Ideas to Form VIIII - Glass - Fusing and slumping

An opportunity to work with glass arose and I decided I wanted to explore it as a potential material to work with in the future. Could I combine glass with other mediums I have been experimenting with?
1. Fusing glass  

Using materials such as copper wire, oxides and coloured glass sandwiched between two compatible layers of clear glass - the heating process melts the glass fusing everything sandwiched between but the heat also reacts with the materials and creates interesting and unexpected marks and imagery. It definitely played to my abstract approach to imagery - It felt quite playful placing various objects between glass and waiting to see the outcome of the heat and fusing process. I did enjoy learning about this process but couldn't see myself developing further along this line as for me its not gestural enough, I enjoy the physicality of creating art and this was a bit small scale and fiddly. An interesting exercise but not for me moving forward.

2. Glass slumping

Biscuit fired
white clay moulds

This was an unexpected turn of events and came about by thinking about ideas for end of year show. I wanted to bridge the gap between the stone carving I had been developing outside of the studio into my Uni work - I would deconstruct sections of the 'Drift' stone sculpture - recreating these sections by slumping glass over pre prepared clay and alginate moulds.  Not as easy as it looks, at the first attempt the kiln was too hot and the glass melted creating overhangs and subsequently most of the pieces cracked and broke on cooling  -  lots of learnings but I will have another go.
I enjoyed the physicality of making the clay moulds and the concept of deconstructing a piece of my work to create smaller, it could be argued, more meaningful and interesting work.

Alginate applied
to surface of sculpture

The question I need to answer is what am I really trying to achieve over and above learning a new technique - is it to create a 'final piece' for the end of year show, something that the audience will consider 'beautiful '(whatever that means) or is it really about experimentation and my exploration of glass and how I might be able to use it in my future work. Will I be able to combine it with other mediums to create something quite extraordinary as my practice develops.

Strips of glass 

1 sheet of glass

Again I seem to keep coming back to colour and light and how the two interplay to create a sense of space - will glass play a role in my work next year - as yet I can't answer that question, maybe. What will the end of year show look like for me? well I have decided Im not aiming to produce something beautiful for the audience. The point of me working with glass is to experiment, so what I exhibit will be a snapshot, just one part of my experimentation from this year  - this is not straight forward, if it was easy everyone would be doing it!

Slumped blue glass
over plaster mould.

Ideas to Form VIII - Stone Carving

Having been selected to receive an Arts bursary last summer I decided to take the opportunity to try my hand at stone carving under Kate Semple - stone mason and sculptor based in Charlton, Somerset. A studio perched on the top of an extremely wild, windswept hill is where I disappear to chip away at stone and get creative!

In the studio

The planning is so important working with stone as theres little flexibility to make mistakes - this is something I always struggle with as I generally just want to get on and do it - but I have to say I made myself take the time to plan and make to scale maquettes, even completing drawings before I picked up a chisel! Unheard of!!

Visualising in 3D is quite a challenge having mainly focussed on painting large canvas or perspex. I find myself having to consider what the end will look like and almost mentally work back from this - something I never typically practice with painting. 

Building on the landscape theme I wanted to create organic pieces that spoke of nature. I also wanted the work to be tactile, for people to want to follow the curved surface and feel the different textures - I want people to feel involved with the end work.

'Drift'
Bath stone

My first piece 'Drift' has been a great training, learning about the process of how to carve and why one uses the different tools for specific results. I certainly believe I have created a tactile piece of sculpture with its natural smooth flow of curves and then in contrast the textured areas. I wanted to be able to see through the solidity of the stone so replicating the concept of the hole in the driftwood I carved a small hole so you can glimpse through to the other side. Im please with this first piece, theres lots to learn and improve on but its given me a taste of what is possible.

Second piece 'unfinished' I wanted to build on the techniques used in 'Drift' and start to be more self led. I did in-fact spend more time planning (yes I'm learning!) and created a maquette, templates and drawings - spoke to other sculptors at the studio and generally gave more thought to this next piece. Im thrilled because its in a sense more geometrical, I've had to use the templates and concentrate on keeping form and shape, ('Drift' was a little more free form in hindsight!) Creating energy and flow in the stone and contrasting smooth and texture important. The hole was interesting as I wanted to do something slightly different with it, so I decided to replicate the shape of the overall piece but then create a concave dish on either side to frame the hole. The large flat surfaces polished smooth the concave dish lightly textured. The piece is not quite finished as yet but I have found a lovely old gnarled sleeper and lump of concrete which it will stand on - elevated off the ground.

Im very excited about continuing my sculpting in stone - I would like to think about how I might be able to combine perhaps the use of light and stone together to create interesting sculptural pieces ..... something to think about and work on next year.

Ideas to Form V - Impact of light

Printing onto acetate to experiment on the influence of changing light on the image.
Suspended across the front of the light-box set to transitional coloured lighting (fibre optic) I have made this short film to demonstrate the visual illusion and how colour can transform and change what we see. 

'present tense'
James Turrell

'a retrospective'
James Turrell 

Playing with light, colour and visual perception is fascinating, my inspiration comes from studying the light sculpture works of James Turrell, yes I love to set my sights and ambition high!!!!!  (see exhibitions). 

'the wolfsberg project'
James Turrell

His mastery of the scientific theory of how colour and intensity of light interacts with our rods and cones. The interplay between both plays with our powers of perception result - breathtaking. His ability to sculpt with light takes his work to such a high level of genius, Im in awe!.

What I need to decide is how good can I been at this lighting ? Is this something I want to pursue further - if I do it I need to do it well......




With an exhibition looming I need to concentrate on developing and exploring imagery - strip things back a bit, and not try to over complicate my work. Decision made that unless the lighting can be seamless and uber professional Im not going down that path at the moment but its most definitely something Im going to pick up later.

Stone sculpture - giving it a go!!

I was lucky enough to successfully secure a Bursary from The Bristol Decorative and Fine Art Society which has allowed me to explore the world of stone carving. I'm really interested in sculpture and wanted to give it a go, of course I wanted to go large :0) no point in dithering about so have been lucky enough to be under the watchful eye of Kate Semple a wonderful stone mason and sculptor down in Somerset. 

I found myself an amazing piece of driftwood from a Welsh beach and decided why not turn it into stone :0). Blimey it's really physical work but loving it. Made a model from clay, chose a piece of Bath stone and hey presto!!! Well not quite that easy but I think I'm starting to get the hang of this 3D lark.

Here's a few pictures of progress , not quite finished. Looking very phallic but honestly it is driftwood!!!

My little model

Bath stone 

  

Starting to remove unwanted stone

Starting to get some shape

The master at work!!!

Slight resemblance don't you think??!!