Bundles of twigs, sticks, branches

I am planning on trying out making bundles or arrangements of glass twigs/ sticks, so checking out images. Thanks to all the stick photographers out there

Surgery!

Surgery...well it felt like it. After having left the rubber to cure properly, I came back to it a few days later and sliced it down one side in a wavy pattern so it it more likely to lock together more. I used my scalpel, and having to prize apart the rubber with my fingers (which as you can see is red and rubbery) it felt rather gross. I also ordered 4 kilos of plastimake today to make my 'mother mould' with. The mother mould will keep the floppy rubbery bit firm and in shape. A lot of people use plaster or fibre glass. I have made one with plaster, but with this size it becomes very heavy and somewhat fragile with man handling. Fibreglass on the other hand is light and strong but isn't allowed in our studio because we aren't equipped safety wise. However yet another offhand comment from Marcus made me think...yeah WHY don't I make it out of plastimake? We shall see...

chopped meat, watermelon?

This is my pile of cleaned chopped and drying PVC mould material (its reusable). I kept hoping that none of the scavenging birds around uni would mistake it for food!

Remaking the long branch mould

My last attempt at making a long branch rubber mould was a failure. After a chat with Marcus I decided on another method.
The idea is to pour the rubber around the entire object in one go then slice it open. This means entirely surrounding the branch and levitating it.  With a new microwave and electric stove top we just had enough heating power an volume to pour most of the mould in one go.

Branch held up with boards and screws
The beginning of the clay damming

branch inside completed clay dam

View of poured and set rubber

Kiln 15 set to go!

I have been furiously making moulds and kiln 15 is now full and set to go

Mould mash ups with Matt Perez - Day 3

Last night we were told to make a small wax object to cast, no bigger than one's clenched fist. As I was doing some other work on the computer, it was 11pm before I thought WAX! Yikes!
Here is a pic of my wax bird before it gets covered in plaster silica.

The whole class invested their objects, my invested bird looks rather cat like.

Invested bird

After the moulds were steamed, cleaned and filled with furnace glass frit, lunch was eaten before the coloured bullseye glass sheets were brought out. I think everyone else was pleased to see colour...in glass I find it overwhelming...unless I have an idea to go with it. Here are some of the designs put in the kiln by the class.

Mould mash ups with Matt Perez - Day 2

So we had some mashed up moulds, right? This morning was the time to 'Frankenstein' them together. Here is my mould, made out of three different moulds made from 'textured tiles'. One swapped with Trish.

My Frankenstein...

Some kind of fairy tale

Tonight I HAD to finish the book I began last night. I came across a reference to 'Some kind of fairy tale' by Graham Joyce via one of the fairy tale blogs that I read daily. My interest was piqued after reading his article in the guardian on his top 10 fairy fictions with a link to his own book (which he didn't include in the 10 & who else remembers the owl service?).

 

The premise revolves around Tara who turns up on her parents doorstep 20 years after she disappeared a t the age of 16 with no trace. Tara thinks that she has only been gone for 6 months after going off with a handsome stranger on a white horse in the bluebell woods, needless to say her family don't buy it, especially her brother Peter, who is now married with a tribe of kids. The story is told from different view points: Tara, Peter, Richie (Tara's old boyfriend), Vivian (her cigar smoking psychiatrist who reminded me of Bettleheim's writing) and Peter's son Jack. I found the tale captivating and intriguing, I really wanted to know how it all worked out.

Mould mash ups with Matt Perez - Day 1

Mashing up on the first day...woo!

'Tile' moulds

Sawing or floor dropping to break up

a possible Frankenstein to be

Sorry Matt but I spell mould with a 'u'. Any how I am doing one of SCA's object lab courses, a casting, kiln-forming workshop called 'Mould mash ups' with Matthew Day Perez. Even though the workshop caters for beginners, Matt is an artist I very much admire so I think it is worth it.

Hooked on crochet

mmm Like no one has used that title before...
But I am, addicted to crochet at the moment, especially shell stitch. A scarf for Mikyoung, a farewell present as she leaves Australia. Made out of two 'balls' of silk garden by Noro in muted heathery tones.

Branch moulds

Branches and apples

It was 7 o'clock on a cold, dark and windy Friday evening by the time I could pull out (a not quite set) wax of each of the moulds I made. I couldn't go home until I had at least one wax. I really like the the meltable red mould making material (can't remember the name). Need to work on the bubbles though.

Blood jelly!

I was in Barnes this morning, buying a couple of kilos of mould making material when I walked past this shelf... Blood jelly, pumping blood, flowing blood, stay wet blood, realistic drying blood syrup..

Silhouettes in copper

So, I have started learning a new skill, thanks to Mikyoung it has been very easy. Thank you for lending me your tools and expertise.

The copper just needs to be oxidized to make the figures dark, then I need to work out a neat way of inserting these into the cedar lamp base.

Autumn queen

Sarah very kindly agreed to model this costume I made many years ago (that I can't wear any more). It was great to get some photos of it. Today was also the day that the second and third years were being assessed, so all their work was up. My favourite photo of many is this one with Erica's installation.

Crochet

So after all these years of being able to knit, albeit somewhat simply I have learned to crochet. Taught by You Tube. After practising with a few samples I crocheted a beanie/beret. Using Noro yarn and a selection of stitches (single, double and treble) I kind of made it up as I went along. I used the treble stitch on 2 different rows to make a kind of ladder that I could thread a ribbon through. I can't believe it has taken me this long to try crochet, it seems to be free-er than knitting and so much quicker. Except of course if you are making granny squares...then of course you need to pay attention to the number of stitches, something I'm not very good at. My stitches tend to come and go at whim.

Light in Winter

Exciting news, I have 2 pieces in a group show at Kirra Gallery, Federation Square. The exhibition coincides with the 'Light in Winter' festival in Melbourne. The theme for this years festival is words and story telling. Kirra Gallery for the last 4 years has had an exhibition of 'illuminated works' to tie in with 'The light in winter', a multicultural soltice-y kind of celebration.

Thank you to Crystal Stubbs for suggesting my work to Suzanne at Kirra Gallery.

The brief was to make a light out of the hot cast pieces that I have been making. The stands are made from recycled Australian cedar, with a burned designed, finished with a natural hard wax from Whittle waxes. The light is a strip of flexible LED's set underneath the glass in the cedar base. At last they are packed and on their way.

Letter box

If only every long day working hard was rewarded with a letterbox full of books!

Mother's Day

Gifts for my Mum and Dad, with handmade gift tags. The flower is a water colour and the soy fish is a screen print.

Autumn leaves 2012

This year I have had even less time to appreciate Autumn leaves which are one of my great loves. I still find old pressed leaves of autumns past in various novels. On our way up the Dooralong this weekend valley we stopped to admire this long driveway of plane trees and liquid ambers.