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Wizard at Work: The Life and Art of George Rhoads
"Who builds these contraptions?"
"What kind of kid was he?"
"Where do his ideas come from?"
If you've ever watched the madcap antics of colorful balls rolling, bouncing, leaping, and whirling through George Rhoads' audiokinetic sculptures, you may have wondered who invents these spellbinding contraptions. In this book you will discover how Rhoads, who dreamed of becoming a successful painter, also became a renowned creator of public art whose sculptures can be seen in airports, shopping malls, science museums, and hospitals throughout the world. Shattering the notion that machines are built only for work, Rhoads designs machines that do nothing but play. Written by Rhoads' youngest sister, the book contains personal glimpses of the artist's growing-up years in Evanston, Illinois, his struggles as an aspiring painter, his acclaim as an origami expert, and his unexpected success as a sculptor-first, of fountains, then of the whimsical yet elegant ball machines that fascinate and delight viewers of all ages.
Emily Rhoads Johnson is a writer, editor, and teacher living in Ithaca, New York. She is the author of three young adult Spring and the Shadow Man, A House Full of Strangers, and Write Me If You Dare.
"What kind of kid was he?"
"Where do his ideas come from?"
If you've ever watched the madcap antics of colorful balls rolling, bouncing, leaping, and whirling through George Rhoads' audiokinetic sculptures, you may have wondered who invents these spellbinding contraptions. In this book you will discover how Rhoads, who dreamed of becoming a successful painter, also became a renowned creator of public art whose sculptures can be seen in airports, shopping malls, science museums, and hospitals throughout the world. Shattering the notion that machines are built only for work, Rhoads designs machines that do nothing but play. Written by Rhoads' youngest sister, the book contains personal glimpses of the artist's growing-up years in Evanston, Illinois, his struggles as an aspiring painter, his acclaim as an origami expert, and his unexpected success as a sculptor-first, of fountains, then of the whimsical yet elegant ball machines that fascinate and delight viewers of all ages.
Emily Rhoads Johnson is a writer, editor, and teacher living in Ithaca, New York. She is the author of three young adult Spring and the Shadow Man, A House Full of Strangers, and Write Me If You Dare.
62 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2011
3 people want to read
About the author
Emily Rhoads Johnson
7 books4 followersEmily Rhoads Johnson grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated from The College of Wooster. She taught fifth and sixth grades, then turned to free lance magazine writing while her two children were growing up on a Michigan farm.
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November 2, 2013
It is wonderful to finally have a single source of information for the life and work of George Rhoads. His sister, Emily, has done a wonderful job of gathering together a large amount of information regarding George's accomplishments. Told in a straight forward style, the book accounts the entirety of Rhoads' life from his childhood experiments in his home workshop and with pencil and paper, to his later achievements with origami, painting and, of course, rolling ball sculpture. For anyone wanting to know more about a fascinating man who exhibits a zest for life and its creative outlets, Rhoads Johnson's book is a great read. It cannot be left unsaid as well, that it is probably the first book to highlight the specific art of rolling ball sculpture, making it an important reference for those interested in that art form.
Displaying 1 of 1 review