Scott Lefton is an artist and engineer in Melrose, Massachusetts. His art focuses on sculptural and useful metal, wood, and glass, plus Photoshop. He is occasionally serious about photography. His engineering work involves consulting in the areas of new product design and mechanical design, plus prototype fabrication. He does electronics when necessary, mostly as Arduinos used for electromechanical control applications. He has a well equipped workshop and a major tool buying habit, which 3D printers have insinuated their way into. Art informs his engineering, and engineering informs his art. He created the 2004 Hugo base and the half-scale Hugo rocket that was displayed on the ISS. His current obsessions include developing better ways of precision forming stained glass sheets into complex 3D shapes.
Preservation is a card in a nonstandard Tarot deck, and is in the suit of Transformations. The meanings are as follows: Keeping the good, protecting that which you value, sustaining that which you find important. Winning, if only for a while, against entropy. Maintaining traditions. Reversed: Stagnation, refusal to change. Trapped by previous decisions, whether yours or someone else’s.
Stained glass was kiln formed into 3D shapes, precision cut, and joined with copper foil and solder to make the lamp heads. The metal parts were either cast in bronze from custom 3D printed waxes, or CNC milled. The wooden parts were turned, CNC milled, and/or hand carved.
This node contains all of the control electronics for the pitcher plant lamp, and has hollow articulated metal arms that connect to the lamp heads and permit each lamp to be positioned individually.
A half-scale aluminum replica of the Hugo rocket was brought up to the ISS in 2015 for a special Hugo presentation ceremony.
The copper ornaments were made by a process called foldforming. The larger glass beads were all lampworked by hand using colored glass rods and a torch.
This table was made primarily from mahogany and includes hand-carved side panels and legs, with glass marbles inlaid.
This table was made from mahogany and includes a hand-carved pentagram, sides, and legs. Five different colors of glass marbles were inlaid at the apexes of the pentacle.
This tray was made from various woods including mahogany and Peruvian walnut, with turned and carved details. The stained glass is inlaid as a mosaic.
This jar was made from turned mahogany and ebony, and has a top lid containing a complex puzzle mechanism. The puzzle must be solved in order to unlock and open the jar.
The bottom of the Puzzle Jar has a disk of CNC milled brass.
This is one of a pair of machined stainless steel puzzles that were made to hold white gold wedding rings.
The imagery is a mixture of person, digitally manipulated stone, miscellaneous sculpture, and the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, Spain.
scottlefton.com
