logo.gif (3909 bytes)Fine Art


Art Made with a New Process

Lego's MindStorm Invention System.

“Machines of Art,” in three YouTube uploads, are three videos of art making machines making art. The first is a small hand size art making machine that uses a windup motor driven four legged walking motion that drags a brush. The second art making machine is a remotely controlled four legged walking machine that paints with an arm holding a self loading brush. The last art making machine uses the Legos MindStorm Invention System to power a rotating eight color oil pastel head. It moves to a position, receives color information from a computer, applies the color and then moves to the next position. The 5000 dots take 18 hours to complete. Tom Lohre has been working since 1987 on automaton art making machines.

 

Click image to see larger image.

Tom & Irene Kissing
Oil pastel on aluminum, 16" x 20", January 18, 2008
The colors were selected for full color effect. The artist worked alongside the robot while it places the initial color. Then Tom goes over the work carefully adjusting the dots. The painting takes place in a novel way, the painting lays flat and Tom steps back about five feet comparing the work with his reference.

Lady of Cincinnati's Fountain Square
Oil pastel on aluminum, 16" x 20", January 15, 2008
Painted with concern over the transition of light to dark colors. The purple or second darkest color should be lighter. Next painting will be with real life colors.

The Art Machine used to make these paintings is shown. The eight colors on the wheel are rotated to the right color and then applied 5000 times.

Click image to see larger image.

Baby Bear, Wax on aluminum sheet, 16" x 20", January 2, 2008
This work continues to improve the resolution and color of the Lego robot, Artisto assisted work. Tom kept the color lighter than black making the black a strong form color. He needs to continue to refine the gray scale steps for the other colors to make the eight colors work as best as they can.

The Artist as Santa, 16" x 20", December 19, 2007, Wax aluminum sheet

This Lego robot assisted painting has several new inventions. Tom started painting while the robot laid down the color. He made an outline on the metal of the final painting and used it to guide his stroke. Tom reduced the size of the wax stick to 1/4" and kept the number of stroke to 4163. The Santa is the artist. Tom always wanted to paint a Santa in the manner of the Coke Santa, Haddon H. Sundblom.
Manner Copyrighted 2007

Helen XV, 16" x 20", October 2007, Wax aluminum sheet

Tom was still working on the right combination of eight colors for this face of his daughter. The wax did not have much difference in the dark shades. He still was working with basic colors, black, dark brown, dark green, dark red, medium brown, blue, light brown and white. He still would not alter the application of the color spots, letting the robot make homogeneous patterns of its own.

Click image to see larger image.

Helen XIV, 16" x 20", October 2007

The light violet takes the place of yellow in the face palette. If you close your eyes the violet becomes yellow. The face looks fascinating because of this juxtaposition.

Helen XIII, 16" x 20", October 2007

Facial coloring combination from light to dark: black, dark red brown, dark blue, green, red, light pink, light violet and white with the violet substituting for light yellow for excitement.

Peter Rabbit, 16" x 20", September 2007

The second painting where Tom used a 8 color four color process, black, blue, violet, red, orange, green, yellow, white in that order of gray scale.

Click image to see larger image.

George Clooney , 16" x 20", September 2007

Helen XII, 16" x 20", September 2007, Wax on textured aluminum extra heavy foil

Tom worked on mixing the right colors for this work using 4 light colors for the face and 4 dark colors for the hair. He found out that the darks were too much alike as well as the face colors.

Helen XI, 16" x 20", September 2007, Wax on textured aluminum extra heavy foil
One of the earliest works where after the robot had laid down the color Tom reheated the surface and painted strokes into the hot wax. The ears at the bottom left are rabbit ears.


Click image to see larger image.

Irene, 16" x 20", August 2007

The first painting done by "Artisto" using glow in the dark colors makes use of a strong combination of colors for a powerful graphic effect. The sky comes to life in the dark. Two different glow in the dark colors, blue and orange, where used for the background.


Click image to see larger image.

2004 Robot

The 2004 robot painted with a pigmented wax stick on a canvas heated by a hot plate. It created the most beautiful surface. The fact that you could create any color wax stick you want was very important when creating with something this rough. Tom wanted the 2004 robot to be able to work from an image in the computer but the learning curve was too steep because of the programing language, LabVIEW or RoboLAB as it is called when using Lego sensors and motors.

In the spring of 2004 these paintings were shown at the Lexington Public Library, Kentucky.

Contemporary Painters
Art Show
Tom Lohre, Eric Johnson and Velma Morris

Downtown Lexington Library
March 6th to April 4th, 2004
140 East Main St.
Lexington, KY 40507
(859) 231-5530 - Adult Services
(859) 231-5534 - Children’s
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 9 pm
Friday - Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 5 pm
Tom Lohre’s Contribution


1. Helen, 8” x 10”, Oil on canvas, 030201.jpg


2. Helen the Peasant Girl, 8” x 10”, Oil on canvas, 030215.jpg


3. Helen the Peasant Girl II, 8” x 10”, Oil on canvas, 030228.jpg

4. Landscape I, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040129.jpg


5. Landscape IV, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040125.jpg


6. Adams County Sunset, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040205.jpg


7. Landscape III, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040201.jpg


8. Landscape VI, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040216.jpg


9. Nantucket Main Street, 10” x 8”, Oil on canvas, 040212.jpg


10. Adams County II, 16” x 12”, Oil on canvas, 040217.jpg


11. Nantucket, 16” x 12”, Oil on canvas, 040210.jpg

12. Adams County, 12” x 16”, Oil on canvas, 040219.jpg
13. Bouquet of Roses, 16” x 20”, Oil on canvas, 040220.jpg
14. Roses II, 16” x 20, Oil on canvas, 040221.jpg
15. Nude, 16” 20”, Oil on canvas, 040223.jpg


16. Helen going to School, 16” x 20”, Oil on canvas, 040222


17. Over-the-Rhine Alleyway, 16” x 20”, Oil on canvas, 040226.jpg

Bouquet of Roses, 16” x 20”, Oil on canvas, February 23, 2004

Large Format Pastel Printer June 25th, 2003

Used to produce 26" x 40" pastel printer by placing the black & white plate above the robot. The IR sensor causes the robot to reverse direction when it moves off the black plate. Random movements cause the robot to no repeat it's path thereby filling in areas as it travels back and forth across the black plate.

Abstract Random

40" x 26", pastel on 90lb paper,

Helen
16" x 20", Pigmented wax  on 90lb paper,  May 18th, 2003

Helen
16" x 20", pastel on 90lb paper,  May 18th, 2003

Helen

30" x 24", pastel on 90lb paper, April 10th, 2003

Tom
36" x 26", pastel on 90lb paper, April 15th, 2003

Click image to see larger image.

Mom & Dad with Susan, 36" x 24", pastel on 90lb paper, May 6th, 2003