This week’s selection is the beautiful Freedom of Flight sculptures by Russ Ogi and Eileen Borgeson.
This collaborative work between the two artists began with a sketch by Borgeson, who was inspired by her partner:
She was inspired by Holographer/Visionary, Jeff Allen, Eileen’s partner of 22 years. Initially Allen saw a sculpture of “DNA” being presented to Elon Musk for his “out of this world” accomplishments in the Commercial Space Industry as the “Spaceman of the Year” Award. After seeing the 3D printed sculpture, with Allen’s direction, “DNA” was re-christened “Freedom of Flight.”
The original sketch is shown here:
From the sketch, Ogi was able to deftly convert the 2D concept into a robust 3D representation, using Autodesk Maya.
The resulting 3D model was 3D printed and then finished in two ways: Ogi provided meticulous surface oil painting, while Bergeson applied layers of 23 karat gold leaf and palladium metals.
I think this is a pretty amazing result, as Ogi had ONLY a single 2D drawing of the unusual concept and was able to create a 3D model that not only matched the concept but brought it to life.
Borgeson typically produces art-deco bronze statuettes of this style using conventional methods, so why use 3D printing on this model? Evidently the complex shapes were well beyond the capability of traditional making techniques, and so 3D modeling and printing was the path to success.
As it is becoming in so many areas.
Via Russ Ogi and Eileen Borgeson
