Friday 17th

My last day until I'm able to do the bronze pour - dates to be confirmed. It has been such a long drawn out process but I'm still grateful to VACMA for choosing my project and funding my learning. 

Today it was more of the same - playing with wax - managed to get most of the pieces attached but had to get Eden to finish a couple for me as I was getting nowhere fast.

They are to stay at SSW and Eden will coat them in a ceramic shell which is a series of layers which have to dry between each dipping, quite a process.

The rest of my time was spent making a mould for the oak leaf ball.

oak leaf ball with silicone layer, I ahd to add another chemical so that the mixture could be brushed on.

and the next part of the process - building up a clay wall so the plaster can be added.

Here it is! the first half siliconed and plaster base added. Underneath all that is half a white plaster oak leaf ball covered in cling film.

The Week at SSW

 A whole 5 days of learning mould making!

First of all, it was to make sure a silicone release agent was applied liberally to the sculptures - I really wanted the sculptures to come out from the silcone after it had set.

Next, lay on top of cling film to protect the plaster from the clay, and build up around the piece about halfway, following any lines (so that the mould lines when cast show as little as possible)

a clay wall is added and then the silicone poured in.

I'm glad I had 3 pieces as I could practice and repeat the process 3 times to learn it more thoroughly.

Large Beech Leaf

Silicone Poured

I've got an award!!!

 Today, the email came through from Aberden City Council about my VACMA Application. I have been granted the award and I'm so excited.

I can now book an Open Access week at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden to learn mould making for bronze casting. 

Things to do, things to organise, mainly myself of course, and ideas to generate.

This is the plaster sculpture I'd like to make castings from. It is life sized so fits beautifully in my hand.

Made during lockdown when I couldn't get access to my stone pieces, the plaster is delicate, as you can imagine but carves wonderfully. I had a couple of plaster blocks hanging around from a craft/art pack we'd been making at the scrapstore (ScrapAntics) for disadvantaged teens amongst others.

Carving with 'Ministry of Stone'

I finally made it to Lincoln and the gargoyle carving course, actually a grotesque but who cares.
Working with stone again and learning new skills with new tools, what more can I say.

I was a little worried about it all due to my tendonitis flaring up for the first time in many years...typical timing, but all was good.

25 May 2018 - further road trip adventures

Wow!!! No waking to footsteps overhead, no hearing swearing and ‘Shut yer Pus!’

No slamming doors. I might be sleeping in a wee van but much preferable at this moment in time for my peace of mind.

Desperate for the toilet and so it was a quick pack up, drive to Wakefield, bringing back a few memory feelings from so long ago (1984) found a café, toilet, then beans on toast with a large cup of tea.

Feeling like I’m on holiday now!

Back to my park-up and readied for the day ahead.

Mistake no. 1 – forgetting to change from trainers to walking boots.

Weather was dullish but ok as I strolled down to the YSP entrance gate, over the cattle grid with an ‘oops’ slide on the wet metal… no pedestrian walk through as I could see.

Over the brow of the hill, looking down onto a pleasant view opening up before me of a lake, well-kept fields and plenty trees, old and new, were enormous bronzed Henry Moore’s. Their place in the landscape affirmed. I can’t think of anywhere else they would fit so well.

So I trotted off down the hillside to have a closer look. The rain was pooling at the bases forming some lovely reflections. I didn’t like them all as Moore is not my favourite sculptor but impressive nonetheless.

 

A cup of hot coffee was beckoning so after taking a few photos I began my return to the top of the hill. Before heading to YSP I hadn’t done much research on which sculptors were represented and so was very happily surprised to come across a James Turrell piece set into the hill.

 This quiet, contemplative place, ‘Skyspace’ has been built within an 18^th Century Grade II listed building – the deer shelter. The descending rain bounced off the floor tunefully, with the seating arranged in such a manner that leaning back allowed great comfort and directed your gaze towards the open roof. Delicate lighting is apparent around the top of the seating and I could have sat there for hours.

But….

Along came a hoard of schoolchildren and completely erased any hope of my peace.

I hope their tutors made them sit in silence to appreciate a little of the atmosphere that could be found there.

A browse in the shop, found a beautiful wooden bee and then coffee upstairs looking out onto the grounds.

As the café began to fill up and the noise level rose, I left.

 Out the other side of the building was an exhibition by Guissepe Penone.

I’ve seen his work dotted around the internet but never expected to see it first hand. Absolutely gorgeous artwork!

This was in the Underground Gallery as well as outside.

My favourite was of course, the stone piece.

The fine carving makes thhe tree look like it's been cast from a real tree.  Absolutely beautiful!

In another building was displayed an exhibition by 'Common Ground' – the Dorset bases arts and environmental charity, including an interview with Andy Goldsworthy, taken quite a few years ago.

After leaving the buildings I debated on whether to carry on as by this time, my trousers were soaked, the water wicking up from the wet grass and (see mistake 1) my shoes were very wet.

Conclusion: can’t get much wetter.

Numerous figures by Elizabeth Frink were situated following the pathway towards the lower level, with the mosaic-ed Buddha standing out colourfully next to all the bronze sculptures.

 On the right, in the distance, I spied walking video characters on a screen looking like a doorway behind which was a regiment of bronze humanoid forms. 

Towards the left was Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals – Zodiac Heads.

I headed on down towards the lake in front of which geese were congregating on the grass eating and leaving numerous droppings to dodge.

The Goldsworthy pieces were on the other side of the lake but these will have to wait for another day as I am now too wet and slightly dispirited with the weather.

I returned to the van with thought of dry warm clothing and shoes on my thoughts.

Even though the rain made some of the day not the best, I wouldn’t have missed this place and in some ways I can still look forward to visiting again – in the sun.

The M1 was busy, wet and misty but thanks to a great DAB radio in the van I had musical company which made the miles go by a little easier.

A few stops for the usual comfort breaks and to get away from the tortuous amount of vehicles traveling so close to each other that the on off reds of their brake lights began to hurt my head.

Radio 2 traffic news warned of severe delays on the M5 south so I detoured by Stroud, Bath (oops, got a little lost around Bristol) and the A39 towards to A303 and roads that are still so familiar.

A stop off at Gloucester services warranted a quick snapshot of one of their wares – a smallish log (approx. 25-30 cm high and maybe 15cm diameter) with a cross cut deep into it with a chainsaw selling for £6.49 a pop!!!   Rip-off and gullible spring to mind.

The last portion of the journey was spent trying to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest, safest time.

Eventually!! Pulled in to Bradleigh and stop.

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London Wedding

Had a brilliant time at a wedding held in Croydon, London.
The event itself was beautiful with Ella's Grandfather walking her down the aisle, kilt swinging.
I was so pleased to have been invited and was able to see some old friends and celebrate with them.

The handfasting was probably more memorable than the service if a little cold. Many there, myself included, took the opportunity of jumping the broomstick.
After the meal, along with drinking and dancing we could also take photos in a specially curated booth in honour of Star Wars - lightsabre, Princess Leia head piece and a grand dark hooded cloak.

Before the event, I took advantage of being in London to visit an old friend and we visited Kew Gardens, amazing! Some lovely sculpture and a fantastic exhibition with hundreds of dried flowers threaded and hung from the ceiling. We were able to walk through these - astounding.
Then there was the bee place! wow!
This incredible structure has been built to replicate a bee hive.

"The Hive is a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees. A feat of British engineering, it stands 17 metres tall, set in a wildflower meadow.

The Hive is an immersive sound and visual experience. The lights you see and the sounds you hear inside The Hive are triggered by bee activity in a real beehive at Kew.
The intensity of the sounds and light change constantly, echoing that of the real beehive. The multi award-winning Hive was inspired by scientific research into the health of honeybees. It is a visual symbol of the pollinators’ role in feeding the planet and the challenges facing bees today."
(https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/attractions/the-hive)
You can walk inside and it is a strange experience but very beautiful.

The Hive

inside The Hive, top level

inside, bottom level

The gardens themselves are beautiful to walk around and much bigger than expected, could spend all day there with a picnic and sketchbook.

the greenhouse

greenhouse again

The structure just leant itself to some arty photos and I couldn't resist.











During our walk we came across a wonderous line of gorgeous statues. The carving is excellent and made me a little envious, must practice more.

detail

 

There was also an amazing exhibition/ installation of dried flowers. Walking amongst them was quite surreal and would have loved to have been able to be there with no other visitors, but hey, that's the way it goes.

Sculpture class - first of 10 weeks

And so the classes begin...

sculpture beginning

Wave beginning

Here we are back in the underground carpark, work benches in place and stone ready to go. 

Very happy to say that three people have returned from the week long session last October as well as new students. 

During the last sessions the work was mostly based on one plane but the anti has been upped and the choices are for sculptures that are more fully rounded. This brought about the realisation of how much stone has to be removed before getting to the  interesting carving. There's going to be a lot of graft next week.
Everyone is working so hard that I have no doubts that these sculptures will be even better than the last ones.

Here's a link to the RIG Arts blog about this week's work.

Artist in Residence - Broomhill, Greenock

A quick post just to let you all know that I had an amazing time in Greenock. The participants in the sculpture course were a delight to teach, adults and children alike.
The course came about because of  Rig Arts (http://www.rigarts.org) an award winning socially engaged charity. Their idea is to bring the community together with professional artists in a collaborative way. (Their words) Using any creative means at their disposal.

It has been a pleasure to be a part of this.

More to be added to this post, especially images.

Finally! 'Apollo & Dionysus'

After even more sanding with varying degrees of fineness and then onto wet & dry, the sculptures are ready for the wax.

A wee preview of images before fitting them together.

Philosophy module sculpture piece

the beginning

The early stages of the sandstone piece.









This sculpture came about as the practical assessment for my philosophy module during the Masters course. The module itself was called 'Tragedy's Figures, Aesthetics, Politics, Philosophy'. An incredibly fascinating subject that involved much reading and inevitably, talking. The idea of making an artwork as part of the assessment process is only in it's second year and I think works really well.

More process images.

Once the sculpture got to this point, I then had to work on it's partner, which is a soapstone piece.

From here on, things started to get a little more complicated because I had to begin working the stone so that they would both eventually fit together.