Meet the Artist: Patrick Gerber, The Robot Consortium
By Kelli Comer
Sci-fi and fantasy mixed with some horror, pop culture and rock & roll is just the catalyst local artist Patrick Gerber needs to get his creativity flowing when crafting his unique robot characters out of reclaimed, recycled and scrap wood for The Robot Consortium.
“I get inspiration from pop culture, and a wild imagination,” Patrick says. “When I was young, I read all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy books and it shows in some of my work.”
Patrick first found his knack for creation when he started making things as a young child.
“I had very little supervision and my dad had a lot of tools, so if I thought of something I’d just go to the basement and try to make it. I still do that today,” says Patrick.
“The first robot I made was about 10 years ago and it was for my son. I made a few extra and brought them to a local show and people liked them. So, I just sort of ran with it.”
Today, Patrick has 30 characters in The Robot Consortium lineup. All the hardwoods he uses are recycled from shipping pallets, old furniture and even demolished houses. He started to use recycled wood due to having access to an abundance of it in his day job.
“It was just going to a clog up a landfill somewhere, so I figured why not make something out of it and let it clog up someone’s house?” Patrick laughs.
The characters making up The Robot Consortium run the gamut from Pinhead of Hellraiser movie fame and Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th films to Frankenstein, Monopoly’s Mr. Moneybags and a David Bowie-inspired “Ziggy Sawdust.”
Once Patrick decides on which character to make, he grabs a piece of wood from his barn. He starts by pulling out any nails and then squaring the piece up before starting to cut all the pieces and parts out.
“It’s really satisfying to me to take a dirty piece of wood I dug out of a dumpster and bring it back to life,” smiles Patrick. “Making is definitely a passion, one that’s always gnawing at you and won’t go away until it’s satisfied, which it never is.”
To reach Patrick, you can email him at pat.wgerber@gmail.com. A regular at the Crafty Mart events in the Akron area, Patrick also participates in several local events throughout Northeast Ohio and surrounding states. You can also find his creations for sale on his Etsy shop at TheRobotConsortium. Find The Robot Consortium on Facebook @TheRobotConsortium.