Royal Miree

  The son of a general contractor, I spent much of my time walking construction sites or with my mother at the Birmigham zoo and never missing a National Geographic, Nova, or Wild Kingdom special.  If a tool, brush, pencil or pen was missing in the house, it was most likely in my room working on one creation or another. It was never enough to see how things worked; I had to take them apart or build them to find out how they worked.  While all these projects could be messy and sometimes loud, my parents, grandparents, and even my best friend's family always encouraged me to create.  At fifteen I began an apprenticeship to kinetic sculpturer Edward Hendricks and found an entirely different side of art not bounded by the margins of a static canvas, but an art that utilizes every piece of itself to be realized.  	
   Four years later I left Birmingham to study architecture, and Mr. Hendricks, to a new studio in New York.  I immediately explored new media and subject matter.  I began a sketch study of movement  and shadow, fascinated with how minimal an object could be and yet translate a form so much greater than itself.  These studies started integrating themselves into my water color and acrylic painting and then found a niche with my conte crayon and charcoal works.  When I began anew to explore metalwork and sculpture, many years later, the idea of art utilizing every ounce of itself to obey form and function, to perform and to be alive, took on new life in stainless steel and aluminum with kinetic sculpture.  I like to think that in a way I can build my own art “zoo” and the creatures within.  I have a passion for observing and interacting with my own creations, but even more so, I find fulfillment in the handling, forming and movement of materials that end as a finished sculpture.	
  Over the past 15 years I have worked with movement and form through observing dance and nature's efficient engineering to bring the public closer to the basic beauty and strength I see in so much of the world.  The inspiration is generated through watching the subtle movements and forms nature provides to us, almost like a language that can be read if we choose to.  It is this simple and powerful grace that I try to translate to my works.  There is a certain fascination with being able to create a form with basic fluid elements that may come fully to life with the intuition and imagination of the observer.	
   Designs for each kinetic sculpture start as a basic line drawing with attention to the visual flow of elements.  As a design develops, the relationship between concept and materials becomes more important.  Each element is to perform it's purpose with simplicity and efficiency. The intent is to create a fluid, figurative image using the minimal amount of material. While the materials are of themselves hard, the aim is to soften them and have them almost dance as they move and reflect.  To this end, the smoothness and speed of the counter balance point plays a critical role in the visual affect the work will have in motion. 	
   The design is transferred to actual size on a board with concentric circles designating rotation of the various elements. After this basic layout is complete, the raw metal stock is cut, measured, weighed and milled for the anchor components.  A large assembly of ascending radius disc is the forming tool used to bend the curves and counter curves of the tail pieces.  	
  All pieces are assembled and fixed into an axel and ball bearing housing mounted to the wall.  At this stage distances and weights from the rotation point are analyzed and calculated.  Various counter weights made earlier are used for testing the balance points of the assembly. This is a process of checking different sized pieces for their weight and position to achieve a smooth rotation and match to an exact position of horizontal balance when the assembly comes to it's resting position..	
   The entire rough assembly design is transferred back to the board with all weights, sizes and distances noted and is then disassembled for polishing or painting.	
   To achieve the mirror polish, each component is run through five sanding stages starting with a 180 grit sandpaper to remove tooling and milling marks and ending with a 600 fine grit surface.  At this stage the aluminum components are complete.  The stainless steel components are ready for a three stage rotary buffing process to bring each piece to a final mirror finish.   After each component is cleaned and waxed, the entire work is re-assembled and mounted back to the wall so that the final balance and adjustments can be made.	

Awards & Recognition

  Best in Show- Tannery Row Festival of the Arts	
  Best in Show (3 dimensional)- Dragon-Con Artist Market	
  Best in Show (3 dimensional)- Eastern Shore Chamber Festival of the Arts	
  Featured artist for Art & Wine Magazine - cover issue 2003	
  Featured artist for Yoga Magazine - cover issue 2004	
  Featured artist for Southern Living Magazine- January 2004	
  Featured in Black & White Magazine --- 2000,2001,2003,2006	
  Featured in Birmingham Weekly --- 2000,2001,2003	
  Featured in Birmingham News --- 2000,2003,2005,2006	

PUBLIC DISPLAYS Arceneaux Gallery water color works--1996-1997 Clary Sage Gallery water color & graphite works--1995-1996 Crown Jewelers ostrich egg jewelry--1994-1995 Planet Musica wood & metal Sculpture--1993 Magic City Art Connection water color & sculpture works--1999 to 2006 Wanda Junes water color & charcoal works--1998-2002 Mauby's water color & charcoal works--1998-2000 Gay Pride Festival water color & charcoal works--2000 Bradshaw House Gallery charcoal & conte' works--1999- 2002 Anthony's water color & charcoal works--1999-2005 Show House conte' & steel--2000 to 2006 Highland Bank charcoal works on paper-2000-2001 Botega charcoal works on paper -2001 Kentuck Festival water color & sculpture works--1996 Bare Hands Gallery water color & conte' crayon works--2001 Naked Art Gallery water color & conte' crayon works--2000 to 2002 Gallery 2306 enamel & copper-- 2005 to 2006 Gallery Services kinetic sculptures 2006 Bit of the World Gallery water color , steel & copper 2002 to 2006 Kinetics kinetic sculpture-- 2004 to 2006 Park Lane Conte' & charcoal 2003 to 2006 Cio Water color & conte' 2004 to 2006 Daniel George Conte' & charcoal 2004 to 2006 Resteraunt Twenty Six kinetic sculpture-- 2006 Yellow Daisy Art festival sculpture-- 2001 to 2005 Magic City Art Connection sculpture --2000 to 2006 Dragon Con sculpture-- 2001 to 2005 Dalton Festival of Arts sculpture-- 2002 to 2006 Kentuck festival of Arts water color & sculpture works--2001 Helen Keller Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture-- 2005 Los Olos Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2003 to 2004 Annual Boca Fest kinetic sculpture -- 2004 to 2005 Delray Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2004 to 2005 Naples Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2004 Covington Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2003 to 2005 Atlanta Dogwood Festival kinetic sculpture -- 2005 to 2006 Tannery Row Festival of Arts water color & conte' works -- 2003 A Love Affair Arts Festival kinetic sculpture -- 2005 Canton Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2005 Barefoot in the Park Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2005 Virginia Beach Neptune Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2005 Eastern Shore Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2006 57th Street/Hyde Park Festival of Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Blue Hole Festival kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Art Walk kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Covington Three Rivers Festival kinetic sculpture -- 2004 & 2002 Deland Fall Festival of the Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Gainesville Downtown Festival of the Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Naples National Festival of the Arts kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Bluff Park Art Show kinetic sculpture -- 2006 Atlanta Artist Market kinetic sculpture -- 2006