for bryan

easyrider lego kit

In the last few weeks I have been getting together with former students and friends to see them before I depart for North Carolina. Today Bryan Cera came past my studio and brought me a going away gift. 

Bryan made this entire Lego "Easyrider" pizza cutter kit, and created the packaging, and instructions as a one off set for yours truly. I simply was blown away and just couldn't believe that he had created this for me! I can't wait for Bryan to do a blog post about his techniques for making this kit along with sourcing the parts. 

As I think about the number of people I have connected with during my time in Milwaukee, Bryan is on a short list of people that have had a profound impact on me. I am so lucky to have students who I get to interact with on a daily basis and it is such a pleasure to be able to call a few of those students my closest friends when the classes are completed and they've graduated. I am always amazed at how the driven students push me to discover new things and to advance my own skill set. Bryan was always one of those students that pushed me forward through the things he was discovering in his on work. I have told Bryan that I believe his presence around my studio and in our graduate program actually created the perfect storm for the Digital Craft Research Lab to be developed.

I'm not even able to put into words how much Bryan's friendship means to me and the respect I have for his knowledge and abilities. I've been fortunate enough to witness his growth as an artist/maker and to see him develop into an amazing teacher. He is truly a gifted individual who I respect immensely. I will miss seeing Bryan and having great discussions in my studio, but I can't wait to see him grow in his new position at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Thank you, Bryan for this kind and generous gift. It is so special to receive something like this that has had such time and thought poured into it. So amazing!

bryan's new work

Last Friday I wrote some CAM operations for Bryan so that he could cut a face from some acrylic pixels blocks that he has been testing. This is a part of a new piece that he is making. This is the first test piece that we cnc milled on the Tormach and then I helped him get started on a second test piece before needing to leave to pick up some tools with Matt. I can't wait to see this finished.

bryan cera workshop

Yesterday I had some grad meetings in the morning, but in the afternoon I worked in the DCRL and then went up to the PComp lab to attend a workshop taught by Bryan Cera. DSP's student organization, DECODE, brought Bryan in for the event. It was so good to see Bryan and to see the things he shared with us all. He covered vinyl cutter usage as well as numerous tricks and tips on using a vinyl cutter in unconventional ways.  Bryan brought his super cool ferric acid etching agitator machine, or as I like to call it the "Acid Wave Pool Machine". He also covered circuit design, but I had to leave before he completed that demo. I'm so proud of Bryan's accomplishments as an artist and especially as a teacher. You can tell that he has really grown during his time at Cardinal Stritch. So cool to see.