Heating the piece to apply the patina hot. I heat it until it turns amber then brush on the patina until I get a finish I like.
Before patina
Front right side
Right side
Front left side.
Something in the water
My screen print plate- drawn in water color inks.
Detail of plate
below are my photos that have inspired these drawings.
My photograph taken in San Miguel Allende - Santuario de Atotonilco, the Sisyen Chapel of The Americas. Notice the fathers hands - allowing his son to be independent but safe.
In this photo I have edited out the father except his hands. The father can also be seen between banister columns.
Chasing a hat
Chasing is the technique used to decorate metal work.
First I have to cut off the metal left after cutting off the sprues.
This photo shows the hat before I cut the sprues off smooth.
Here they are cut off smooth. I cut them off with a angle grinder.
The next step is to repair the texture of the felt. - another day.
2 hats and a bird from dipping to casting in bronze
Ready to dip
Dip #2 slurry and fine silicone
Detail after dip #3 of hat on left
Detail after dip #3 of inside hat on right
Detail of bird tail after dip #3
After dip #3
After dip 5
Close up view of pigeon/bird 1/2 way through the dipping process.
After dip 8
Close up of hat
Dip 9
Detail after dip 9
Dip 10 is slurry only. This will dry into a nice hard porcelain like shell.
Next, I cut off the top of the cups and pT them for n the furnace upside down.
In my he furnace upside down so the wax Will burnout.
Wax melting out of the pieces.
Heating the bronze. Once it is warm it is put in the crucible.
glowing hot bronze just after it was poured into the piece.
All three pieces after the bronze has cooled.
Breaking off the shell with a sledgehammer and chisel.
Most of the shell is broken off 1 hat. It looks like a very successful pour.
The second hat.
Fowl
I break off enough shell to know how successful the pour was. That takes a couple of hours of intense physical work. The pour of the two hats is great the bird body poured great but the feathers (delicate twigs) did not pour. - another lemonade situation I will have to figure out how to fix. There is still a lot of shell to be broken off first. In order to save my shoulder I will take these pieces to legacy fine art foundry to finish cleaning off the shell.
The ceramic shell is removed, the pieces has been degated ( the removal of sprues and cup). Now to create the texture that was damaged be the sprues and cup.
I made a little progress using the oxyacetylene brazing set up atGlassell TXRX. I still have a lot of work to go.
I have added considerable tail feathers and feathers around the feet called leg muffs. the piece has been sandblasted and now I need apply the Patina. That will be in a separate post.
I have decided to make a separate post for completing the hats.
The last studio visit of the spring.
Yesterday was our final critique for this spring. Glassell arranged a lovely catered lunch, we dined on plates from Nell Harrell Gottlieb's historical work, and Alison De Lima Greene was our critic. Alison stayed until 5:00 sharing her perspective and visiting each of our studios. - pinch me.
Alison de Lima Greene and sarah fisher with nell looking on.
The wardrobe of a women sculptor. I took both of these with me this morning.
And wore them both.
My foundry boots and heels. These are great times to be a woman.
Success or failure. "Fragility- kalidescope " Started a new piece.
"Fragility- kalidescope" Started a new piece.
I purchased a 20" diameter round piece of plexi with beveled edges primarily to use with "gust". I decided today to paint watercolor turtles on it much like a kaleidoscope in layout.
Pictured below: This was 5hrs. of painting/drawing. I started by laying out on a piece of paper the spacing of the turtles.
You can see my layout of the turtle spacing under the plexi.
2 hour s later.
Next I soaked my paper for 20 minutes. I made the decision to put it on the press on the wet side hoping to get a watery look.
The overly wet paper caused the bleeding shown above. When I saw the bleed I was at first disappointed that it didn't cause a more evenly distributed blur. And at the same time I felt excited by the accidentle result. This is a big no-no in the printing world but as a person who draws and is interested in mark making, movement and energy it exciting to me. To quote artist and friend Camille Warmington it created a ghost circle, such a poetic term.
I will let it dry and study it next week - time will tell if this is a success or a failure.
Detail of plate.
fragility - kaleidoscope
30" X 22"
I have given it a week and I think it is a keeper.
It has actually given me an idea I can't wait to try.
fragility series - "swimming frenzy".
One in a thousand hatchlings make it into adult hood. Once they make to the waters edge it is a swimming frenzy to get to deep safe waters.
"fragility- swimming frenzy I "
15" X 11" water color mono print (there was no ghost print).
"fragility- swimming frenzy II "
15" X 11" water color mono print (there was no ghost print).
"fragility- swimming frenzy III "
15" X 11" water color mono print (there was no ghost print).
"fragility- swimming frenzy IV "
30" X 22" water color mono print
(there was no ghost print).
Pigeon
One of my early pieces from the piece pigeon project
Glue stick and talcum powder on black paper.
concert master
I worked on a sketch (monoprint) for a sculpture. This is inspired by a photo of my cousin Andrew Irvin - Concert master of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. I saw the portrait of him on Facebook and commented how much I liked it. He said I could use it to inspire my work.
I did this one first- I started in water color then added litho inks.
I decided to do another - trying to get more of the movement of his hands playing big the violin.
I think it has more energy but it might be too abstract to see the image.
The next one I will reverse the drawing - my cousin is a righty.
happy dog XII
S' more memories
The marshmallows looks just like I imagined in bronze. They cast beautifully.
The " s'more memories". Series consist of Individual bronze marshmallows and 4 arrangements of sticks and marshmallows
Loaded up in my Jeep.
Studio visit with Rainey Knudson founder of Glasstire
Giving my elevator pitch to Rainey at our BLOCK XVI exhibition.
BLOCK XVI exhibition
"Saturday, January 21st, 2017"
28" W X 55"T X 20" shadow is variable
wire cloth and LED light
Entropy
6' W X 4' T X 3' shadow is variable
Found object - wire cloth
"gust"
This piece is next
"swimming frenzy"
For each piece I keep adding to the plate making each piece different from the last.
Painting with water colors on plexiglass
Detail of plate
Another detail of plate
happy dog XV mono - print
BLOCK XVI - Exhibition reception tonight
Our Spring BLOCK XVI group show reception with open studios is TONIGHT!!
Glassell School of Art
2450 Holcombe #2 (Old Nabisco factory at corner of Holcombe and Almeda)
Entrance 81
Second floor of building
There will be a charge for parking. If you Uber, tell your driver there is a 20-minute window for being inside the parking lot at this address. He/she will be able to drop you off and exit with the same token.
Our show runs through this Friday, April 7, 2017. Glassell hours are: Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 10:00pm
Hope to see you and your friends tonight — or sometime between now and this Friday.
Inspired by a billboard
Driving to Houston from Austin I saw a build board with a photo of s'mores advertising one of those lazy river resorts. My whole body immediately filled up with joy and happiness. Such great memories of camping and cooking out with family, friends and s'mores. As a result I am starting a new series -" s'more memories". I am casting sticks with marshmallows on them. A few sticks alone and some in groupings. Below are the first 6 pieces before spruing. I will also cast a bunch of independent marshmallows to place with the sticks. I can't wait to share the memories.
"gust"
Sunday I started 8 color monoprints for my gust body of work. I started with black and red and today I added silver. Gust is a series of bronze new hats caught by a gust of wind that abstract as they tumble, toss, and blow. The first phase of the bronze series will be completed this time next year. I will show them for the first time in the new MFAH Glassell exhibition space.
gust
11" X 15"
I decided to use the red because my first hat (I was 4 years old) and these will be my first gust monoprints.
Me with hat and dolls 1961 ish