New Mercedes Benz Concept Car - influence of Sci-fi on Cars and Door handles

This post is a departure from my usual topics and a departure from my firmly held belief that all car designs are boring. Many of my friends wax lyrical about their favorite cars cooing over their neat fast back or spoiler but looked at through the eyes of an alien they would be indistinguishable as they all share a basic box on wheels format.

By comparison, the same alien would have little problem distinguishing one species of scarab from another each type and sub-type having marked variations in both shape, size and patterning. The same alien would hopefully also be able to distinguish between the different styles of door handle we make, and I am guessing would find something familiar in our Morphic collection of illuminated handles.

So, given my disdain for existing car models one can understand why my car loving girlfriend was astounded by my praise for the wonderful original style of the new Mercedes concept car. Inspired and designed by the folks who made the movie avatar, the sci-fi influence on this car come creature is obvious and explains why this car is both spectacular and unique. Alas, I am not able to include a photo of this work of art as to do would probably be a violation of copyright laws but I am able to share with you a link to a video of the car.

While we do not at present have an illuminated scarab sculpture we have had fun imagining how this could be created. Our existing existing scarab sculpture is very real weighing 10lbs and measuring 20"W x 15"D x 6"H

Insect Art - Next Stage For Beetle Panels

Martin Pierce begins his scarab panels by using the sketch shown in the last blog which he traces onto the surface of a paint primed plywood panel.
Using the same sketch Martin traces the body of the beetle onto a 1/8” thick of basswood which is then cut out using a scroll saw. Martin then rounds the edges of the beetle outline using a chisel which he also uses to add lines and indentations to the wing casings which gives the beetle a more 3-dimensional appearance. The beetle is then finely sanded and glued onto the primed panel and clamped in place to form a secure bond. After the beetle is firmly attached any excess glue is scraped away with small chisels.
Using his finger Martin smooths gesso onto the surface and into the pores of the basswood and working with a damp cloth removes any unwanted gesso as he goes.

For the legs and antenna Martin has made a small tool using a short piece of 1/8” round dowel with a chamfered end. The tool is similar in function to a pen quill and fine enough to be used to spread very small beads of thin gesso onto the primed panel to simulate the sections of the beetle’s legs and antennae. Once set any excess gesso is removed with a chisel and then the completed beetle and panel are sanded with very fine 400 grit sandpaper. The panel is then sealed with sanding sealer and is ready to be gilt and glazed.
Insect themes are also used by Martin as cabinet pulls and thumb latches and are central to many of his hardware designs.

Insect Art Sculptures - Stag Beetles by Martin Pierce

We are focusing some of our design and casting energies on smaller terrestrial creates that arguably take on an extra-terrestrial persona when they are portrayed as larger than life subjects.

Beetles and in particular stag beetles have been inspiring awe in Martin Pierce since his early childhood but only now is he able to capture their majesty in bronze. The first sculpture of 2 fighting stag beetles was completed in the late 1970’s when Martin carved a pair in Ebony, a very hard wood that can be polished to a high sheen.

Stag beetles are part of the Lucanidae family of beetles of which there are several hundred different types. The stag beetle that Martin saw in England was probably the Lucanus Cervus so named for it’s very large mandibles that clearly reminded early botanists of stag antlers. The stag beetle is aptly named and like the male deer the mandibles are used like antlers to establish male rank and priority in everything from mating to food to territory.

The bronze beetles that from part of Martin’s collection of art works were loosely modelled on the Japanese Miyama stag beetle. The original pattern was carved in wood and 5 molds were made for the head, body, left and right legs and antennae. As the 6 legs (3 left,3right) are separate castings this allows Martin some leeway in how he welds and positions the feet and enables him to create a more animated sculpture.

The size of the sculpture 20” (from antler to toe) and the polished patina on the bronze metal allow the ridges and indentation of the wing casings and knuckles of the legs and serrated jaw bone to be appreciated as both tactile and visual experiences.

An inspiration takes form as Martin works on a sculpture

We have mentioned numerous times on this blog of how inspired Martin is by beetles, moths, lizards and other creatures, along with their unique habitats.  This is evident in many of the bespoke hardware designs found in our collections. One of the most fascinating creatures are beetles.  We have studied many of them and even owned a pair of Hercules Beetles we fondly named Boris and Natasha.  While they are no longer with us, they did provide Martin with a great deal of information as to their form and lifestyle and he has begun working on a one-of-a-kind sculpture partially inspired by the study of Boris and Natasha.

Martin is making a large sculpture of 2 fighting stag beetles. The concept came from a piece he did many years ago in England.  He carved this piece out of ebony as this wood is close in color to the stag beetle and also, because at this point in our careers we had neither the money nor the audience to sell such art pieces cast in expensive bronze. It is our hope that there may now be an audience for a bronze sculpture such as this.  The current sculpture is of 2 stag beetles in battle on a large piece of bark.  One problem we have encountered was how to cast the bark.  We thought we could actually use a nature made piece so we went in search of a suitable tree.  We have an amazing Pepper tree in our front garden but could not use it without fear of damage. So we got in contact with our arborist ----- Victoria Monson and her husband Daryl of C.O. Arboritsts and they very kindly offered to keep us posted of any suitable trees they were felling. So when a large oak was marked for felling Martin drove to Pasadena and chose the best section of trunk to use as a pattern for the bark sculpture.

The photos follow the process of preparing the tree trunk, shaping it so that it could be used as the pattern for the bark sculpture.  Normally Martin would actually sculpt his patterns from "thin air" as his creative imagination came to life in wax or wood. But since there is a lot of beautiful bark available he decided to manicure an actual tree trunk.

In order, these photos show how he chose the section and then chiseled it to essentailly form a trench. The next step was to make a barricade around the recessed trench by nailing strips of wood to form an outer wall and the last photo shows how the trough was filled with clay to make this area level.

The next step in the sculpting process will be preparing the mold...

To view our entire collection of architectural hardware or custom bronze sculptures, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.

Designers can visit the showroom located at:

5433 W. Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, Ca  90016

323 939 5929