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Bio
I was born on November 18, 1971. By the end of that month, I had a pretty good grasp of physics...
But seriously folks...
My mother says that I was always most fascinated by mechanical things. She tells a story about taking my sister and myself on a field trip to a farm when I was just over two years old. She thought that we would enjoy seeing the animals. She had a hard time drawing me away from the latch on the gate. I always had to play with things that had moving parts; to try and figure out how they worked. When we took family walks on the beach, my mother and sister would collect sea shells. I would always pick up man-made items. Bottle caps and other debris...
I always tinkered with things. I took apart all kinds of electro-mechanical stuff, and tried to get it back together. I probably destroyed some perfectly good stuff in the process.
I developed a lot of practical mechanical skills working on projects with my grandfather in his workshop.
My Grandfather,
James Gainer
I learned some carpentry from my stepdad as well. I built all kinds of forts as a kid, and quite a few skateboard ramps.
I fell into theatre work while I was attending Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Florida. Eventually I moved to Atlanta, and worked for several years building sets and scenery for movies, television, and theatre at Special Projects, Inc. That was a fabulous learning experience. I tinkered with my own little mechanical projects in the mean time...
My big inspiration came in the form of a January 1996 article in Smithsonian Magazine. It was a story about kinetic sculptor and MIT artist in residence Arthur Ganson. You can view the article on Smithsonian's excellent website by clicking HERE (new window). You can view Ganson's amazing work and download REAL movies of his sculpture in action by clicking HERE (also a new window).
I started my first kinetic sculpture, The Hand, shortly after reading this article. It's still not really finished (will it ever be?), but it's posted on my site, and accessible from the motorized stuff menu.
Since mid 2001, sculpture has become a more serious pursuit. I've learned to weld, which has been essential to producing the ideas in my head. Steel is such a versatile medium. Unlimited really...
My first show opened at Saltworks Gallery on March 16th, 2002, with hopefully many more to come.
You can contact me by sending email to:
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