Look Above - in progress, Part One.

Apologies for the month-long absence here... I'm only hours back from my US workshop tour. Let's jump back into it. Here's my latest commissioned neckpiece as it comes together.

Launching off with a small decorative plywood ornament from a visit to Home Depot, I saw it down and shape an animal trap part to lay over it.

Weathered and stained. A tube rivet has been finished on the left side and the hole drilled for the right.

The color is now more harmonious between the elements.

Panels of dyed paua shell are laid in and the middle cradle 'V' shape will house a beautiful little piece of brain-like coral found in Hervey Bay a few months back.

 Like so.

 Searching for a suitable backing, I cut and modify one of a set of four hand-carved folk-art coasters from the 1930's, seen here as a spike of red and wooden texture sprouting up in a triangle at the top.

The coaster being shaped...

 ...and anchored together.

 

Now time to design a brass scaffolding to prong-set the piece and give it its exterior structure. I'm working on a copy image of the assembly - this allows me to experiment with possible shapes. The next several images show the drawing developing around the object.

Tightening up the drawing onto some tracing paper.

 

 A signature plate is etched and formed from copper and will rivet to the brass backing.

 The drawing ready to be executed in heavy brass.

Piercing the forms.

It's starting to look like something. I love this part of the process.

The sawing finished, I can turn to shaping and finishing the brass.

A heavy texture is applied.

 Ready to receive the signature plate.

The elements have a meeting.

Next week, the piece brought right to finish.

Ciao!

For Those Who Doubt, In Progress - Stage 2, completion.

This is a long one, but I want to get all the way though this time. Grab a cuppa, and join me.

Picking up from my last post, I created a round glass panel with a curious and beautiful wet-plate collodion negative image - here is the original image:

I absolutely love the photographer's markings on it - having scratched out the inferior exposure, he or she inadvertently lent a power and mystery to an otherwise straight-forward image. After scanning, the image is stretched vertically to allow the composition to adapt to a round format, as well as to tweak it one more step out of a documentary image.

After firing the image to an old piece of window glass, I'm preparing here to drill holes around the perimeter - slightly queasy work, as one wrong move and I'll need two more days to re-make the piece.

Waxed linen thread is tied to the glass now, and will be the material that suspends the panel inside the hubcap.

Ready and waiting.

I'm laughing as I post this - those who know me know I'll go to ridiculous lengths NOT to glue anything. But the occasion does arise! The glue around the lens here will serve a dual-purpose. First, it will seal the front gap between lens and hubcap. Second, and more importantly, I am building a 'moat' so I can pour resin onto the back of the lens and create a tableau between the lens and the fused glass image. The heavy brass wire was carefully pressed into place around the lens, but great care was taken not to add pressure or the lens would chip or crack. The sealant here creates a soft back-up to the wire.

One of those unforgettable gifts comes into play here. I was given this litter of tiny mummified mice by a kind soul during my last tenure in January at the McGregor Summer School in Queensland. She found them in her attic and collected them, though she wasn't sure what for. When she saw me giving my slide lecture, she knew why.  I decide to take three of these tiny creatures and encase them in the matrix of resin.

 First I give them a new set of eyes: African blue sapphires.

Preparing them for a resin nesting.

Making sure everything's on the level.

Beginning the pour.

The first of four pourings finished. The glue moat around the perimeter is built up each time, to keep above the rising resin. It'll have to be deep enough to completely immerse the three figures.

Next, a line of tiny bones arcs up the center behind the V8 logo. Most of these will be invisible unless the viewer sees the piece from a very oblique angle.

Setting the resin. This image blows up quite large if you click on it.

Before the final pour.

Small cicada wings will be nestled onto the mice, giving their floating presence around the lens some context.

For a moment, I can view the mice backlit by the sun, before the layers are put in place. Note the face in negative on the right.

Preparing to attach the glass panel.

And attached. The thread, stretched taut, suspends away from the front assembly.

A cutaway on the back for hanging.

Cutting a back from plywood.

A host of tubes, soon to be riveted into place in each hole of the board.

Though the image is out of focus here, you get the message. Often, because I'm photographing as I go, if I miss the shot, there's no second chance.

Taking up the rear-most area of the hubcap will be this beautiful brass gate ornament that I've fused glass, brass swarf (look it up!) and a Frozen Charlotte figure into. She'll be facing away from the viewer.

Marking the board for attachment.

The attachment holes drilled and riveted. The tube rivets give great structural strength to the plywood panel.

Steel wire feeding through.

 

 

Tyin' one on. 

 

In place and ready to attach to the assembly for its completion.

Fitting the wires to twist them together - quite an awkward procedure.

Do the twist.

At long last - my first glimpse of the assembly through the lens - a good moment. The thick convex lens really offers some surprising and wonderful distortions of the objects behind - if you hadn't seen the elements as you have here, you'd never know exactly what you were looking at. I love that stubbornness to give up secrets.

Signing the back.

Ready to take beauty shots.

Which are HERE.

Thanks for taking the journey with me!
Keith