Leaf and Bird Skirt looking at the Sun

A quick sew as usual, a kind of heavy linen type fabric, good for warm days in winter, which we appear to be having this week.  The sun inset the patio was done when we were kids..one of my sisters......shaped from Styrofoam, and then cast in bronze by Dad, and eventually incorporated here.

Cast Bronze -- Iteration in Multi

Playing with the idea of by hand and repeating, I made many wax balls to cast into bronze. Using the same slab dimension  of the wax and hydrocal "iteration," I took a common shape that could be rendered by essentially rubbing my hands together.  The process intersects with my plaster and pink  plexi rods underlying meaning...choosing to focus on what I could do by hand, rather than what I would have perhaps approached with more apprehension. 

Physics helped me here. Somehow, the melted bronze did not want to stay into the mold....spewing out with seeming glee, though at 2000 degrees, a glee with power (see below).  We haven't exactly figured out why it jumped out of the mold, causing the mangled balls and the layered and pocked surface.  Perhaps it was the size and shape of the balls..not letting the gases escape, or perhaps the shell was too thick, again impeded flow. Either way, it took on a more "from the center of the earth" feeling than first intended. 

Patina here may change...and the backing is being considered...had originally planned on black semi opaque for mount. 

My Pony -- Making Bronze Pony Necklace

Bronze Balls

Container for  bronze.

Pouring the bronze balls

Bronze pony emerging.

Thing that spins the melted metal into the "mold."  

Casting a small piece was a new experience...different than the sculpture process, yet same idea.

Shaped the pony in wax. Invested (surrounded by liquid compound). Burned out (wax pony figure melted), leaving negative space (where wax pony was).  Little bronze balls poured into a ceramic container, melted by torch (held in my hand).  Once it melts, the thing spins around, throwing the melted metal into mold. Dip it in water, the composition dissolves, leaving the bronze pony.

Saw off spurs, file, polish, voila. 

(Certainly would be nice if Picasa would let me line up the photos)

Bronze Sculpture with Stand

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The "with stand" on the title of this post is important!  My first bronze sculpture ran the risk of lying on its side for eons...as figuring out a base that would look fine, support the weight, and then figure out how attach sculpture to it was a bit daunting.

A dear friend, an artist, took me step by step through the process, from screw hole making (technical term escapes me), hole drilling, hole placement (nifty "trick'), and patina.  I now have a sturdy

base AND as sculpture that means something to me. All the better that it has a base made from him

Bronze Sculpture

Part of a larger piece, cast as a test for the new foundry. Bronze.

My first bronze sculpture

My first sculpture in bronze!  Yes, it has a meaning. Is not finished yet...need to figure out base (will be very simple plane...dark wood or bronze), as well as decide if will patina.

Sculpture in Progress

Liberated bronze from casting apparatus. This was among my first attempts at wax for bronze....joined people. Has taken a long time to get cast.  Actually, my next post will be my first sculpture actually cast, which I believe is my "best" so far as it has a more personal "learning" meaning to me.  These "joined" people will be removed from the sprues next week.

The "8s" in the last photo were actually my first shapes I kept, but not the first cast.   Hack saw and angle grinder. Now for sandblast and patina. .

Stop Go Man Signal

Metal, with plexi inserts. Took the outer part of my plasma cut man and saw a lighted sign...internally and externally. One could think of this as Mankind -- kind of like what the debt counter in NY does....if we keep pushing environmental or political issues beyond human inhabitation light moves to red -- STOP.  If we move to more peaceful solutions for the earth and us light moves to green -- GO.   Of course, one could use it for decision making too....should one proceed or not?! One switches the light to illuminate themselves or others. Or perhaps a  campaign should be mounted to replace all currently in place lighted signals to human ones to prioritize/replace walkers over drivers? That would help with some exhaust issues, but perhaps  create another exhaust situation ...long walk fatigue.

My lightening situation here needs to  be pefected (as do my photog skills for dark things with light), but my impatience has me putting it here prior to full completion. I got to use the hand grider to make the metal all shiney and remove the burrs...sparks flying, cool new tool to me.

Metal Man

Plasma cutter allowed me to extend my play with this simple figure. Plan on working an idea with this metal version, shall see how it comes out.

Mobile

Light Diffuser

Metal cut with laser cutter, hand bent. Can't really call it a candle holder has it doesn't "hold" candles. But it can diffuse their glow. Like metal playing with light....perhaps too simple to say "heavy/grounding" and "aura-al" --but somehow the interplay is intriguing to me.

Mobile

Playing with bending steel. Very rudimentary mig weld (first foray) to keep the sets together.

Needs to be placed higher in the tree, but still have one small element to add. Plus, the first time I put it up, it fell down (not strong enough filament) ...so somewhat precautionary, as I don't really want to paint out the dings again.

Clay and Rod

Wanted the rods close, but not welded together. Used clay as experiement, may move to stone.

Rock Rocked

My first, and perhaps my last rock sculpture. Soft as it may have been comparatively, it still took a fair amount of chiseling. I was attempting to make the hole I had 75% through complete when it split. Hence the pink supports. Made it more interesting to me. Will polish so the black green of the rock is apparent, as it would be if wet.

Plasma Cutter

Had fun trying out plasma cutter....basically, draw a picture on metal, then cut it out with oversized pen. Yes, sparks fly --it is very fun.

Welding Project...more than a line, less than art

While waiting for the process stations to get set up for bronze casting of a couple of my people, tried some welding....don't look at the welds close up, please. This is a sampler...not thinking it is anything but what it is...my first 3-d welded thing.