Cellphone pictures... a year of careless abandon - mobiles

My initial interest in starting this blog eight years ago was sharing quality photographs and writing in a real web log style - as I used to some years before, when open diaries were fashionable.  Right, Alice and Jose?
Then of course it became all about the photographs and my new artistic endeavor.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I appreciate some quality macro photography and documentation.  Well, something happened over a year ago where I said "fuck it, I'm in a hurry."  And I stopped properly documenting, which is not to say that I did not document... I just documented mediocrely.
Like... very poorly.  For my standards.  Which weren't very high to begin with considering the troubles I've had with white balance... but whatever!
With nothing further, I submit to you my poorly documented work.  Of a particularly important part of my creative life...

Mobile work from December 2015 to March 2017

At some point, my mom mentioned wanting to buy a mobile from the Guggenheim giftshop... and that must have been forever ago... I got interested in mobiles and read about Alexander Calder, and watched videos of his pieces and his creative process.  I even taught a lesson for fifth grade where they made mobiles.  In December 2015, Octo told me he wanted me to make something for his sister's birthday but that it probably shouldn't be jewelry.  I though, I can make something decorative for her dojo... and brainstorming for that is when I decided to finally try out the mobile idea.

These are actually screenshot stills from an iPhone video I took in my bedroom that night.  

Below are the mandrel bead pics, I used black and red glass because of the relevant connections with Japanese culture... and made some very round parts and tried to include some large bubbles, which of course you cannot properly see.

I hadn't figured out how to package this yet, so we literally just drove over and put it in her hand.  We used the car headlight to show her the colors, lol. 

Then I made one for mother's day, of course.  Out of everything I make, usually one of the first few pieces goes to my mom.  And this one was pretty epic because it is very big and flowery and the colors are totally her.   

Unfortunately this is also a screenshot still from an iPhone video, at the time I said, "who cares, I can just go to the house and take proper pictures later" - but then I never have. 

my favorite little bit:

Then Christmas came and I made this Star Wars planets-themed one for my Bordanea-Da Silva friends.  And I invented the packaging that I have continued using for all mobiles.  Basically it's a flat box with a loose piece of cardstock inside, sections arranged and minimally taped in order (though for the most part the order doesn't matter) and arrows showing how to connect it.  There is quite a bit of nylon string and a pre-tied slipknot to attach to the top loop.

They later asked me to make one more planet, Mustafar, which is Dante's favorite.  

Other Christmas gifts:  

I made one smaller mobile for Ifi, my brother's girlfriend.  It's got blue and orange in different styles, but all perfectly round.  I was concerned by this one travelling to Miami so I made a shape that I know is unbreakable.  I also changed to clear nylon, rather than blue. 

Made a rainbow one for my dad, who complains 'the gays stole the rainbow'.  A straight man can like the rainbow!  Yes dad, it's fine.
I really love this one, he has it in his big white painting studio, right where the light hits it.

Thennnnn I made this one for my friend Nikos' wedding, which was in early January at the beach.  He and his wife also don't live in Panama, so I made round beads to make sure they would travel well.  Honestly the wire is what preoccupies me the most with these.
The wire I'm using is brass, which is easily malleable, but also retains it's shape pretty well for hanging.  The heaviest mobile I've kept in contact with is my mom's, and it hasn't warped much.  What does worry me is it getting bent accidentally and then the person not getting it back to a nice smooth shape.  I expect the color of the metal to tarnish, which I actually prefer over the golden.

Because of Nikos' love for the beach and nature, I used plenty of murrine for this one, to look like flowers and marine life.  I also added a little brass hook this time. 

Still in January 2016!  My best friend's birthday.  I asked her what color she would like for her apartment and she said turquoise.  Again, used plenty of murrine, because I love it.  Continued with the round shape for travelling, since it needed to go to New York.

Rex must have thought it was candy or something, sweet boy. 

I made this one that April, as a thank you gift for my dad's cousins who let us crash their beautiful beach house twice.  I used colors that I associated with that beach. 

Afterwards... I made a series of mobiles for weddings and I'm sorry if it's you, but I kind of lost track.  There were cousins, friends... and of course lousy lighting.  At this point, I decided to change the way I looped the sections together, to make it so that they can't slide out of place.  Which was a problem before with some of the mobiles. 

Marco?

Sarah?  I feel like this one was for Sarah because I made it at my parents house...

But then whose is this?

Notice how the loops in these sections are increasing by size, how fun!

These I made around Christmastime 2016 with the idea of selling them individually for people to mix and match their own mobiles.  

That sale did not go so well and we ended up giving them to friends during our holiday trips.  :)

This one was for Octo's cousin Laura's wedding.  I used pieces from above, and made the rest. 

This one was for Karina, with blown glass.

and on that note:

 ...to be continued...