Robert The Rusty Full Suit Of Armor 
- Sold Winning Bid: $310.00
- 22 Bid(s) View Bid History
- High Bidder: 505FrankieT
Robert The Rusty Full Suit Of Armor
- Hand Forged 20 Gauge Steel- Aged
- Hand-Formed And Aged 20 Gauge Steel With Leather And Brass
- Dagger
- Sword
A full-size functional suit of intentionally mismatched styles of late medieval armor designed and made by Bob for the use of Sir Robert the Rusty. Includes chain mail coif, “Roundel” dagger forged from a truck coil spring, and a sword and scabbard made my Museum Replicas aged and distressed by Bob.
ARTIST NOTES: When I was twelve, I was transfixed by a suit of Spanish-made armor in a gift shop in Mesilla. It was prohibitively expensive, of course, and my parents were not moved by my entreaties. Fast forward to me in the fifties, realizing that I had spent my life learning to make things, so why not make myself the suit of armor I always wanted? I spent about two years making at least three suits of armor (I figure all of my failed test parts add up to at least one full suit). My first suit of armor was the Rat Armor, made of heavy steel for battle. It was a bit much to wear, so I then made this second suit out of 20 gauge steel. I called it my "dancing armor" because it was lighter. I intentionally made it to be like it was assembled from bits and pieces of found armor, each representing a different era in the art. The beginning of it was the breastplate, which I made for my role as Cervantes in Man of La Mancha (because the rental armor pieces were crap). And in that spirit I aged and rusted the steel, including the sword and scabbard I bought from Museum Replicas. The chainmail coif I wove over one winter in front of the t.v. at night. I've worn it many times, both at the local RenFaire and in Colorado, and it at least two films!
Condition:
As Shown
Size:
Armor: 74 X 24 X 12 Inches
About Bob Diven:
New Mexico artist Bob Diven came to Las Cruces at the age of 5. His father was a World War 2 veteran and former big-band singer from Pennsylvania who became a high school English teacher at Mayfield High School the year it opened. Bob's mother was a former collegiate champion golfer from Illinois who had attended a summer camp in New Mexico in the 1930s and played in a golf tournament in Las Cruces in 1941. Bob grew up exploring the desert with his four older brothers, Bill, Chuck, Ben, and Jack.
Bob graduated from Las Cruces High School, and after a year of college at NMSU joined the US Coast Guard and was stationed in the Bay Area of California. It was there, while awaiting his discharge, that he met Chet, a former professional commercial artist, who was able to evaluate Bob's drawing and sculpting skills and offer guidance in the selection of a small art school in Denver, Colorado, that specialized in figure drawing and anatomy.
Bob refers to his time at The Rocky Mountain School of Art (now The Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design) as "The most revolutionary educational experience" of his life. He worked from the live model every day, learning anatomy and the depiction of light and shadow in a traditional way.
After art school, Bob began to work as an illustrator and found work as a commercial artist in Albuquerque, working in television, advertising, and publishing. During a short stint volunteering in The Netherlands, he was exposed to the work of Van Gogh and came back to Las Cruces, bought a paint box and some oil paints, and set out to paint landscapes like the Impressionists. At this time, paintings finally began to make sense to him.
Over the years Bob expanded his skills as he explored the many natural-born talents he inherited. His paintings continued to improve, but he also took on theatrical scenery design, writing, musical composition, playwriting, sculpture, and editorial cartooning.
He won top prizes at the first Denver Street Art Festival and the top award at El Paso's Chalk the Block. His editorial cartoons and writing have won state and national awards, and his paintings have been shown in local, regional, and national juried exhibitions and are included in permanent collections. The Doña Ana Arts Council gave Bob their Community Arts Award, and Artforms named him Community Artist of the Year. He has taught classes and workshops, been an artist in residence in the Las Cruces Public Schools and with The Downtown Las Cruces Partnership.
Bob has built his life around his art, making room for whatever inspirations come his way. His hobby is reviving old typewriters.