Hawaii Prop and Set Sculptor

Note: This site continues to grow with new and old work. Please call or email me for a full portfolio.

Artistic Intent As a visual artist I am deeply concerned with the impact our constructed environment has on our perception of place. Our impressions are very brief as trend and commerce take precedence over integrity. Selling the image of Hawaii has largely been the occupation of entrepreneurs, not artists. It is a very fine line I too cross over as I manage to scrape together a living, but it always comes back to the greater interest in creating work that leaves a lasting impression within myself.

David is also the founder of Grassroots Playscapes, a custom playground company specializing in early child development. For more information please visit: http://www.playplanters.com

Sculpture

			GOAT 40" X 22" X 25" This sculpture was created at a barn where I was collaborating with a fellow sculptor to produce a life-size horse. The goat attracted my interest partially through its brutality to a parked Lincoln it decided to attack and rock back and forth. I was also struck by the symbolism of the goat as the undesirable troublemaker. The head is positioned at the point of either attack or retreat which is the duality of its character I was intrigued with.
			Siberia 17" X 10" X 21" The woman I was sculpting from for this portrait was imprisoned in Siberia where she was afflicted by severe malnutrition which was evident in her muscle tone. Her strength as a dancer gave her a certain stamina that overcame her suffering. Though she was very reserved and pleasant to talk to, there was this sadness to her that I was able to portray. Its an unsettling piece, but it is honest.
			Relief Series 9" X 4" X 9" A series of four reliefs was created for an interior wall. Included in the series was a bird, fish, butterfly, and squirrel. Similar forms were once created by artisans to adorn both the interior and exterior of buildings. References to nature help instill a sense of belonging to a larger world where natural form is our foundation.
			Gargoyle 18" X 6" X 8" The gargoyle's presence in architecture served the function of emptying the water out of rain gutters, but it also represented the evil that stood outside the confines of the church. For some of my work, I allow the weather to finish the job of sculpting which gives it a natural pattern the human touch is incapable of replicating with such ease.
			Martha 11" X 9" X 13" This portrait is from a woman who use to be a student of Martha Graham. I found it very compelling that someone as overweight and aged could still think of herself as a dancer. There is beauty to be found in any person if you are interested in finding it. I was able to capture the grace she still possessed in the memories of her youth.
			Weighted 11" X 11" X 32" Upon moving to Hawaii I was only able to work on smaller scale sculptures since I no longer had a studio to work in. I produced several pieces that attempted to combine the figure with architectural elements. The figures are struggling to keep their structure from falling to the earth. The sculpture refers to classical sculpture that included the figures in architecture but was more representational and not interactive.
			Horse Sketch 14" X 7" X 8" While developing a life-size horse, I took several opportunities to learn about the architecture and grace of these beautiful creatures through drawings and quick clay sketches. I developed the technique of clay sketching to help myself concentrate on the form as a whole which a rendering cannot do. Just like a drawing, the sketches that I liked, I kept. This is one of four that I still possess.
			Remains 33" X 28" X 36" I was interested in relating my sculpture to its classic origins. Everything we receive from the past has been transformed by corrosion and erosion as well as the context in which we display the sculpture. Made of plaster, I let the rain and snow eat away the surface which gave it a more natural texture.
			Solitary Gathering 7" X 7" X 12" Who we are is often confused by what is expected of us. We gather to form some semblance of order, but in it there is often disunion and struggle. There are four figures that are at different stages in life that separates them in form and intent. The unity they create is a product of the juxtaposition of their opposition.
			Jack 32" X 14" X 26" Sculpted from Jack the horse in Brooklyn, NY. I wanted to find if the character of a horse could be revealed much like a person who poses for a portrait. In portraiture you find that the mystery of a person unfolds through your medium if you have done good work. I found the same held true for Jack.
			Cornerstone 24" X 26" X 36" This sculpture was inspired by the building fragments collected in back of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Each piece told a tale that was somehow lost to the passage of time and myth. My cornerstone was part of a series, this one in particular representing fall. An elfin figure plays to his audience of a rat and a crow.
			Walters Room Exhibit No. 12 15" X 18" X 5" The story involves the police who recover a variety of constructed objects from the home of a middle-aged recluse who has mysteriously disappeared. The viewer never knows exactly what to expect from the object which expresses the longing to be part of a community which can only be realized through extreme measures.
			Crouching Female Nude 4' X 3' X 4.5' The modeling was produced for a piece for MADD and was never realized. It was 2.5X life scale and was juxtaposed with a similar figure around a seating area. One figure represented suffering and the other strength.

Production and Props

			Mushroom Paradise I sculpted these mushrooms props for Fantasy Island at Bellows Recreation Park in Hawaii. It was quite surreal when completed and somehow fit right in. Over fifteen mushrooms were made ranging in size from three feet to five feet high.
			Man Trapped in Stone 33" X 40" X 86" This scene depicted a man who was turned into stone for making a nuisance of himself. It was one of the first props I made for television which taught me to exaggerate the form since the camera will often flatten the appearance. Around this time I became a member of IATSE 665.
			Angkor Wat 16' X 30' X 18' This was an entry to a temple I had to copy from images of Angkor Wat. The rest of the temple was imaged around the set where the characters discover an ancient relic. I was amazed at how realistic it became. Most of the facade is made of foam with a backing of wood supports which was made by union carpenters.
			Barbie's Castle 7' X 5.5' X 5' A sand castle prop was for a commercial shot in Hawaii for Barbie. I never saw the commercial but I am told she was suppose to be waving from one of the archways. It now resides outside the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center being scratched apart by cats.
			Treasure Boxes 3' X 2' X 30" Pulled from the depths of the ocean by a naked woman, the dupliicate treasure boxes were suppose to release all kinds of curses upon a small community of gays and lesbians on Dante's Cove. The prop came out very authentic. I wish I could have kept one, without the curses of course.
			Sea Horse 3' X 2' X 8' No, it is not a giant popsicle. The director somehow had a small girl flying around on this in the film. It now sits amongst other strange, sea creatures at the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center. I think it really belongs on a merry-go-round.
			Tiki Statues 24" X 21" X 72" After leaving polluted NYC I found myself making foam tikis in Hawaii. Hopefully these figures are still around, but unfortunately so is the discarded foam waste - forever in a landfill.
			Lots of fish 36" X 22"' X 50" Behind budget, time and patience we managed to complete this set for a benefit. I think the dinner guests took them home as door prizes.
			North Shore Here I helped Master Plaster Louie perform a whole series of work for the reception hall of a hotel set. The work performed included building stone walls, plastering walls and ceilings, laying tiles, and surfacing cement columns and cross beams. The whole project was an incredible accomplishment by member of IATSE Local 665.
			Radioactive Ponds This prop was made for a show that featured a man revisiting his childhood fantasies which have somehow gone astray since he left them in the past. This was a result of my first try at using a hot wire which left me with a permanent nervous disorder from inhaling polystyrene fumes. I'm only joking - or at least I hope I am.
			Heart Association Gala Ball It is sad that even in Hawaii we make palm trees out of foam and PVC. They were impressive but worrisome since the person who designed the prop did not account for them being so top heavy. I was convinced that some millionaire was going to be crushed to death during the course of the evening.
			Bouncing Octopus I was designing a playground for Lanikai with a large wooden ship. I approached the manufacturer (Henderson) of the play equipment with the design for some marine-life features. It is now in their catalog, but I never received royalties for my contribution. Perhaps they never sold any...?
			KFC Employee Award 6.5" X 4.5" X 8" The CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken prided himself on being eccentric, so instead of giving his employees the usual rubber chicken they had me produce a motorized, clapping teeth. They called it the YUM award.
			Fountain of Youth Making this prop added some years to me. With only three days to sculpt it for AT&T and one assistant for two days, we were able to do the impossible. The director took too much time retaking an early shot to the extent that high tide came barreling in knocking some elderly people over and lifting away major portions of the set.
			Lost I am forbidden to use an of the images of the objects I made for this show because the Disney folks basically have you sign all your rights away as an artist. I carved and plastered many of the more ornate stone features in their cave dwelling. Click here for photos taken by someone I do not know!
			Wishing Well 6' X 6' X 9' Foam wishing well. Another prop made overnight. It came out really well, but no one ever told me it would be placed in a windy area. Watching the show you can see it sway back and forth behind the actors. Just how much does the viewer notice?
			Grave Yard Scene Sometimes the only work available to a sculptor is to make grave stones. It is sort of like being a ditch digger or a copper polisher. The difference was that I carved it with a hot wire and sand paper and was able to choose whose name was carved onto them. The production was called Dante's Cove.
			Stonehenge? They said they wanted mini-Stonehenge but the director wanted it in a river bed instead of a circular formation. After spraying the area for flying insects the night of the shot, the actors refused to work because giant Hawaii centipedes were crawling all over the set. They moved it once again and it is now in Public Storage waiting for another chance.