Ralph Bacon illustration and design

This piece was a commission for a local coffee shop.  They wanted a fun way to reward customers and raise money for charity.  The green spaces are chalkboard paint so the staff can change the possible prizes.  The figure holding the coffee bag is a portrait of the manager. 

Closeup of the manager, Ryan, holding the coffee sack that determines your prize.

This piece was a commissioned portrait of "Mel" in his favorite convertible. The head bobbles on a spring, the arm is poseable,  and the wheels roll.  Pull on the muffler and a secret compartment is revealed. 

Detail of Mel

This little whirligig shows the artist drawing at his desk atop an airplane.  The propeller serves as a crank to make his arm draw.

Ralph has rendered himself at his drawing board piloting a plane.  When you turn the propeller, Ralph's hand moves and he draws.

Bob Marley is standing on the island of Jamaica in the sea.  When you turn the crank, he plays the guitar and his head rocks back and forth tossing his spring hair in every direction.

This sculpture portrays the two candidates as two heads sprouting from the same body.  It is a commentary on politicians in general. 

Turn the crank and the two artists paint away at their opposing canvases. 

Here you can see VanGogh intent on his painting while DaVinci's brush works at his canvas.

Turn the crank (branding iron) and the tornado whirls chasing Pecos Bill astride the mountain lion.

See the astounding Beaudacia, the Bearded Lady of Babylon, as she assists Steve Stupendous, Escape Artist Extraordinaire Sword Swallower and Acrobat.  Atop the high platform stands the majestic Fatima, flying Fat Lady of Flattsville.  Watch as Beaudacia pulls the sword from Steve's throat, Fatima then lands upon her target, vaulting Steve up, over and into the tank of vicious, man-eating piranhas!! Astounding.

Pecos Bill riding astride a mountain lion is chased by a tornado. 

This whirligig is based on memories of visiting a family home in Cleveland in the 1960's.  Turn the propeller and the kids toss a ball in the pool, the uncle drinks a beer and the little dog lifts his leg on the tree.

This was created after a hard drive crash that left Ralph wanting to use a sledge hammer on his own computer.  The blades on the whirligig are made from the dead hard drive and if you rotate them, the repairman pounds away on the CPU.

This whirligig illustrates what might happen if a cow paddled across a stream infested with piranhas.  Above the water line the cow is rendered whole and below it is bare bones.  As the crank is turned, the cow's legs swim and the fish bob around menacingly.  This piece was exhibited in the Erie Spring show in 2016 and was purchased from the show by a private collector.

The inspiration for this sculpture was a National Geographic Special in the 1970's about the Amazon.  There was footage of a capybara entering the river and being instantly devoured by piranhas. The sculpture imagines what would happen to a cow in the same situation.  There are playful elements such as a frog with a wooden leg and cuts of beef in the mouths of piranha and floating to the bottom.
 

A detail shot of the frog and some of the fish surrounding the cow. The frog has a peg leg and a patch over one eye.  The fish jaws are made from metal band saw blades.

This piece is part of three separate whirligigs commissioned by the ADDA for the city of Ashtabula, Ohio. This bass-shaped fish measures 5 feet in length and depicts the Main Avenue streetscape circa 1960 on one side and Ashtabula's Walnut Beach on the other. This weather vane style whirligig features propeller blades made to resemble the bricks that were once produced locally.

This is the reverse side of the bass whirligig depicting Walnut Beach in Ashtabula, Ohio. This is one of the most beautiful beaches on Lake Erie.