Dave Tuttle is the December featured Artist at Butterfield Garage Gallery. He is displaying a series of mixed media robots named “Metallic Whimsy”. Dave will be in the Gallery during First Friday December 6 to discuss his process in bullding these delightful creatures.

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Dave Tuttle has been creating crazy, zany robots for months, in anticipation of his December exhibit at Butterfield. Robots with wings, propellers and more. He draws on a supply of metal which he’s collected over the years from machine shops, warehouses and individuals. His metal work is often infused with mixed media materials such as epoxy resin, polymer clay, alcohol ink, rivets and wire, to name just a few.  The heart is a common motif. As a secular humanist he strives to convey compassion, tolerance and empathy through his work. 

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He migrated from Salt Lake City, Utah in 2019 and works out of his metal shop and home studio where he uses a variety of tools to create works such as hearts, robots and industrial lamps. From small handheld magnets to 5 foot sculptures, each one a delight to see, his pieces bring smiles to viewers for years to come. Dave has a B.A. in History and Anthropology and a Masters in Library and Information Science. After a career as a Library Technology Consultant working with public and academic libraries throughout N. America, and now devotes his time to creating art and educating himself on new techniques and mediums. 

 

We recently we caught up with Dave to quiz him about his artistic approach and process.

 

When did you begin working in metal mixed media, and was it your first creative outlet?

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I had always been interested in art. Since college experimented with every medium I could find; collage, polymer clay, alcohol ink, watercolor, oils, and acrylic paint, woodworking. About 6 years ago I bought a welder and a plasma cutter and expanded to metal art. I found I could meld the various techniques together to create unique mixed media metal artwork.

 

They look like so much fun to create! Why robots? 

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I have been tinkering off and on for a few years with them. The anthropomorphic nature of robots allow me to convey human qualities of joyfulness, dance and positivity in a lighthearted humorous way.

 

Do you create individual personalities as you work, or is your process more of a engineering challenge?

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The overriding theme of them all is humor and positivity. I enjoy getting lost in the process of figuring out technically how to represent the various body parts of the human form by combining materials and mediums in new and unexpected ways. Creating lighthearted, humorous work is a wonderful balance in my life and bringing a smile to someone’s face is an added pleasure.