incredible statues. So if you haven’t heard about Andrew Chase, is not because you have been living under a rock, or you don’t surf the web enough, or you’re not preoccupied with art, bur probably because this artist is not advertised enough. Nonetheless, this is a very interesting artist, and we had the opportunity to interview him regarding his work as a sculptor in metal. If you want to learn more about his work, because this is not his only area of expertise you can visit the official page at: http://www.andrewchase.com/

But in case you are really busy, we’ve included a few images depicting Andrew Chase’s latest creations.

[nggallery id=54]

The Interview:

Q: When did you become an artist, and what was your main interest at first? (I know you also do furniture, and photography)

A: Photography came first, I’ve been a commercial photographer for about 20 years now. I started welding about 16 years ago, and have been making metal sculpture for roughly 7 years

Q: How did you begin making sculptures out of recycled objects?

A: When I first started making sculptures I found it was easier to use preexisting forms and modifying them versus starting with a blank slate. Recycled objects were plentiful and free so to me, they were an obvious choice.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?

A: All over the place; 19th and early 20th century machinery, modern construction equipment (road construction stuff is the most interesting for some reason). Also, I love browsing conceptart.org, there are some phenomenally talented people who post there.

Q: What style of art would you classify your work?

A: I’m not sure. For the most part I’m not trying to work in any particular genre, I’m just making stuff I like.

Q: Why do you choose to make your sculptures and furniture pieces from metallic waste and not any other material? (please correct me if I’m wrong about the metallic waste)

A: I’m not sure if I would classify it as metallic waste but I use recycled car parts because they’re interestingly shaped, not easily identifiable, plentiful, and free.

Q: What is the creation process from idea to the final object?

A: I usually start by matching an animal to a particular function ( elephant as forklift, giraffe as crane etc..). Using reference photos of the live animal plus shots of the skeleton if I can find them,I’ll do a rough full scale drawing highlighting joint placement and basic body outline. I start with the head and once I get that right I build the basic skeleton out of conduit bearings and gears and fill in the body and limbs with 1/4 rod and sheet metal. Once the overall shape looks good it just a matter of refining the edges and a lot of grinding and polishing.

Q:  Who is your typical client that purchases your sculptures?

A: Other than to say people with impeccable taste 🙂 don’t think I have a typical client. They include a museum in Florida, a lawyer in LA and a doctor in Belgium. Strangely, I’m very popular in Belgium and I have no idea why.

Q:  Where do you get your metal from?

A: Mostly from transmission shops and occasionally industrial salvage warehouses.

Q: What is your favorite experience as an artist?

A: The last four hours of a new piece. The sculptures take weeks to make and most of the time if feels like I’m not making any discernible progress at all. However in the last day all the preparation pays off and everything comes together in a rush. Sometimes it feels like they’re building themselves.

Q: Do you have a favorite artist? Maybe somebody that inspired, or influenced you?

A: Dr, Seuss with H.R. Geiger coming in a close second

Q: What is your average day like?

A: I usually start off in the photo studio in the morning and around noon or 1:00, if I don’t have any clients with me, I’ll head over to the garage to make some noise and play with fire.

Q: What motivates you?

A: I like to make stuff that I wish existed but doesn’t.

Q: What are you currently working on, and what plans do you have for the future?

A: I’m currently finishing up a horse, it’s the most sophisticated thing I’ve done so far. Next up is a polar bear.

Q: What would you advise the beginning artists?

A: Do what you love, it will show through in your work. Also, and I speak from experience on this, if no one else likes it, at least you will.

This latest piece of work simply captivated us, so we had to include it here. It’s about the Mechanic Cheetah. But don’t take my word for it, just check it out:




Tell us what you think about Andrew’s work in the comments section below, and if you want to see more of what he does don’t hesitate to visit his website here: http://www.andrewchase.com/

Cheers!

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Andrew Chase, Interview, Machinic Cheetah, sculptor, sculpture

About Dan

Dan Fargo,the editor-in-chief of Archtopia, an online magazine dedicated to architects and designers.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

4 Ways to Add a Western Touch to Your Home

Wall-Mounted Fireplace : Cupola

Interior Design Trends 2011

Interior Design – Previous Trends and Predictions for 2011

Allied Operations – “Magic is in the Air” Beach Hut

25+ Best Logo Designs

Ecker Architekten – Seckach Town Hall

Inside The Empire Hotel | Deluxe King | NEW YORK

The Sketchup Show | 3D Modeling Resource

Apomechanes

Apomechanes 2011 Computational Design Studio

A Touch of the Tuscan Vineyard for Your Home

Scott Edwards Architecture - The Mulligan Residence

Scott Edwards Architecture | The Mulligan Residence

Contemporary Country House for Luxury Living in Chile

Dom Hotel Linz

Domplatz Linz – Hohensinn Architektur

No more Wallpaper. Only Inhabit Wall Flats.

Roberto Puchetti, Max Rengifo – Production Laboratories and Administrative buildings

Giant Cactus-Shaped Biofuel Towers – Biooctanic

The Color Turquoise: Southwestern and Beyond

Utopic Floating Void | Stefano Boeri

DIY Tile Design: Modular Decor Kits

Modern Desks, Make Room: Wonderful Rotating Workspace

SEARCH

Recent Comments

  • a on PizzaKobra by Ron Arad – Flexible Table Lamp
  • http://evasi0ns.org/ on The 15 Greatest Beds: Past and Present
  • Smithg117 on Interior Design CA Colleges
  • best computer screen recording software on 101 Inspirational Quotes from Famous Architects and Artists
  • free web traffic links bonus #1 on 3 Great Ways to Decorate Your Home with Metal

Copyright © · Architecture and Web Art