Art about Machines, Made by a Human
Centrifugal Pump
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on 20"by 24" canvas, 2025.
About the subject
Centrifugal Pump. By efficiently moving fluids in manufacturing plants, centrifugal pumps are vital to modern society. They play an indispensable role enabling the production of fluids in critical markets such as water & wastewater, food & beverage, agriculture, pulp & paper, chemical, oil & gas and steel.
Function. The centrifugal pump exists to transport liquid reliably in continuous or controlled volume applications, enabling production within an industrial process plant or factory. They convert rotational kinetic energy from an electric motor into hydrodynamic energy that drives fluid flow. The fluid enters the pump impeller near the rotating axis and is accelerated by the impeller, flowing radially outward into a casing chamber from which it exits at elevated pressure.
Structure. At the heart of the pump is a rotating impeller enclosed within a volute casing. Bearings support the shaft, mechanical seals contain the liquid under pressure, and a rigid frame absorbs vibration and hydraulic forces. Geometry, velocity and pressure interact within the casing - an elegant expression of fluid dynamics rendered in a simple metal housing.
History. The centrifugal pump originated in the late 17th century, with French physicist Denis Papin creating the first straight-vane model in 1687, primarily for drainage. While early designs date back to 1475, significant industrial development occurred in the 1800s with curved vanes (John Appold, 1851) and steam power. Modern high-speed electric motors in the 20th century allowed centrifugal pumps to become more compact and efficient, driving their widespread use.
Inspiration: Centrifugal pump on a test stand in Chicago, IL.
Yamaha Acoustic Guitar
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on 20"by 24" canvas, 2025.
About the subject
Yamaha Acoustic Guitar. The Yamaha guitar represents a finely tuned balance between engineering technology and musical expression. Known for consistency, reliability and thoughtful design, Yamaha guitars have made high-quality instruments accessible to generations of musicians. This guitar is a special machine because it is not designed to make things, but to manufacture sound that fosters human connection.
Function. The guitar transforms human touch into musical notes, chords and melodies. Energy from the player’s hands vibrates the strings, which are then amplified by the wooden body into audible tones. Every note depends on a direct intimate feedback loop between human and instrument where pressure, timing and emotion shape the outcome. The guitar becomes a conduit for human expression and shared experience.
Structure. The guitar is precisely engineered. Tensioned steel or nylon strings stretch across a carefully scaled neck, transmitting force through the bridge into a resonant soundboard. Internal bracing manages competing demands of strength and vibration while geometry governs intonation and playability. For the guitar, structure is inseparable from sound quality, an example of form following function.
History . Founded in Japan in 1887, Yamaha began producing guitars in the mid-20th century and quickly earned a reputation for technical rigor and musical distinction. By combining traditional luthiery with modern manufacturing methods, Yamaha helped democratize music-making worldwide. .
Inspiration. A friend performing with a Yamaha guitar at Bobby's Eastside in Forest Park, IL.
Bridgeport Metalworking Mill
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on paper, mounted on an 12" by 16" wood panel, 2024.
About the subject
Bridgeport Metalworking Mill. The Bridgeport vertical milling machine is an icon of modern manufacturing. It represents the standard that defined how metal is shaped in machine shops and manufacturing plants for decades. Its significance lies in its rigidity, precision and versatility bringing advanced machining capability within reach of skilled human hands.
Function. Controlled by human operators, this machine can mill, drill and bore a workpiece to create features like flats, slots, holes. In addition, it is a highly versatile machine capable of machining highly complex geometries. The head can tilt in two directions and move in and out, allowing for complex profile machining. For standard operations, the Bridgeport mill can maintain tolerances within +/- .002 per inch.
Structure . At the heart of the Bridgeport is its vertical spindle and quill supported by a rigid knee-and-column structure. Operators use handwheels to control motion along three axes, converting rotation into linear travel with precision. The tilting head expands geometric possibility, allowing compound angles and spatial complexity.
History . Introduced in the late 1930s, the Bridgeport mill became ubiquitous after World War II, shaping the postwar manufacturing landscape. For decades it served as the first serious machine encountered by aspiring machinists and the trusted workhorse of professional machine shops and factories. Its legacy endures as a symbol of how machines and humans work together to build things.
Inspiration: Bridgeport mill at a machine shop in Franklin Park, IL
Leblond Metalworking Lathe
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on paper, mounted on an 16" by 20" wood panel, 2024.
About the subject
LeBlond Metalworking Lathe. The LeBlond lathe stands as one of the most influential machines in American manufacturing. Revered for its precision, durability and adaptability, the LeBlond lathe became a backbone of factories, machine shops and vocational schools.
Function . At its core, this metal cutting lathe exists to shape rotating metals - steel, cast iron, aluminum and brass - into useful parts via turning, threading and drilling a workpiece against a stationary cutting tool. Parts created include shafts, bushings, crankshafts, spindles, axels and a wide variety of custom parts. Every part produced depends on coordination between a human operator and the machine’s mechanical motion making the lathe a direct extension of human intent and skill.
Structure . Built around a rigid cast-iron bed, the LeBlond lathe balances mass and precision. A metal workpiece held in a chuck on the headstock delivers rotational movement. A stationary cutting tool mounted on a carriage is fed against it to remove material. It uses an electric motor for power, a gearbox for speeds / feeds and a leadscrew for precise tolerances and repeatability.
History. Introduced in the early 20th century by the R.K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company of Cincinnati, these lathes saw widespread use through mid-century, particularly during World War II. They helped enable American industrial capability producing the parts for critical industrial sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and mining.
Inspiration: LeBlond lathe at a machine shop in Franklin Park, IL.
McNeilus Concrete Mixer Truck
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on paper, mounted on an 18" by 24" wood panel, 2025.
About the subject
McNeilus Concrete Mixer Truck. Thisconcrete mixer truck is a moving factory designed to deliver concrete - one of society’s most essential materials - precisely when and where it is needed. Ubiquitous on construction sites and often spotted in residential communities, it represents a vital yet rarely observed machine required to build permanent structures.
Function. This machine exists to keep concrete in a workable state from loading at a batch plant to delivering the onsite pour. As the large steel drum rotates, it continually mixes aggregate, cement and water preserving a fluid consistency and allowing time to reach a jobsite before hardening.
Delivery chutes on a concrete mixer truck are used to transfer concrete from the mixing drum to the precise intended location in a controlled manner. They reduce labor and enable precise placement typically extending about 14–15 feet to reach forms or foundations.
Structure . A helical-bladed steel drum dominates the machine, its geometry engineered to both mix and discharge material through controlled rotation. Power is transmitted from the truck’s engine through hydraulic systems that manage torque, speed, and load. The structure is rugged and durable. It bears extreme weight as frames, bearings and gears absorb constant stress of forces measured in tons.
An extra axle seen resting above the back of these machines, commonly known as lift axels, are used to distribute heavy loads across more wheels. They are designed to be raised or lowered depending on the machines load. Lowering them allows the truck to comply with state-specific bridge weight regulations while hauling full loads, improves stability and protects roads from damage.
History. McNeilus began producing concrete mixer trucks in the early 1970s, helping modernize ready-mix delivery as construction demands accelerated. Their designs reflect decades of refinement focused on durability, efficiency and operator safety. The concrete mixer truck stands as an unsung collaborator in the built environment—linking human planning, engineered materials, and physical labor into lasting structures.
Inspiration. A McNeilus truck delivering concrete for a new garage floor in Oak Park, IL
Felt and Trek Racing Bycycles
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on paper, mounted on an 18" by 24" wood panel, 2025.
About the subject
Felt and Trek Racing Bicycles. Racing bicycles are interesting because they are not only designed to be completely integrated with the human rider but also for the absolute minimization of aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance and weight. This painting features a Trek Domane road racing bike and a Felt triathlon bike.
Function. Both machines exist to convert human power into forward movement that maximizes speed and efficiency. The Trek Domane is a premier endurance road bike special for its "smoother is faster" philosophy, featuring vibration-damping carbon fiber for comfort yet stiffness for speed. The Felt triathlon bike is specifically designed for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and long-distance triathlon performance, most notably through an aerodynamic frame design.
Structure. The Trek Domane’s frame angles, longer wheelbase and vibration-damping features favor stability and endurance, allowing the rider to remain comfortable over rough roads and long distances. The Felt triathlon bike adopts a radically forward position supported by aerodynamic bars that narrow the rider’s profile to the wind. Deep-section wheels, sculpted frame tubes, and integrated components work together to reduce drag. In both designs, carbon fiber frames balance stiffness and lightness, structures engineered to channel human force efficiently into the road.
History. Modern performance bicycles like these emerged from decades of refinement in design and materials. Companies such as Trek Bicycle Corporation and Felt Bicycles helped define the evolution of road racing and triathlon equipment in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Inspiration. My wife's triathlon bike (top) and Trek road bike.
Bandit Wood Chipper
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on 20"by 24" canvas, 2025.
About the subject
Bandit Wood Chipper. The Bandit commercial woodchipper transforms tree branches and trunks into uniform wood chips through a high-energy cutting system. Its significance lies in its ability to transform organic wood debris into usable material, bringing efficiency and safety to otherwise demanding and dangerous human work.
Function. The woodchipper functions as a material-reduction machine. Tree limbs and trunks are drawn into the infeed system and conveyed toward a rotating cutting mechanism where hardened steel knives shear wood into chips. The woodchips are expelled through a directional discharge chute into a dump truck for reuse as organic landscape material for homeowners, landscapers and municipalities.
Structure . At its core is a high-inertia steel flywheel or drum fitted with hardened knives, driven by a diesel engine and fed by hydraulically powered rollers. The geometry of the infeed chute manages forces and operator distance while mass and rotational energy do the cutting. Structural steel frames absorb vibration and shock, turning horsepower into controlled repeatable work.
History . Bandit Industries was founded in the early 1980s and became a leader in commercial wood chipping equipment as demand grew for residential and commercial landscaping mulch. These machines reflect a late 20th century shift toward safer, more powerful and more reliable industrial machines.
Inspiration. Bandit wood chipper in an Oak Park, IL residential neighborhood.
Inspiration. My son's Mastercraft wake boat docked at Union Lake, Seattle, WA.
MasterCraft Wake Boat
Acrylic paint, drawing media and collage on paper, mounted on an 18" by 24" wood panel, 2025.
About the subject
Mastercraft Wake Boat. This boat is a versatile 21-foot V-drive inboard designed for wakesurfing, wakeboarding, and skiing. It is known for its spacious seating for up to 14 people, ample storage, and high-quality construction, making it a popular multi-sport boat with the feel of a larger vessel.
Function. The boat’s primary function is to generate hydrodynamic force for movement and controlled wakes for wakeboarding, wake surfing, and waterskiing. By carefully managing speed, ballast weight, and hull displacement, the X10 forms a sculpted wake that riders use as a ramp and wave. Here, the machine acts as a collaborator: the driver, rider, and boat work together, transforming engine power and water flow into an opportunity for athletic activity and shared recreation.
Structure. The X10’s deep-V fiberglass hull is engineered to displace water in predictable ways, while a powerful V8 inboard motor places the propeller safely beneath the hull. Ballast tanks add adjustable weight to enlarge and shape the wake. A powerful marine engine provides steady torque, while the tower structure supports tow lines above the wake, improving lift and rider control.
History. Wake sports grew rapidly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, prompting specialized boat designs that could intentionally shape wakes rather than minimize them. MasterCraft, founded in 1968, became one of the leading innovators in this field, refining hull forms, ballast systems, and onboard controls. Boats like the X10 reflect this evolution—machines engineered not only to move across water, but to shape the water itself for human water sports.
