I have been researching shrines, relics, voodoo and fetish objects, I find it fascinating how much dept and potency can be conveyed through these pieces.
Have also studied Steve Dilworth’s Hanging Figure (for my practical work, as well as dissertation), which is an incredible piece incorporating a human skeleton and natural materials, such beef drippings and calf muscles, as well as sea grass acting as rope to hold it all together. I find this piece quite nauseating and surreal, but also very fascinating as I’ve never seen anything like it!
Today I have been casting clear resin over the glass and ceramic pieces (small bowl like works that are alot more sculptural than functional) I have made, they are presently drying. I am pleased with how they are looking …quite random, colourful and crazy, like mee…
I felt like a loony when casting them, as i wear a mask and gloves, and am generally in a deep state of concentration…i feel like a cross between a rather mad scientist and the Nutty Proffessor!!
There is one piece that has bobbles of amber glass on, which looks unusual and along with the dichroic glass inside it should really grab viewers attention.
Today I also cast an old black and white photo (on acetate) of two of my ancestors (a lady and little boy) into a piece, which I’m hoping will come out well – the last time I did this droplets of water got underneath the photo which made it abit cloudy when the resin dried – am hoping this doesnt happen again, but it shouldnt as I dried the piece well before casting the resin.
While doing this I was working in the ‘Mac Room’ which Jane (the art technician, general helper, and surrogate mother to students!…who calls me Trouble…who knows why!!….)wanted to lock up at 4.30….me being me, totally forgot about this haha, and had all my disorganised resin, glass and ceramics everywhere…aaaarrrggg…I ended up running around like the mad hatter for the next few minutes, transferring my disorganised mess to my equally cluttered studio space. Thankfully I had just about finished using the resin, and my work was drying – under cake protectors, that go over them to keep flies etc away – as I noticed that before when I cast some pieces that dust and other tiny bits would often go in the resin before it had dried.
I also started glazing some bisque fired work for a raku firing wer doing tomarrow, the one problem was I couldnt find the ‘Unknown Purple’ glaze I wanted….after searching all through the topsy turvey stack of glazes in the glazing room (and giggling at the random glaze names -such as ‘Crusty Rusty’; and tubs containing glazes – one which previously had ‘Adsa’s Fluffies’ occupying it, this always makes me smile!) I decided I would try and hunt out the mysterious ‘Unknown Purple’ another time and stick to dark turquoise and copper for now.
….I am hoping to add images of my work shortly!
