Calder's Circus - Evan's 50th Pair!

Beginning in 1926, Alexander Calder created an elaborate piece of kinetic sculpture slash performance art slash toy set which has come to be appropriately known as Calder's Circus. Calder would reenact the circus of old with his wire and cloth scultpures, speaking for the characters and providing sound effects. He built wire trapeze artists that really could flip and catch the swinging bars with their hooked hands. He constructed a cowboy who could flip a lasso around a horses neck with a spring-loaded arm. He built over a hundred different characters, all engineered to perform their real-world skill.


Calder also created extensive sketches prior to building the circus, some of which are recreated on the sides.


I really developed a deep appreciation for Calder, as I always seem to do for my subject material. For more on the circus, make sure to watch the surviving films of Calder's demonstrations:

Album Year: The Remake

These are based on the pair Cam did a while back, only I had to modify them a little bit because Cam has a much steadier hand for intricate detail work. I blew up the images and scattered them around to fit my less detail-oriented style. The results are interesting. It's like comparing the original film to its remake.

Percussion/Mountain Biking by Cam Giblin

This pair is pretty self-explanatory, it's based on the client's hobbies. She likes percussion instruments, BAM, first shoe, and mountain biking, BAM, second shoe.


This is the first time I've used a fume mask while designing a pair of Art Kicks. My poorly ventilated apartment has not been the most ideal place to work with 30 or so Sharpies. Nontoxic they say? Bah! My splitting migraine and trembling limbs would say otherwise. Now that I'm using a mask, these ailments have all but disappeared.

More Oceans

I've done several ocean and water themed pairs. Can't complain. I love the subject. It makes me think of some of the best days of my life spent on vacation in Bermuda, San Diego, and Mexico. One day, when I manage to hit it big doing these shoes, I will retire on a beach somewhere and draw oceanscapes forever.