Category: All About mobiles

This art form is nearly a century old

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is the artist most often credited with developing mobile art. Beginning to create abstract sculptures in the 1920’s, he created tiny mobile toys for his children and huge steel mobiles for public spaces. Other artists have created, and continue to create, kinetic sculptures, although none has achieved the prominence of Calder. An excellent resource for for this very productive artist is calder.org.

Marco Mahler was one of my online mentors when, during COVID, I began making mobiles. I am indebted to him for his generosity in not only sharing his brass tacks knowledge of how to make a mobile, but taking the time to promptly answer tiny questions from many novices.

Welcome to my studio. All of the mobiles are created here. Some begin as pencil sketches, others as 3-D sketches. Often an idea springs from a “what if…” while I am working on another mobile. Materials can be inspiring in themselves. Translucent, reflective and matte blades offer an endless variety of elements with which to design.

Many skills and concepts acquired during my years of teaching and creating became important in designing and constructing mobiles.

Balance and movement are essential to a mobile, and can be challenging. Tiny mobiles are generally less forgiving. Who knew my jewelry-making former colleagues would be so helpful with wire and metals and tools? In working with stained glass with my husband, I came to appreciate the subtleties of translucence and reflected light and the need for form to follow function – and the importance of finding the right tools.

Working during the COVID hibernation, I found some exceptional mobile makers who generously share technical tips online. I followed the best advice: I learned to make mobiles by making mobiles and making mistakes. I love the whole process, and can see more possibilities with each creation.

When I had placed at least one mobile in each room and my studio was running out of space, I had my first show. Dire warnings of extreme weather threatened the outdoor event, but the rain mostly subsided before noon and I did sell enough to meet my costs and to make room for a few more mobiles. Preparing for shows and creating a website required a whole other set of skills. Help from a friend with great photography skills and advice has been so valuable, as I soon needed to set up a mini photography studio.

A note on creating this website: I used to tell students that they needed to create the best work they could within the time allotted. This website is exactly that. I will be adding more photos and more links as time permits.