Some artists take their art very seriously and leave all shreds of humor out at any cost. For me, I like to mix some humor in when I can, especially when you consider the subject matter of my latest die-cut paper art. Albert Einstein did groundbreaking work in the field of physics, and yet one of his best known portraits was one of him sticking his tongue out. This type of dichotomy definitely appeals to me, and that’s why I chose to abstract it. Thanks for viewing. Cheers.

Einstein, 12 x 12″, archival paper.

While Salvador Dalí had won the Facebook poll last month of who I should make a topographic art of next, the runner up was famed film director Alfred Hitchcock. As I’m constantly trying to evolve this process of converting photos into layers of die-cut paper, this render fell somewhere between Dali and Satchelmouth in terms of complexity. I also played around with using more of the metallic papers. Thanks for viewing. Cheers.

Hitchcock, 12 x 12″, archival paper.

After doing a quick poll on Facebook of who I should make a topographic art of next, the winner was surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. With this piece, I decided to try rendering the shadow areas of the image as the top layer and the highlight at the bottom layer. This made the image slightly more abstracted when viewing close-up, but had the real payoff from about 12 feet away. I also went a little smoother on the details of the shapes as compared to Satchelmouth, which helps with the close-up abstraction (and my sanity!). Overall, a fun subject and project. Thanks for viewing. Cheers.

Salvador Dalí, 12 x 12″, archival paper.

In our ongoing series of converting photos into topographic maps, the next subject has a roundabout quality. Last summer, Sharon and I went to New Orleans and visited Mardi Gras World, where most of the parade floats are made. Anyway, we took lots of photos there, and I took one of a cartoon caricature head of Louis Armstrong that had great chiaroscuro… which of course, works great for the topographic effect. While a mild fan of jazz, this isn’t a tribute in any way, I don’t even own any songs by ol’ Satchmo. But inspiration can come from all sources. In this case, I loved the expression of the caricature and as you can see below, made for an enjoyable piece of art. Thanks for viewing. Cheers.

Satchelmouth, 12 x 12″, archival paper.

We decided to do a time lapse as we put together “Russian Blue”. This artwork is based on a photograph of our cat Hudson who recently passed away.

Find stills of the artwork in our previous post titled Russian Blue.

Our second transformation of a photo into a topographic paper image comes with a heavy heart. Hudson the cat, the source matter of the piece, passed away this past week from complications of feline heart disease. This was a huge blow to the Somrod studio as Hudson was an important part of our lives. She will be greatly missed, but we hope this artistic tribute can help her stay just a little closer to our hearts. Thanks for viewing.

“Russian Blue”, 12 x 12″, archival paper.

The concept: transform a digital photo of myself into a topographic map but still be able to see the photo when looking straight on.

The result (click below to view full size): Paper Champion (Self Portrait I), 12 x 12″, archival paper. Thanks for viewing!

Sharon and I didn’t have enough room in our living room to fit the full size glass top to go with the wood base of a Isamu Noguchi Table. So we decided to make our own custom one, just slightly smaller. We started by purchasing a reclaimed piece of 3form Varia Ecoresin, then drew the shape against the base, cut it with a jigsaw, and finally sanded & polished the edges.

The result: our new “3-Guchi” Table. Since it was a lot of fun to bring together, I’m labeling it as #1 since I expect that we will be making more. Cheers.

Every so often, it’s nice to surprise yourself. Even if the surprise is at the expense of your vices.

On May 22, I was feeling overwhelmed by too many things on my mind. So I decided on a whim, I would give up a few things. Consider it lent for an agnostic.

So that morning, after getting dressed, I wrote on Twitter: “As an experiment, I’m trying to eliminate as many unnecessary distractions from my life as I can for a month. Including Twitter. So, cheers!” I posted the same thing on Facebook. I then unchecked all email notifications from both, deleted their apps from my phone, and went so far to block both sites from my browser, both at home and work.

Since I checked both sites several times a day, it felt very liberating to disconnect. So I decided to take it a little further. I then decried that I would not watch any sports on TV and, most importantly, would not drink any alcohol in that time. As an NBA fan and a connoisseur of fine beer, these were tough to greenlight. But I deemed it for the best.

The way I see it, most people are able to rationalize that as long as they’re not abusive about their vices, then it’s okay to indulge at will. But is watching sports every night needed? Is a beer or two every night necessary? Will the world end if I don’t know what funny comments or status updates were left in the last hour? The answer is no for all.

I’m writing now to say that the experiment was a success. For four weeks, I never logged onto Facebook or Twitter (even though my wife told me people had commented on my last status), never watched sports on TV (even though I heard that the NBA Finals were fantastic), and never touched a drop of alcohol (despite it even being offered to me).

What does this all prove? Nothing. Will I go back to engaging in all four? Sure, why not; I’m not a self-sadist. Then why do this? Just to remind myself that (a) I still have a choice about the things I do every day, and (b) despite feeling older and less energetic, I still can summon extended willpower whenever I should need it.

This is something to build on. And I plan on it. Now it’s time to do the work. Cheers!

It was a beautiful day outside in New York City, so in the scant time I’m legally allowed to take for lunch, I took a quick stroll through the heart (and maybe lungs) of the Financial District. About a mile in total, which is pretty good for a desk bound production manager. Stopped for empanadas along the way (and hoping I don’t regret that decision later).

Click on the map snapshot to the left to view the path I took. Cheers.

We have some news this morning that we’re very humbled and honored to report. Totally fantastic news that is! Mark has been featured on Herman Miller’s blog, Lifework.

Check it out here: http://www.hermanmiller.com/lifework/inspiration-artist-mark-sahm/

If by chance you’re not familiar with them (but you should be!), Herman Miller is a legendary furniture design company (learn more here). We couldn’t be more thrilled to see Mark, his paintings, and part of the Somrod studio featured here. Feel free to take some of the positive energy for yourself! Cheers.

Most likely if you’re reading this, you’ve already noticed something different around these parts.

Somrod.com has been given a design facelift, most specificially the homepage. We’ve also updated other elements around the site, and added a new series of paintings inspired by classic design.

Please take a look if you haven’t already. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers.

While still on my Galaxy Ring high I decided I would try my hand at making a men’s copper clay ring. My first challenge, at least so I thought, was the design. I’ve never designed or made anything for a guy. So, I sat down and sketched out a few very cool rings. After getting Mr. Sahm’s input (because he’s a guy, hahaha) I picked one and off I went to create my copper ring. Oh my goodness…it looked so cool. The texture came out exactly the way I wanted it. Check it out below.

Canyon Ring - Copper Clay (unfired)

Challenge number two…(which really should have been challenge number one!) firing my wonderful little design. Yea…not my smartest move. I really should have test fired a piece of copper clay first because it was a complete disaster. It looked good at first glance. I dropped it on a metal bench block and it clinked like metal so I continued to burnish the ring and it starts shining like a new penny. Unfortunately, the copper clay shrank a little more than I expected it to so, I decided to put it on a ring mandrel and tap it down to expand it a little. This is something that I have done with silver a dozen times before. Well, on tap number three…CRACK! UGH! I can’t believe it…it snapped…and when I look inside its powdered. What a disappointment. But I should not have been surprised.

Seriously, what did I do wrong? Well, my first mistake was I didn’t test fire the copper. That really is something that I should have done. Inexcusable; I can’t believe I didn’t do it, but I figured, I was following the manufacturers directions so what could go wrong. Obviously, everything could go wrong. Maybe its because I was using a firing foil box instead of a stainless steel firing pan and the piece heated too quickly. Maybe I should have put the piece more towards the center or front to compensate for this. Maybe I used an incorrect firing schedule!?

I referred to my new friend the special edition of Art Jewelry Magazine: Metal Clay Jewelry. There is a complete guide to firing bronze & copper clays. So, I have adjusted my firing schedule using the tips discussed in the article and have since done two successful test strips. Unfortunately, my second ring attempt did not fire correctly. So, I may need to readjust my schedule again! I could stick to firing thin strips or maybe I should get a stainless steel pan. Will let you know what happens…

Over this past weekend I designed a really cool metal clay ring using a new mold I bought from one of my favorite online stores. I rolled out a bit of clay on a texture template and cut out a strip to form the ring shank. Then I fitted the clay around a ring mandrel and let it set. I then used a small ball of clay and fit that into my new mold. Once those two pieces were dry I was able to attach them pieces together.

Once the piece was fully dried, I fired it and added a patina to highlight all the little details.
I must confess that I was afraid of the shrinkage factor but it looks fantastic and it fits.

Galaxy Swirl Ring

I was surprised this past holiday season with a new piece of studio equipment…a kiln. Surprised is probably putting it mildly but I am extremely excited to have it. I know virtually nothing about kilns so this will be a huge learning curve for me. But I do love working with metal clay and I welcome the opportunity to fire larger silver pieces as well as try copper and bronze clays. There is lots to do before I attempt the new metals but first let me tell you about my first kiln firing experience.

My first silver clay firing went well. I was able to create an oval setting using fine silver bezel wire with a metal clay base. I rolled out the clay on a texture template and cut out the base shape using my handy clay pick. After I fired and cooled the piece; I used patina gel to darken it. This process gave the piece real vintage character. I used my Dremel to polish before I set a Tiger Eye cabochon. It looks good.

I did realize that I made a few mistakes like:
1) Didn’t use enough base clay. The base should have been about two cards thicker. I used 3 cards.
2) The bezel wire was not evenly pressed down. Some places it almost went through to the other side and caused the clay to crack, separate and buckle slightly. Hardly noticeable.

Overall, I’m proud of my little pendant. It’s a great starting off point.
More to come…

First kiln fired metal clay project

Thanks to everyone who came to see the first solo exhibition of my art. I really appreciate the support and hope to have another exhibition sooner than later.

Here’s the online round up of the exhibition:

• A full panorama of the exhibition with clickable slideshow for each painting.

• A fisheye video of the entire exhibition in 40 seconds.

• The press I received from the local newspaper.

Time: Saturday, July 17, 2010 · 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: High Street Gallery, 11 East High Street, Glassboro, NJ

Please join us at the opening reception for “A Third Second Chance“, an exhibition of creative works by Mark Sahm, on Saturday, July 17th at the High Street Gallery. Light refreshments will be served.

“A Third Second Chance” will be on display from July 11 – August 1, 2010.

Mark Sahm will be at the gallery every Saturday for the duration of the show.

Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public.

The gallery is located at 11 East High Street, Glassboro, NJ, and is open Wednesday through Friday between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30pm and Saturday from 12 to 4:30 pm.

All works are for sale.