Robert Tomes

When I was a little kid, I loved to draw and color whenever paper and crayons were handy. I also developed an early fascination with circuses, particularly the old-time, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey-style circus caravans with their ornate and colorful carriages of caged animals. My father, an aspiring, amateur artist himself, encouraged me in my youthful efforts to the point where I once drew an entire circus train on a roll of paper ten feet long.

One day my parents took me to the annual art fair at Plaza del Lago, one of the original outdoor shopping malls located near our home in Wilmette, IL. While we were there we met a friendly, industrial designer turned metal sculptor named Joseph Burlini, a talented artist who would one day become quite famous. His whimsical, metal “kinetic, do-nothing” contraptions on display immediately captured my attention.

Being a precocious kid, I introduced myself and showed him some of my circus drawings I always carried with me wherever I went. Joseph seemed impressed and to my surprise - and my parents - asked if he could keep a few for future reference.

A year later we visited Joseph’s booth again at the art fair and, just as he’d promised, we were all excited to discover he had in fact used my drawings to create a series of uniquely Burlini-style, metal, circus wagons and other contraptions. It was a thrilling moment for a very young artist made even more special when he shook my hand and presented me with a large, color drawing of his own entitled: “Machine for Robert”.