David Barnett

2020
22 x 20 x 12 in.

Mixed media construction: bass wood, soldered brass rods, fabric, collage, clay, propellors, pastel, watercolor, bird feathers, acrylic paint, and found objects.

2022
27 x 24 x 6 inches

Mixed media sculpture: wood and metal structure with screening, watercolor, colored pencil, printed matter, vintage fabric, tin, assorted hardware, and found objects.

It was time for my broken alarm clock to find its way into one of my pieces.

2009
18 x 19 x 9 in.

Mixed media construction: tin packaging, soldered brass wire, carpet thread, hardware, collage and found objects.

2018
24 x 29 x 13 in.

Mixed media construction: bass wood, soldered brass rods, glazed rice paper, collage, clay, vintage fabric, pastel, watercolor, carpet thread, acrylic paint, and found objects.

2022
15 x 29 x 10 inches

Mixed media sculpture: wood and metal structure, found objects, assorted hardware, acrylic and metallic paint, carpet thread, screening, printed matter, and vintage typewriter keys.

SOLD

2017
29 x 14 x 14 in. 

Mechanical mixed media construction: reclaimed tin packaging, acrylic paint, carpet threat, brass wire, plaster gauze, electric motor, watercolor, lace, bass wood, found objects and collage.

I’ve always been charmed by the design and engineering of amusement park rides not to mention the enjoyment it brings to children of all ages.

SOLD

2008
15.5 x 13 x 5.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: Bass wood, carpet thread, brass rods, metal packaging, bottle caps, and found objects.

In 2008 while visiting my daughter in South Africa I noticed a lot of the local artists used scrap metal in their work. It inspired me to incorporate this material into my palette.

SOLD

2009
15 x 29.25 x 9.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: collage, porcelain dolls head, soldered brass wire, bass wood, carpet thread, acrylic paint and found objects.

My daughter Alexandra Lauren Barnett graduated college in 2009 (ALB09). The dolls head reminded me of her as a baby... years later she's about ready to take flight.

2019
21 x 30 x 9.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: modeling clay, brass wire structure, glazed rice paper, watercolor, acrylic paint, found objects and collage.

Flight No.4
2018
24 x 36 x 14 in. 

Mixed media construction: rooster feathers, carpet thread, soldered brass rods, wood dowels, acrylic paint and found objects.

This mock flying machine is a comment on man’s compulsion to outdo nature through industrialization. It’s created from hundreds of tiny turquoise-tipped rooster feathers supported by a soldered brass structure—and embellished with pulleys and gears to suggest a mechanical function that exists only in my imagination.

I've been simulating wings for years with everything except actual feathers...

Bottom: digital architectural drawing / collage on Canford watercolor paper.
24 x 29.5 in.
As my work has evolved, so too have my processes. I now begin each construction with a full-scale drawing that serves as my roadmap to guide me on my journey. It doesn't mean that I won't take a few detours, but it helps keep me on track.

2011
19 x 21 x 8 in. 

Mixed media construction: soldered brass rods, scrap metal, carpet thread, painted and collaged porcelain doll parts, rubber treads, and found objects.

Using found sprockets, wheels and springs, Workman's Circle depicts a half-boy, half-robot riding a futuristic bicycle. The boy and the contraption have merged, blurring the boundaries of man and machine.

2006
19.5 x 18.5 x 8.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: bass wood, carpet thread, glazed rice paper adhered to a soldered brass structure, collage, rolled copper, and found objects.

Hand made painted and collaged display case.

2016
20 x 12.5 x 11.5 in.

Mixed media construction: soldered brass rods, carpet thread, found objects and collage.

2003
11 x 24 x 4 in.

Mixed media construction: glazed rice paper adhered to a soldered brass structure. carpet thread, collaged porcelain doll's head, hardware, painted wood dowels, and found objects.

2015
25 x 37.5 x 11.5 in.

SOLD 

Mixed media construction: collage, bass wood structure, metallic paint, metal discs, soldered brass wire, painted plastic toy parts, carpet thread, gears, painted electrical wire, rubber treads, and found objects.

My second in the Lazy Bones series to transport the elderly. Please note: This vessel is intended to be driverless in the likely event that a passenger may require a power nap (see drawing).

Bottom: digital architectural drawing / collage on Canford watercolor paper.
26 x 33 in.

2020
23 x 28 x 12 in.

Mechanical mixed media construction: vintage ruler, electric motor, leather book binding, vintage wheels, propellor, tin packaging, clay, pastel, watercolor, acrylic paint, brass wire, and found objects.

SOLD

2007
19 x 21.5 x 12.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: glazed rice paper adhered to a soldered brass wire structure, carpet thread, painted and collaged wooden mannequin arms, tin scraps, bass wood, and found objects.

An overwhelming bit of aviation design with two limbs as the only hint of humanity.

2019
15.5 x 24 x 15.5 in. 

SOLD

Motorized mixed media construction: collage, hardware, gears, pulleys, ferrule and bristles of a paint brush, soldered brass wire structure, scrap metal, porcelain doll's head, rubber wheels, and found objects.

Hand made display case.

This device--presumably a vessel to transport the elderly-- includes an aircraft-type propeller powered by a 120-volt motor. The moving metallic blades suggest practicality, yet the "fanboat" is entirely impractical. It's this unnecessary appendage that suggests the futility of many's pursuits. The elaborate device has been added on for no reason other than its creator's ability to do so.

Bottom: digital architectural drawing / collage on Canford watercolor paper.

2017
16 x 24 x 12 in. 

Mixed media construction: collage, brass wire structure, modeling clay, glazed rice paper, collage, and found objects.

Our preoccupation with technology is so overwhelming - where does it leave our humanity? 

2011
18.25 x 37 x 9.75 in. 

SOLD

Mixed media construction: glazed rice paper adhered to a soldered brass structure, carpet thread, collaged porcelain doll's head, wood dowels, acrylic paint and found objects.

I've always been intrigued by extremes...the horizontal engineering of a suspension bridge or the vertical design of a skyscraper. The Flight series is my solution.

SOLD

2016
21.5 x 16.5 x 14 in. 

Motorized mixed media construction: soldered brass wire structure, carpet thread, glazed rice paper, and found objects.

2017
16 x 26 x 10 in.

Mixed media construction: bass wood, brass wire, glazed rice paper, collage, pastel, watercolor and found objects.

SOLD

2008
20 x 18 x 8.5 in. 

Mixed media construction: collage, glazed rice paper adhered to a soldered brass structure, metal packaging, rubber treads, painted electrical wire, and found objects.

2016
15.5 x 18 x 8.5 in.

SOLD 

Mixed media construction: bass wood, soldered brass rods, found objects and collage.

The title, which dictated the halo above the angelic face was inspired by the tin packaging. On the opposite side of the construction the text reads "Centro Virgin Olive Oil".  

2009
10 x 13 x 9 in. 

Mixed media construction: wire, carpet thread, wood pulleys, painted plaster gauze, and found objects,

The wings are based on the structure of a moth using glazed rice paper and soldered brass wire. Mother and child are both absorbed into the machine.

2017
25.25 x 13 x 14 in. 

Motorized mixed media construction: collage and paint on bass wood, tree branches, painted brass structure, 12 volt battery with conveyor belt, gears, hardware, and other found objects.

As the ferris wheel rotates you see images of a family, each collaged with a few personal artifacts. When the senior member (the troublemaker) arrives at the top of the wheel his legs get caught in the axle and the contraption speeds up momentarily. He would have liked that.

Originally the structure was made with bass wood dowels - it seemed a bit static. I decided to replace the bass wood with branches from a tree outside my house. Sometimes if you listen carefully enough the concept will dictate the materials.