Talbotics Sculpture Studio

Tal’s work is amazing. Everything he creates has its own personality. He somehow catches a spirit and then gives it form based on what he finds or has in his studio/​shop. Maybe he doesn’t catch the spirits; maybe they just come to him voluntarily, knowing he will recognize how to make each of them uniquely visible. Each piece sparks imagination beyond words. Some are beautiful; some curious; some quirky. All his creations seem to bridge this world and another. What’s best is that he’s giving second life to «things» that were once parts of other things, e.g., parts of a vacuum cleaner. His creations are alive and expertly crafted. Tal is an artist, a perfectionist. What else can I say? Ah, that I’d love my grandchildren to see them in a gallery or museum somewhere – and, that they make me happy!

A few years back, a friend phoned me up. «Hey, want to go visit the studio of this guy who builds robots?» And I’m all: YEAH, who wouldn’t?
And that’s how I met Tal and his Talbotics studio. The studio is kind of magical and Tal’s a robotic alchemist. He’s inspired by seemingly mundane metal objects, even junk, and he turns them into these quirky robotic sculptures. Part of the time when I’m looking at his stuff, I’m wondering why I didn’t think of that, and part of the time I’m realizing there was no way I could have thought of that, it’s just *so* *cool* and clever and fun. The kind of stuff you’d imagine Douglas Adams would have in his stories.
Tal’s appears a quiet, shy and cerebral type, but when you start talking about creative and artistic manipulation of common or junk objects, you can get some fun banter going. If that’s the kind of stuff that interests you, his studio is this mindblowing combination of metallic whimsy and meticulous organization. In fact, I think there’s two artistic hobbies in play here — making the robots fit together just right, and making the studio fit together just right. So meta…
The studio is on the property of his residence, so it’s not the kind of place that the public can just wander into during open hours. It’s by appointment only, located in uptown Santa Barbara area in a quiet neighborhood, and he’s usually quite responsive to queries. The robotic sculpture isn’t his fulltime gig, during the workweek he’s juggling his day job as well.
If you’re lucky, you can see part of his house, where a lot of his sculpture is incorporated perfectly into walls and furniture. Plus there are many other little details, like little figures notched into a countertop or under tables. Outside… watch out for zombies.

I have seen lots of robots made from junk, but Tal’s are the most elegant and soulful. Tal uncovers souls hidden in the junk yard, rescuing well-​designed pieces of scrap metal to create his art.
After seeing his beautifully designed studio, I look look wistfully at random pieces of junk and think about what Tal would make of them.
Lots of pieces to explore, from tiny to towering.

Tal, the owner and artist at Talbotics takes found objects and makes whimsical and creative sculptures out of them — almost exclusively robot themed. I’ve not had the chance to visit his studio, but what I see on his website is so much fun I am trying to decide which one to get for my husband’s birthday next year. He already has the tee shirt!
After spending time looking at Tal’s online gallery I’m constantly looking at everyday objects in a new way and often wonder, «What would Tal do with this?»
In full disclosure, Tal has been a friend of the family for about 30 years, but if his art were not praiseworthy I would not be writing a review on Unilocal

I love walking through Tal’s studio to see his wildly imaginative pieces!