Stories

Rachel Dillman, a Junior Studio Art Major, attended a week-long workshop at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado this August. The workshop, titled “Intro to Rhino and CNC,” taught her how to manufacture pieces from the CNC machine, using Rhino and Aspire. Rhino is used to electronically plan and construct the piece. Aspire is used to outline the toolpaths that the CNC machine then follows to cut out the piece.

 

 

Dillman focused on two-dimensional objects in the beginning of the week. Her first piece was the outline of female legs. Dillman drew and formed the legs in Rhino and created various toolpaths in Aspire. Before using the CNC to cut out the legs, she used a laser printer to burn the outline of the toes and calves onto the wood. As the week progressed, Dillman focused on textured and three-dimensional pieces. She created a 6x6 picture frame with words carved on the back and a laser-printed photo attached inside. Her final project was an 11x19 piece with three mouths. She used the same process as her previous pieces, using Rhino, Aspire, and the CNC. Dillman burned outlines onto the mouths and plans on burning the rest of the background. 

 

 

While at Anderson Ranch, Dillman met many interesting people and is still close with her roomate. She enjoyed the organic and locally sourced food, along with the beautiful environment. Dillman received the Anderson Ranch Scholarship, awarded by the Art and Art History Department, and is very grateful for this unique opportunity.