Talent Tuesday: The Builders Studio

Talent Tuesday: The Builders Studio

Not only is today April Fool's Day, its the first Tuesday of the month-- which means that its time for Talent Tuesday on the Capitola Girl blog. Although I'm not going to play a hoax or try to tell a joke, I did think it would be neat to share a collection of creative contraptions and wonderfully-wacky whatchamcallits that I came across while browsing the online marketplace at Etsy last month.

I think today's Talent Tuesday artist has an amazingly fun and fabulous fantasy-based collection of retro-tech robots, ray guns, an flying-saucer-shaped jewelry (like the Red Pearly Liquid-Filled Pendant about). So, without further ado, please meet a very talented Etsy artist, Pete Pochylski, of The Builders Studio in Dunkirk, NY.

The neat thing about Pete's retro-tech creations is that they are made almost entirely out of wood. Pete was introduced to wood crafts by his father, a professional carpenter and house builder who also built spice racks for Mom in his spare time and toys for his children. As you can see from the photos of Pete's work, he is very create. Pete is also a painter and has had his work published as a writer. His love for mixing science fiction with woodwork allows him to wildly create whatever his heart desires, as well as to go wherever his imagination takes him.

As you can see by his pieces in today's feature, Pete's imagination is vivid. He likes to design objects that are reminiscent of what the future was supposed to look like. His influences include 19th Century steampunk, to conceptions of ray guns from the 1930's, and ideas about UFOs and alien spacecrafts that grew popular in the 1950s.

With woodworking in his blood, Pete started his business a few years ago making canes and more traditional wood items. However, in the past year, he really started going to town with his "retro-tech." stuff, and what's really cool is that it allows him to be creative and to do what he loves. I had an opportunity to exchange a few emails with Pete in preparation for today's column and here are some of the things he shared with us.

Pete, your designs are so fun and creative. They really capture that Buck-Rogers modern fantasy aspect. Where did you get the idea to start creating robots and ray guns out of wood?
That's getting harder to remember. I've loved that stuff my entire life. I built models kits and painted miniatures in my younger years, and even sold them in the past. I was doing a little bit more mundane/classical woodworking, and as often is the case with myself, saw how neat the shapes I was working on looked. Maybe I had seen a science fiction movie recently, but the shapes reminded my of a robot part, and I started making somethig without a full idea of the finished item. I then started to get ideas for other robots. I built and my collection grew.

Soon, I thought: ray guns in different sizes, and because the holidays were coming, I thought : ornaments! What a neat juxtoposition; a ray gun, out of wood, hanging on your tree! I've seen robot or spacey things for years, and am something of an aficionado on ornaments since I started young buying my mother (at least one) ornament a year. So, I hunted for the new, keen shapes, miniatures...so anyway, I went to it. And now I do jewelry-oriented pieces as well.

On average, how much time a week do you spend in your studio?
Overall, too much, and not enough-- Can you guess which goes where? I want to spend more time creating new things. Some go suprisingly quick, but overall, too long. It's about full-time, although not every week because there is the grotty side to trying to sell art of any kind. For months now, I have very little free time.

When creating a design, what are your top three sources of inspiration?
To answer that, I rarely make a design and frankly NEVER sketch. Although, drawing is how I started my life of art as a kid, and I also
paint now and have for years.

One, a concept comes to me. Like...what would an intelligent sea creature do to explore our world? See, I've been building a series of wood models of Walkers (like in Star Wars), I always loved the four-legged AT-ATs (All Terrain Armored Transports) from when I was a kid, but particularly the AT-STs (All Terrain Scout Transports)-- the lesser known but neater looking bipeds. So, now I am up to one of my nicest items so far I think, the just finished Fish Walker.

LITTLE Brother Fish Walker 1

The Builders Studio

Second, shapes are big in my mind. I like the way certain things look and can see what a blender on a kitchen table might be, like a tornado creation device for a steampunk universe (I just came up with that so don't steal it!). This happens a lot.

Finally, necessity? I wanted to make some of my ideas more acessible (affordable, quicker, et al) so I came up with the Christmas ornament idea. What a neat juxtoposition; a ray gun, out of wood, hanging on your tree!

Funny Faces Larry the Cockeyed Lizard Wood Christmas Tree Ornament

The Builders Studio

Who has been the greatest source of support for your life as an artist?

That always been my family, since I was a kid. They always let me push my creativity as much as I wanted. And now, the people that see or buy my work are a real part of that, too. I couldn't help but think of money when you said this: "Support." I need to earn it like everyone. Years turned into decades of often bologna-work, but there is no golden parachute. No outside support of that type, and at times lately is scary so, buy my stuff! (insert commercial music here).

What are your goals and aspirations for your business?

To earn a decent living doing what I love... and eventually to make enough to have enough time left to go back to writing. Although I don't plan to give woodworking up, I migh possibly pare down a little. The Big Kahuna for me is... writing. I write as well, and have published some things (not too much recently) but that's a real hit and miss "racket."

I truly love my time now...not the lack of time or frenzy part, but the creative burst. It's nothing less than pure joy in the studio! I'm not even a fraction of the way through the most basic "list" of obvious items from my point of view... and get 3 more for every item I start.

Pete, thanks so much for allowing me to share you work with my blog readers today. I wish you the best of luck! And, to my readers, if you're looking for a fun way to spend part of your day, I recommend checking out Pete's ultra cool retro-tech creations at:

The Builders Studio

Shop: http://buildersstudio.etsy.com

DeviantArt: http://buildersstudio.deviantart.com/

The Builders Studido Flickr Portfolio

And, if you have a penchant for rayguns, Pete also recommends visiting:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/rayguns/