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While I was raising my kids and sitting in carpool lines, waiting at soccer practices I used to stitch, stitch, stitch. It was a great way to direct my creative juices and be the mom I wanted to be.
There is a vintagebaby chick on top
Pansy egg
There is a vintage baby rabbit on top. I found him in a flea market.
Sweet bumblebee in center also a flea market treasure.
Swan and cat tails.
The last three are in a pillow.
The hats are degated. That means all the channels used to get the bronze into the piece have been removed. All the shell has been broken off and the pieces have been sandblasted.
Top side or outside.
Two small places did not fill with bronze on the above piece. I have scrapes of a previous piece that I am going to use to patch this piece. I am excited to try to patch it. My plan is to make the patch look like natural tears. It will be a challenge and I am looking forward to seeing if I have the welding and chasing skills.
inside of piece.
Part of my series of bronze hat series "gust". where it is in the series I will not know until I finish.
Two hats in the series together.
The next step is to do the chasing. Chasing is grinding down the stubs from the gates and recreating the texture so that you can not see a trace of the gates. It is a skill that takes practice.
Day 1
In the background you can see the photos of screen shots I am using as inspiration for both pieces. The top photo in the background is the finished piece. The lower one is the piece I am starting.
I was drawn to this screen shot because it shows how dogs can move in two different directions at one time. Her head is twisted right as her hind end is twisted left. Her back weight is completely on her right leg and her left foot is lifted off the ground.
The photo I used for inspiration seen in the background in many of the photos.
End of day 2
Right side view day 2
The left side. The first piece in the series is in the background.
Building up the back right leg. It is planted in the middle of her body. Her right foot will be off the ground as she vigorously shakes her coat dry.
Front view. Almost finished.
All but the water spraying off her coat.
She is finished. I added the water spraying from her coat as she shakes. See the back left foot lifted off the ground.
1 down 1 to go.
During the dipping process the hand and Sprue broke. I was able to repair it. It poured fine but the hand is a little katywonk. A finger also broke but that I can fix by welding a small piece to the break.
117 lbs. of bronze covered in ceramic shell that needs to be removed.
The tools
The easiest way to go about it is to turn the piece on the cup and bang away.
Today's progress. I got off enough to know everything poured.
And then you need to clean up.
Interesting color on the hands of this piece. Something about the amount of air hitting the bronze as it was heated. I will have to ask David what caused it again.
I maybe "tired like I have been ironing all day", but I am very happy. Everything seems to have poured great. I will have a little repair work but nothing I can't manage. 😊 happy St. Patrick's day.
Thanks to David, Will, Carlos, Roland, Edie, Verena, Vanessa. And a great big thanks to TXRX.
One hat had a leak that David quickly stopped with spar set. Another hat had a leak we did not see on the very bottom. It probably will not affect the piece.
"gust" X 3
verena's birds (3) and my "lifting spirit" gifts (2) cooling down. The bronze looks charred - weird.
I like this leather get up a lot more when it isn't 80 outside. I love the blue on the golden brown.
Tomorrow morning we are pouring these pieces. It takes 117 lbs. of bronze.
3 from my "gust" series (one is left over from last semester), 2 "lifting spirits" 1 for my daughter and 1 is a gift.
I thought "lifting spirits" was finished then I decided to give her a little gold leaf. And today I am sealing it.
The seal changed the color just slightly darker (more intense) so I am now using bronze wool to tone it down. 😳
Texture makes bronze alive.
My relationship with "focused on the finish" is a love hate relationship. With this mornings light hitting it just right I am feel'n the ❤️.
"focused on the finish"
alabaster
2015
Casting two more hats spring 2018
Getting ready to apply a patina over the gold leaf. I am working out of TxRx today.
After I applied a very strong liver of sulfur patina the first piece is drying in the sun as I work on the other pieces.
The gold leaf is still a little much but you can see hints of the liver of sulfur starting to show.
Here you can see the liver of sulfur (dark spots) toning down the gold leaf even more.
I am not finished but sometimes it is best to step away for a few days and then decide what to do next. This is one of those times.
Using a pneumatic with a metal brush then 3m polishing wheels.
It is very hard to keep bronze highly polished so I have decided to add a gold leaf. The gold leaf will highlight the texture that gives the pieces life.
Adding patchy goldleaf so that spots of the dark bronze will show through. This added texture will add to motion and energy of the piece.
Detail
nearly finished piece
shake shake shake - wire I
18"T X 12"W X 36"D
The first mornings work
Filling in the nose and more contour lines.
Afternoon's work - Building up the forehead, jowls and neck.
Day 2 - adding a body and legs.
Head on view. - reinforcing some wires for support.
Right view - a little squished. I will fix it later.
Left view- Still needs work but it is a start - she is a little pudgy.
Day 3- more reinforcing and bending. She is slowly coming alive. coming along.
Day 4 - I am liking this and wondering if I should stop or keep building.
Playing with the water spray and trying to decide if I have over worked the piece. And yes, it is over done. Tomorrow I will cut out some of the wire.
Oh yes, I Over did it- too much 🙃 must remove wires in the hind end.
Finished piece I think.
This sculpture is part of my shake shake shake works series .
This is a screen shot of Kitty last Easter at the dog park. I took it from Griffin's video of Kitty shaking off water. This screen shot is the inspiration for the first wire sculpture.
This is one of the experiments I did to creat the water spraying off her coat as she shook.
Front view- see the water spray as her head shakes one direction and back legs shake in the other direction. It is amazing how dogs can move in two different directions at the same time.
Every dog needs a ball.
Hearing protection ✅
eye protection ✅
Leather protectin gear ✅
This is the first layer of polishing- metal brush.
Next I will use jewelry polishing wheels-6 different grits.
= mucho work.
New sculpture in the works. Some of my favorite lines in the piece. #lines #artusa #sculpture #wire #contemporaryart
Wire sculpture in process
lifting spirits
11 3/4" W X 5 3/4" D X 7" T
bronze
The beginning of this sculpture was serendipitous but now that is is finished I have decided to give her the title "lifting spirits".
Still struggling with the title of work as I shoot the piece.
I used a wire brush attached to my pneumatic tool and shined her up.
Almost finished
I purchased some 3m polishing disc that fit my pneumatic and continue polishing.
High gloss
The final stage is to seal the patina, photograph her and document her deminsions and lastly determine the title of piece. I need suggestions-
i am considering "holla holla", "raise the roof", "katinka katinka na na na"
The first headstand
Headstand #2 - piggy tails
Headstand #3 - pony tail
I am considering a high gloss finish or my standard white. And I am debating whether I should put them on a concrete blanket similar to the happy dog bed but much thinner. Decisions decisions ............
