Projects for the future. Works to honor the past.

Cast attempt round 2.

So I attempted to case a few of my daughers toys but the shapes were to complex to work with press molds, but I might give them a go slip molds. I will have to research more on them, but doing press molds twice now has taken the fear out of me with regards to plaster. For my second attempted I was literally wondering around my home looking for items that carried significance and memories. Last semester I made a wheel thrown vessel that I weaved a basket around. I wrote a paper called Earth and Fire : Armor for my Memories about the piece and its relation to my experience of Junction. I ran across a spear head and some reeds I collected last summer in Junction and I thought here was something with personal significance, something that reminds me of community and long lasting friendships. Items that spoke to my soul about a place I will remember for the rest of my life, Junction, Tx.

 

Here are some photos of what followed.

Basically you get your items and press them half way into a base of clay, then wrap some sheet metal flashing around it to create a container for the plaster. Mix plaster with water, 1 part plaster 2 parts water. I guesstamated until I reached a thick milk shake like liquid. Then pour plaster into the flashing container and let set up 48 hours. You can then remove the flashing and clay to reveal your items incased in plaster half way. I watched a lot of videos and some mentioned coating your items in oil before casting so they released from the plaster. I used veggie oil, it worked great.

Then you can either use the one sided press mold or keep the metal flashing wrapped around the plaster, remove the clay but leave the items, add pour plaster again. This would give you two plaster molds, if you do this be sure to put in some impressions on the sides of your items to help align the two plaster molds. You can see these in the photo; I used the handle of a trimming tool.

The final image is my reed stick and my spear head press molded into terra-cotta. I want to use the spear head as a relief detail this summer in Junction on my wheel thrown work. I want to try to weave a nest with the reed sticks. I am excited to have some new things to try in the studio come summer.

 

I also revisited a process I learned in undergrad but never really used.

 

Acrylic media photo transfer. I had wanted to make something big and powerful about the cost of war, but after talking with Future and reading everyone else’s work I decided what made the work I saw on Craft in America so powerful wasn't its scale or the statement, it was because the work was deeply personal to the Artist. So I started looking at service members from my own family. I focused on my Grand Daddy Jack and my Uncles Father James E. Mills, but airmen during WW2. I transferred images of the plane they flew, the crews they worked with, and the pictures of the two young men when they received their commissions. I originally made a bowl to put the images on, as well as variation on a bottle form I have been making since last year. The curve of the bowl didn't lend itself to the process but the straight walls of the bottles worked much better. Here are images of the process. Basically you get a gloss or matte medium that you brush over an ink jet color image. After about 8 or 9 coats what you have is a film of clear dried medium over the image, you then soak in water and rub off the paper pulp. The image transfers to the medium and you end up with a semi opaque film with the image on it, you can then paste this to just about anything with the same medium.

 

That is my Grand Daddy Jack, he passed away today. It has been really hard working on this but I couldn't help but think about Andrea's work and it's healing power. I have spent a lot of the past few days reflecting on my time with my Grand Dad, and it is amazing to think about what a blessed 89 years he had and how thankful I am for my time with him.

 

 

I need to find more images of the bombers to fill up the back, and given the timing of Jacks passing I think I am going to glaze the bisque ware piece and do a collage of my grandfather at various stages of his life and give it to my mom, then make two more and give them to my aunts. The bottom image is a mock up, I am still playing with arrangement. Once the final composition is done, I will go over the whole thing with gloss media.

I can't thank everyone enough for the wonderful influence the blog has had on my work. I started getting images of my grandfather before his heart attack last week and it seems like devine inspiration given the timing. I feel blessed to have been able to share the semester with you all.