Dug North always had a sense that he would be an artist. He experimented with many different forms of art before he discovered contemporary wood automata. Contemporary automata are hand-cranked devices, made primarily of wood and a bit of metal, that animate a scene. The linkages that animate the figures or scene are often in plain sight, as is the mechanism that drives them. The themes depicted are usually humorous.

In 2003, he stumbled upon the web site of Cabaret Mechanical Theatre (CMT). "CMT is a collective of artists based in the UK who have done a tremendous amount to define and promote the genre of contemporary automata since the 1980s. I knew the instant that I first saw a photograph of one that contemporary wood automata would be the right medium for me. "What I like most about the automata is that they demand traditional craftsmanship in the form of woodworking, artistry in the form of caricature carving, basic engineering, and an understanding of the principles of cartooning and animation. I am always interested in things that bridge the artistic and the technical, the right brain and the left."

"Sometimes inspiration comes from a scene that I want to depict. From there, I have to ask: how do a make a mechanism that will make such a scene move? Sometimes inspiration comes from the desire to use a particular type of mechanism. In these situations I ask something like: what can I do with a mechanism that converts continuous rotary motion into intermittent motion?"

A favorite challenge for Dug is to create magic-themed automata in which the automaton performs an illusion. He is one among only a handful of artists that make this type of automaton. Currently, he is working on a monster figure with very dynamic motion."At present, I envision the scene to be carnival sideshow."

In addition to the fabrication of things in general, Dugs personal interests cover a wide spectrum from magic to theoretical physics to graphic design to history and psychology. He earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Vermont and a M.S. in Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dug also has university training in drawing, 2D design, sculpture, photography, animation, woodworking, the history of science, and social sciences. Professionally he has worked as a carpenter, field archaeologist, sign fabricator, digital artist, and web designer. Currently, he is a Senior Visual Designer by day.

Dug established and maintains The Automata / Automaton Blog (www.AutomataOnline.com), where he honors other automata artists, encourages new makers, informs collectors, and tries to advance the art form as a whole. His work has found its way to some of the largest private collections of contemporary automata in existence. A gallery of his work can be found at www.DugNorth.com.