In Tacoma, WA of the ancient Pacific Northwest, there lays a secret dungeon know as Awkly Studios where weird things are made.
It all started in the shower, as good things often do. I said to myself, I wish there was a squishy man toy. One, that looked like a weird monster. I had created polymer clay sculptures in the past, but the size of them made them somewhat delicate. Thank you moving day. I wanted something I could drop on the floor, or throw against the wall, by accident—without being left with a pile of polymer crumb dreams that would go down the toilet of reality.
And that's when I realized, I had always like car upholstery. It's weirdly smooth, yet rubbery surface... sigh... and it's wipeable! Furthermore, if you were to accidently sit down on a finished piece—not only would it bounce back, but it would have been soft on your butt during that short exercise. You're welcome America.
After many attempts and too many hours of trial and error. After learning how to use a sewing machine, and make patterns, and swearing. And make eyeballs, and wicked shoes, and doing all sorts of things I never thought I would do (or yell) when I was seven. I finally created something....
In short, I blame my mother and father.
"I hunted and killed many vinyl animals, till I amassed a collection of their skins. It wasn't pretty... it had to be done."
I had many prototypes. I wasn't happy till the strange thought I once had in the shower matched reality, and then... one day, at the cross roads... an Awkly was born.
By that time I had gathered a variety of techniques, and glue. "It's weird, but who gets excited at the adhesive section at the local hardware store?" (me) It's just glue! I tell myself, but my seven years old self says, "I bet if we stuck X and Y together... it might make Z!" More than likely I will just glue my fingers together... again.
Tools of the trade:
The sewing machine
The drill
The drill press
The sander
The laser cutter
Seltzer water
The Heat gun
Bob Smith Industries super glue and epoxy
Gorilla products
Rubber cement
Matt varnish
Polymer clay
Vinyl fabric
Wood
Leather
Cardboard
Outdoor fabric
Stuffing
Screws
More seltzer water
Paint
Coffee
Music
"All my creatures are hand-made. Untouched by robots or live animals, 100 percent artist created. There is no A.I. It is real. Art without a net. You may find small imperfections in my work, but that's the trade-off when you work in messy reality."
Joseph was born in the Pacific Northwest, on a snowy day. He likes to write, make art, make short films, write music and eat breakfast. When he likes something, he says "it's wicked." He is married and has an awesome daughter. Always excelling in art and music throughout school, he went on to write a rock-opera short film called Rockabye Dead Man, and has since made other local indie films. He hopes to one day get back to film-making on a grander scale. But for now, weird squishy stuffed things occupy his life.
"I like to use my hands and touch things, and when I make these creations, I get to touch a lot of things. That makes me happy. Sometimes, I touch too much, and get into trouble."
-Joseph