Animated Neon Eye for Simon Moretti

I was recently approached by the artist Simon Moretti to re-appraise a piece he had previously had made of a single neon eye and he was looking to add an additional layer of neon and animate the two together. Simon sent me the visual below as a guide to what he was looking to achieve.

The glass used was 10mm White 3500K for the lashes and lower eye and 10mm standard green for the iris on the first layer with 10mm White 4500K and 10mm Super Blue iris on the second layer.

The two separate eyes were mounted using 70mm high tube supports for the outer layer, with the same tube supports cut down to 25mm for the lower bottom layer.

In these photos I have rigged the piece up on my bench over the installation drawing to check that it all fits together correctly.  The electrodes and joining pieces of glass were painted out in a grey paint.

This picture shows the two separate transformers and two way flasher unit that was used to animate the two eyes.

 

A short video of the neon piece flashing from one channel to the other to check and adjust the speed of flash.

The Iconic Image of Che Guevara in Neon

 The Iconic Image of Che Guevara reproduced in Neon

The iconic image of Che Guevara, shown here in neon, and originally taken by photographer Alberto Kordo on 5th March 1960, is one of the most recognised and reproduced images of the 20th Century. The terrible irony being that the reproduced image, sold on printed  t-shirts, posters and any other number of items is a product of a capitalist society so hated by the anti-capitalist Marxist, Che Guevara, a man who dreamt of a classless society and the abolition on money.

The piece was made using 10mm uncoated cobalt blue glass filled with blue gas (argon/neon mix), 10mm clear glass filled with blue gas, 10mm uncoated cobalt blue filled with neon gas, 10mm coated ruby filled with blue gas and a small piece of 10mm coated cobalt blue filled with neon and features the small neon star pictured above which sits on the beret that he is wearing.

Initially I asked to make this for a client but felt quite early on within the process that I wouldn't be able to live up to his expectations and returned his deposit in full. Having already done the drawings I decided to make the piece anyhow and was very happy with the results and no money has changed hands other than the purchase of the glass.

I am located in Farnham, Surrey in the UK. Any commissions or enquiries for the manufacture or installation of any neon sign projects, sculpture or neon artworks that you are thinking of, please contact me through my email address as shown in my contact details.

Blue Neon Cat

10mm clear blue neon cat mounted onto an old neon beer sign frame.

Neon Health and Safety

See no Evil

Hear no Evil

Speak no Evil

All made in 10 mm white 1A with 10 mm standard blue surround. 25m/A electrodes. Waiting to be properly mounted.

Neon Chainsaw

What do you do with the broken body of a chainsaw? Add some neon to it....obviously.
10mm clear glass with 30m/A electrodes filled with argon, running on a 2kV transformer.  Perfect.

Vernon Semper Viret

Alison Carlier,  Vernon Semper Viret, neon and transformers 2016

I've just finished and installed this piece of neon for Alison Carlier at Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth. Alison was awarded the Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award 2016 and this piece is the culmination of Alison's 10 week residency at the gallery.

Alison did all of the artwork for the lettering by hand to produce this lovely outline with serif type face.

The neon was made in 10mm white and turquoise with 25m/A electrodes and runs off three 25m/A transformers.

Tristin Lowe's Comet: God Particle at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

 Tristin Lowe's Comet: God Particle, 2011, Glass, neon, aluminium 

On a recent trip to Richmond, Virginia, I was lucky to stumble upon Tristin Lowe's Comet: God Particle, on loan to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

A beautifully executed piece of neon sculpture that I had been aware of since it's inception several years ago, it was a pleasure to be able to see the piece full size and close up, in all it's glory.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has a fantastic and varied permanent collection as well as a diverse calendar of exhibitions and is well worth the visit.

I'm In Love With The Modern World

D J Roberts, "I'M IN LOVE WITH THE MODERN WORLD", 2014, neon on steel frame.

Last week saw the installation of D J Roberts latest neon piece, "I'M IN LOVE WITH THE MODERN WORLD" on show at the 99p Stores, 259 High Street, Walthamstow, London E17 7BH.

The letters are 305mm (12 inches) high and the whole piece is 8000mm (26 feet) long. 15mm diameter clear glass was used, filled with neon gas, using 80m/A electrodes and running from three 50m/A transformers. The glass has then been mounted onto three seperate 20mm steel box sections frames, each measuring 2700mm x 200mm. 

The project has been organised by Walthamstow Forest Street Gallery Project and is curated by Ashley McCormick. D J Roberts neon art work is on show until April 2014. Get down there.

All of these beautiful photographs were taken by Charles Milligan. Many thanks.

Before you pay a visit to this wonderful spectacle, be sure to listen to Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, "Roadrunner" (1974)

And when you've listened to that, listen to and watch this... the Modern Lovers, "Roadrunner" (1972)

Like An Enormous Yes

D J Roberts "Like An Enormous Yes", 2014, neon, cable and transformer.

Occupy My Time Gallery at Enclave 9 Resolution Way Deptford SE8 4AL presents D J Roberts new show, Runnin' Down A Dream running until 15th February 2014

Transposed from D J's original drawings the neon was made from 10mm clear glass with 25m/A elecrodes and filled with neon gas and running on a 7000/25 transformer

Phillip Larkin - For Sidney Bechet

That note you hold, narrowing and rising, shakes
Like New Orleans reflected on the water
And in all ears appropriate falsehood wakes

Building for some a legendary Quarter
Of balconies, flower-baskets and quadrilles
Everyone making love and going shares

Oh, play that thing! Mute glorious Storyvilles
Others may licence, grouping around their chairs
Sporting-house girls like circus tigers (priced

Far above rubies) to pretend their fads
While scholars manques nod around unnoticed
Wrapped up in personnels like old plaids

On me your love falls as they say it should
Like an enourmous yes. My Crescent City
Is where your speech alone is understood

And greeted as the natural noise of good
Scattering long-haired greif and scored pity

James Franco's Neon Art

Here are a couple of pieces recently commissioned for James Franco's London gallery debut, Psycho Nacirema at Pace Gallery 6-10 Lexington Street, London W1F 0LB running from June 6th 2013 - July 27th 2013.

Based around Hitchcock's "Bates Motel", the exhibition has been curated by Turner prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon and includes a large scale video installation entwining Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho with the 1920's Fatty Arbuckle murder scandal.

The two neon pieces were made using 10mm White 1D with 8mm clear red for the word vacancy. 50 R 90 and 25 R 50 electrodes were used as well as three Hansen 20/3 convertors in each sign. The neon was then mounted onto the hand painted sign written boxes using clear coarse threaded tube supports and nickel wire.

Neon Art at Big Deal - Sexy 100

Karen Ay, yesyesohhyes, 2011. 10mm 1505 pink neon, cable and transformer.

Karen Ay  has just commisioned this piece for the BIG DEAL - SEXY 100 exhibition at 8-9 Spring Place, Kentish Town, London N5 running from the 9th - 30th September 2011.

Participating artists include Maria Arceo, Eleanora Arkeolli, Sophie Aston, Karen Ay, Nadia Ballan, Kety Balogh, Nicole Barclay, Sassie Bare, Ingrid BBerthon-Moine, Anna Bo, Flora Bowden, Laura Buckley, Gail Burton, Tracey Bush, EA Byrne, Gill Calvet, Elisa Cantarelli, Samara Couri, Elisabeth S Clarke, Emma Croft, Davina Divine, Valerie Driscoll, Elisabeth Earley, Silke Eberspächer, Sadie Edgington, Lucy Evetts, Yordane Gaudenzi, Maria Theresa Gavazzi, Ludovica Gioscia, Rebecca Gould, Katie Govier, Oona Grimes, Isabel Haase, Aly Helyer, Alice Herrick, Sue Hester–URBAN XXX, Susie Hondl, Natuka Honrubia, IHTGW Continent, Lisa Ivory, Caroline Jenkins, Marie-Louise Jones, Miyuki Kasahara, Joannie Kernan, Tabitha Knight, Suki Koma, Olga Koroleva, Kate Kotcheff, Naa Teki Lebar, Linda Lencovic, Kate Lyddon, Lee Maelzer , Mercedes Magrane, Tiziana Mandolesi, Rafaela Marcos, Soren Mayes, Rebecca Meanley-Eyre, Kit Merritt, Christina Mitrentse, Sian Kate-Mooney, Joanna Morgan, Indra Moroder, Anna Niman, Heather Niman, Joanna Nowek, Ohne TiteL, Beatriz Olabarrieta, Haruka Ono, Anne Pigalle, Esther Planas, Emily Player vs Johnny Borden, Yapci Ramos, Pippa Ridley, Louise Riley, Kristyan Robinson, Italia Rossi, Geraldine Ryan, Louise Sayarer & Eva Knutsdotter-Isik, Rebecca Scott, Vanessa Scully, Liz Sheridan, Elle Sheppard, Kumiko Shimizu, Lisa Slominski, Rose Smith, Heather Sparks, Sofia Stevi, Susan Stockwell, Lucija Stojevic, Lula Stone, Anita Sung, Geraldine Swayne, Emily Taylor, Jennifer Taylor, Inesa Vaiciute De La Roche–Dark Theatre, Petra Varl, Jelena Vico, Jessica Voorsanger, Nina Vukelic, Sue Watt, Dahlia Westmoreland, Georgina Wesley, Jo Wilmot, Kimi Wylde, Ingrid Zee


More information can be found at Big Deal  photograph by Paul Tucker

Dan Attoe And Tracey Emin, Art In Empty Shops

On Wendesday, I had the pleasure of installing two neon art works by Dan Attoe and another one by Tracey Emin, in two seperate empty shop spaces located within the borough of Camden in London for The Shape We're In (Camden), curated by Elizabeth Neilson and Ellen Mara De Wachter. The two Dan Attoe pieces have been installed at 56-58 Leather Lane, London EC1N. Here are a few photographs to wet your appetite.

The Shape We’re In, is a series of three exhibitions focussing on recent sculpture and installation by 22 emerging and established contemporary artists, including some of the most original artists making work today, organised and presented by The Zabludowicz Collection. Of the 22 artists, ten have been commissioned by the Zabludowicz Collection to make new works for the exhibition.

Tracey Emin's I Kiss You can be seen at 46 Malden Road, London NW5

The three neon pieces will be on display from 10.00am-10.00pm, 7 days a week for the next 8 weeks, 28th. January- 14th. March 2011

Neon Sculpture from UK Artist Jonathan Parsons

Jonathan Parson Folklore 2004 neon and argon fluorescent tubing with electrical attachments tubing: 45 x 55 x 48 cm

Million Dollar Prize in Neon

P versus NP, 2010, white neon tubing, transformer, cables, approx. 500 x 200 x 25mm Nick Malyon.

In 2000 the Clay Mathematics Institute offered seven prizes of $1,000,000 each to anyone who can solve any of their seven listed Unsolved Problems in Mathematics. Luckily the Poincare Conjecture has since been solved by Grigori Perelman who, incidently, declined the award. That does however leave six of the problems unsolved.

The P versus NP problem is a major unsolved problem in computer science, in essence asking whether every problem whose solution can be efficiently checked by a computer can also be efficiently solved by a computer.

Answers on a postcard please....

The Neon Art of Tracey Emin

Last Friday was spent at 2 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 next to Regent's Park installing "I Kiss You" by Tracey Emin for "The House of the Nobleman" art exhibition running from October 15th-20th and coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair. Curated by artist Wolfe von Lenkiewicz and Victoria Golembiovskaya the show comprises 68 works of art from both private collectors and art dealers including works by Picasso, Poussin, Rodin, Cezanne, Warhol, Banksy and of course Tracey Emin.

Entry to the exhibition is free but you will need to register for admission. Well worth a look if you are going to Frieze.

The Neon Art of Simon Moretti.

Cameo, 2010, neon transformer, cables, overall 45 x 30 x 30 cm

Simon Moretti's latest collection of artworks called Talismen and Yantras include this piece, Cameo. Made from a single cane of 12mm purple  glass, filled with blue gas and using 30m/A electrodes running off a Mode NeoTran. The artwork is three dimensional, not dissimilar to a knot un-tieing, and was made to Simon's precise specification with help from both drawings and a small maquette.

Untitled (VAJRA), 2010, neon, transformer, cable,overall 200 x 90 cm

Untitiled (VAJRA) is made from a single cane of 15mm yellow glass coated 3500K, filled with blue gas, using 50m/A and running off a Mode NeoTran.

Simon's previous neon art works have included Pirate and Striptease.

The "Dutch Masters"; At it again.

With the help and support of the local community two Dutch artists, Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahan, have helped transform 34 houses in Santa Marta, one of Rio de Janeiro's most rundown neighbourhoods, into a stunning piece of urban art. The project called O Morro (The Hill) has allowed the locals to recieve a small wage while working as well as invaluable training in all aspects of painting.


Jeroen and Koolhaas started working together in 2005 while filming a documentory about the hip hop movement in the favelas of Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. In 2006 they embarked on one of two massive murals, the first, three stories high and covering 150 square metres. The massive picture, of a boy flying a kite, took over 3 months to complete with the invalueable help of local youth and has since recieved worldwide aclaim.

Check out their facebook page and website for more information and to give a donation to the project.