Time and Space Tools

As a child I dreamed of making machines to freeze time, travel through time or teleported to other parts of the universe. This fantasy continued into my adult life and although I (and nobody else) can actually create these tools I decided I could build my own non-working prototypes.
The idea of a time machine that you sat in never appealed to me- the equipment I wanted was something that could be slipped into your pocket. Here are my time machines.

My Toy Shelf

I love having my toys out on display. Looking at them on a regular basis is always inspiring. When friends pop over they are always curious about what I have been up to. When I was a kid I enjoyed displaying my toys as I would float of into the world of science- fiction and fantasy.
Creating, for me, is fun and I paint or make objects because I want them around me. Maybe it's self indulgent but I like what I make and I hope other people do too.

Toys from Junk

Recently I started making toys from junk. Charity stores and garage sales became my suppliers of old and broken toys.

Cheap and easy to find they served their purpose well. There was no fear of wrecking good objects and I liked the idea of recycling plastic which would usually just end up in landfill.The idea of perverting the purity or innocence of toys drove me on.

I don't think I had enough toys as a kid so creating toys for my second childhood spun me into a frenzy. Soon my work area became a mountain of plastic parts and the smell of plastic glue filled the house.

Here was a cheap and easy way to experiment with sculpture or assemblage, which led me into more advanced forms of the art.

Found Photos

I found some old photos recently.

Me as a young man, ready for some school holiday adventures. Star Wars premier perhaps? What happened to this young man? His dreams, his thoughts? I have replaced him but he still exists somewhere inside me. The things he enjoyed I do too. Making models, dreaming, swimming, dressing up, creating. But something has been lost and I don't know exactly what it is. More than just innocence or youth but something else has gone which makes me feel slightly sad when I view this photo.

Dad, my sisters, Liza, Dena, and Julia with me in the middle of the frame. I like the way the path, my sisters heads,(Liza in the red with Julia next to her and Dena in the foreground) and dad for an X with me in the center. Mum must have taken this. As a family we did do some cool things. From what I remember we went away every school holiday.

Mum and I just before she passed away. That was ten years ago.

Our cute family dog, Anna.

That's my Sis Dena. She is so amazingly photogenic.