I Like Big Bus

It’s official–I have (a) become world famous in Raleigh, and (b) bored all my friends to death on the Fobot Facebook page talking about this.  So now I’m going to bore YOU for a while.

Several months ago, by purest coincidence, I saw an article in the paper calling for artists to submit designs to be wrapped around Raleigh city buses. I thought “What the heck–could be fun seeing five foot tall Fobots rolling around the city”, so I entered the competition. I didn’t tell ANYONE–not even Phil–because I didn’t want anyone but myself to be disappointed if I didn’t get picked.  But as you can see from the snapshot above (photo credit Kim Curry-Evans) the powers that be had a sense of humor, and my design was one of twelve selected for the project. My plan was to take Phil and some friends to the big unveiling next weekend at Artsplosure and just casually say “Will you look at that bus!  Giant Fobots on both sides–how did that happen?”, but they started rolling them out last week and I didn’t think the surprise would keep. Or maybe it would have–I still haven’t seen it yet. But when I do, I’ll post more pictures. I’m so proud of my little guys. Little did I know that when I sent them out to conquer the world, they’d be taking the bus.

Update–finally got to see the “Fobus” in person this weekend, so here are the pictures I promised:

Imitation is the Sincerest Blah Blah Blah

An open letter to the anonymous “XYZ”, who sent me a link to the website of another person making robots from found objects:
Yes, I am very familiar with the artist in question. We met a couple of times in St. Louis, have corresponded on several occasions, and she has purchased two Fobots from me. I have no problem with her making found object robots. She is not copying my designs, and she seems like a lovely person. I did have an issue in the past with someone who was attempting to copy my designs EXACTLY–I think we can all agree that that is wrong. But there are a number of people making work similar to mine now–I guess that’s just the price of success. Good luck to them. In the meantime, I will continue to try and create the most innovative designs I can, using the coolest materials I can find, putting them together as sturdily as possible, and letting the public decide which ones they want.

Results of the Second Annual Shame-A-Thon

…and here we are, 24 hours later, with a studio that, if not exactly clinical in its cleanliness and order, at least won’t get me on an episode of “Hoarders”. And to all the people yesterday who said it didn’t look THAT bad, and I should just revel in the chaos, let me say that  disorder can be a good thing, but when it gets in the way of productivity and moves into the realm of health hazard, it’s time to clean.

Now–time to mess it up…

The Second Annual Shame-A-Thon

Hey kids!  iIt’s time for the second annual Studio Shame-A-Thon! Here’s how it works: I’m posting pictures of the current state of disaster in the Fobotorium, and in 24 hours, I will have to post pictures of it all cleaned up and organized or be FOREVER SHAMED.

A few tips if you want to conduct your own Shame-A-Thon:

1. Do it on a dreary, rainy, cold day, so you won’t have all of Mother nature distracting you. CHECK.

2. Get a good recorded book to listen to to make the time past more quickly. “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, about Hemingway and his first wife during the Paris years. CHECK.

3. Have an even worse task in mind that you really should be doing, so that this will seem like fun in comparison. Deciphering all the mailing list names and email addresses from the last two shows and entering them into the database. CHECK.

If you don’t hear from me by noon tomorrow, send out a search party, ’cause I’m buried under an avalanche of junk. Oh, and don’t let the patches of bare wood floor fool you–the wide angle lens makes them seem bigger than they are.

Deck the Halls With Bots of Folly

The extent of my Christmas decorating this year. Peace and joy to you all—Amy

2013 Calendar–It’s almost Here!

It’s just about time for another hilarious glimpse into the secret lives of the Fobots!  The 2013 calendars have arrived from the printer, and will be available at my new shopping site, fobots.bigcartel.com (or through a link on the ifobot.com website) starting on Sunday, November 18, at 3pm EST. Here’s a sneak preview of Mr. January. They’re still $14.95 + shipping, and just in time for Christmas. What better way to own 12 Fobots?

Party Animals