5/1/17
Intimate Brooms in investment
Tusk (Broken)
That's how it goes. You try to rush and you get thrown back a few. I put the adhesive for the velvet flocking on the "Broken Tusk" piece while the temperature was too cold-it left textures and bumps in the surface so I'll have to strip this off, buy and ship more ivory flocking, and start over. Life is peculiarly similar.
Intimate Brooms
Getting the right position with the full scale wax was a little bit trickier than I thought it would be.
The intimate brooms are in process.
The sketch- cast in bronze.
Preparing for molding.
Applying the first coat of rubber.
Adding keys to the second coat to lock into the plaster shell.
The open mold after removing the broom.
Pulling a few waxes out of the mold helps clean the mold of all the loose straw from the broom.
A bit cleaner.
Playing around with some positions with a cleaner wax.
Two usable waxes made tonight for the Intimate Brooms. 4/18/17
A new bread piece in the works.
Starting a new piece for the new year.
I little wax sketch of an idea for a new piece which will be made of two full-size brooms intimately entwined.
Platter gets some finish
Bread's bread board gets some color.
Bread gets a bread board!
9 slices in...
I inlaid the wood and welded the perimeter of the last two slices. I will have to weld a bit more and grind them flush tomorrow. I have to soak the wood and put out fires as I weld the gaps. Even so- the wood still burns a bit but it will all be sanded off afterwards.
The heel slice of "Bread".
Two slices to go but I did the end piece tonight because I was tired. 🍞
Bread. Sliced. 3 more to go.
Tumbling Tumbleweed
Tumbleweed is back to where it was 3 weeks ago except with stronger, shinier thorns. Here's a little reveal: Tomorrow I start coating this with velvet flocking. Yep. Everything except the thorns and the joints. The thorns will remain raw bronze, coming through the velvet flocking, and the joints might get a slight patina or remain raw as well. Getting exciting.
Thorny!
The next step for Tumbleweed will take a bit of time and dramatically change it's appearance and then I might call it finished.
Split...
I started welding my sculpture "Split" together tonight. I haven't decided how it will be shown but I wasn't expecting it to balance on it's own.
Platter
The steel is etched and the saw teeth are cut. Now I have to sand, grind, and weld the flaws out of the steel and drill holes to fit the cast bronze saw handles, before sending the steel to get coated in porcelain.
Together
Reconstruction # 1. I have all the elements in place but I think I want to make a few changes, like bringing the bronze out a bit in the jaws and teeth. I felted the bottom bronze stand and attached it to a travertine base. The red strap is leather. I'll live with this for a few days and see how I feel about it afterwards.
Stitched
Recontruction #1 continues...
Reconstruction #1. I'm just working out a few ideas for presentation before I start the patina and stitching.
I had to drill many tiny holes in the bronze in order to stitch the crocodile shoes on to the bronze casting.
