In November of 2020 I started gathering unused and remnants of old sculptures with the thought that these pieces could be repurposed into a new kinetic sculpture. As the selection of materials progressed, drawings helped to devolop a clear idea and fabrication started. Components were made and assembled together. More drawing and material selection continued as the Woolgathering grew.

The steel base was assembled and welded. The next big step was lifting the soon to be kinetic top piece on top of the base and determine if  it would move. These images show the process to this point. Finishing and painting are the next.

 The brassand copper model was made while the larger version of  Woolgathering was being made. it is now COMPLETE!

My commitment to wind activated sculpture and its connection to the environment has been a passion of mine during my entire career.
 
My sculptures address nature (wind, light and movement and in this case buoyancy) and are appropriate for a variety of outdoor settings. Floating works of mine have been displayed in Druid Reservoir and the Baltimore Harbor. Kinetic sculptural elements indicate the rotation of the earth, velocity of the wind and mark time.
 
Water is a great place to site public art. The newest floating full-scale work  (2019) is M.T. Skirt No.6. The sculpture flips into wind, changes direction and flips into the wind again. 

I anchored the piece in the Patapsco River enhancing the natural waterfront setting of south Baltimore's Middle Branch Park experience. The sculpture was partially funded by Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.

Acknowledging the Wind: Kinetic Sculptures by Paul Daniel was a solo exhibition in 2018 at Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, MD. My sculptures were placed throughout the meadow and as the seasons changed the meadow grew up around them.  Pathways between each sculpture led the visitors to discover the relationship of art and science. Kinetic sculptural elements indicate the velocity of the wind, mark time and rotation of the earth. Wind and sun affect each piece drawing viewers into awareness of natural phenomena of movement, shadows or calm.

Raising water has been an ongoing interest of mine. It’s the ultimate in cause and effect. Creating a sculpture that is a wind-powered fountain is a concept that has been under development for a long period of time. WW Ladew 2020 is the latest example. 

There were many other projects that led up to the Ladew wind-powered fountain: Wind Wirtz at Park School, Wind Wirtz #2 at Goya Contemporary, Chase Pier model at Gedankenexperiment, and Wind-Wirtz Ladew at Ladew Topiary Gardens.
 

Kiko-Cy
Kiko-Cy has traveled.  Monkton, Boynton Beach, Baltimore. This kinetic sculpture was part of a solo exhibition at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Md in 2018. Before that in 2017 it was part of a year-long International Kinetic Art Exhibit & Symposium in Boynton Beach, Florida.  Initially installed for Artscape 2007, it was located on the St Paul median strip in front of the Tremont Hotel and Mercy Hospital and on loan to BOPA for 10 years!

This kinetic sculpture was an investigation to test two kinds of movement: one is the disks spinning in opposite directions on the same axle, the other is the column spinning both above and below the horizontal support arm.

The first 2 images and 2 videos are on site at Cylburn Arboretum, where located high on a hill, Manoils captured the strongest winds it has ever seen. If you look at the videos you will see the wind at its strongest (not sped up). I replaced the two orange disks with a stronger aluminum alloy than was previously there to withstand the heaviest winds. I use these sculptures to explore the effect of wind upon their elements and see the spectacular display of what happens. Often I design and fabricate these pieces without the assistance of a grant or purchase. These artistic investigations are funded by my day job.

The final 4 images show Manolis on a new site, on loan to Peggy Fox & Arthur Houghton.

This project shows a number of tabletop sculptures. These sculptures are made to investigate movement, structure, shape and design. Some become studies for larger scale sculptures, other sculptures offer the opportunity to explore shape and movement.. Examples are M.T. Skirt (#1 &#4) and Woolgathering models.

 These sculptures are studies of cause and effect - the tranfer of motion.  Sculptural elements, such as wind-driven gears, cause other components of the sculptures to generate more speed, increasing the power of the turning force.

I develop paintings in conjunction with fabricating my sculpture.
Early on in the paintings a historical image becomes the basis or foundation for adding elements needed to build my sculpture. Materials used ar collage, painting, drawing and stenciling.
These works provide me with a clarity of ideas and a blueprint for fabrication while offering flights of fancy.