Brass and copper metals make the mobile a warm addition to any bar area or wine celler. The word MERLOT is embossed into the copper, heated and lacquered. The mobile is carefully packaged by hand and is signed and dated by Joel Hotchkiss.

Joel at the design table.

About the Artist

Hotchkiss' interest in designing mobiles began in the late 1970's in Boston, MA where he was working at an advertising firm. Seeking a more satisfying "hands on" creative experience, he started making mobiles "out of the blue." His studio apartment was soon filled with hanging mobiles and he's been looking up ever since.

Hotchkiss attended Pratt Institute from 1967 through 1971 and received a BFA in Visual Design and Communication. In 1993, Joel and his wife, Sandra, returned East from California with their two young daughters, Shaina Marie and Larisa Grace. They settled in the rural town of West Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts where they currently operate their studio as well as Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery. The gallery features Hotchkiss mobiles as well as various crafts and artwork representative of artists throughout the country.