Andrew Carson

I personally execute every step of my process, which includes design, engineering, prototyping, metal cutting, pounding, and finishing as well as glass and cement casting. I have an assistant that helps with sanding as well as shipping. Every one of my designs starts with a rough sketch on a napkin or the backside of a discarded piece of paper. A good sketch begets a good piece, and over time when I am looking to do something new, I look to my piles of sketches and execute from the most intriguing. From there I work digitally. Sizing the parts, figuring out the mechanics, and reflecting the rotations and clearances. When the design is done, I break this digital sketch up into pieces and print them at full scale. From this stage, I drill and cut the parts and begin to assemble the final piece. There are no “found parts” in my work. I design and make every piece, including the glass balls, the hubs, and the transitions. It is not easy to weave functionality with form. Not many of the things I dream of are realized, and not every realization matches the rough concept in style and grace. Embarking on each new project destroys my fantasy of its ideal potential; replacing it with a reality that can be frighteningly vivid or painfully dull. There is no book I refer to. I create my original pieces today, based on the cruder ones I made yesterday.