A little robot turns its head reading the pages of the book while its foot rhythmically swings side to side in total immersion.

I remember as a child reading and getting lost in stories about dragons and adventure and I wanted to capture some of that feeling because it brings me happiness.

This little automata is called “Learning” and is one of my favorite pieces from the robot enlightenment series. The robot enlightenment series was a challenge to make a new automata each week with each new piece starting with the next letter in the alphabet. The theme was a little robot trying to find enlightenment (or happiness). I started the series a way to learn how to make automata and as a way to overcome some depression and a feeling of failure. This was my 12th week design and letter “L” in the series. I don’t make this one very often because it’s a tricky one for me to make so there are only about 4-5 that I’ve made so far.

The base is made from cedar and the robot is maple. The book is walnut and white oak. The mechanical components are a mix of mostly hickory, oak & alder. I get most of my wood as scraps from a local cabinet shop and I carve them into the various parts and pieces that go into my designs, so the wood type can vary depending on what I have on hand. In this case, there’s only one of these, so the one pictured is the one you will receive.

The whole piece is finished in food & skin safe linseed oil.

These are heirloom quality art pieces that are not suitable for infants or toddlers because of the small parts that could be a choking hazard (and a potentially sharp metal components).