Brentford

Our next project is going to be 'A Sense Of Place'.  

I've been thinking about it a lot... I would like to base it on an area that always feels like 'my home' (oddly - I only lived there a few years).  I suppose a lot of my formative experiences were made there.  

I found this film which I love - showing Brentford in 1960, in all it's post-industrial scuzzy glory.  The canal and gasworks figure highly, and the flats I remember dominating my school are just being built.  The high street, park, and police station all look just the same, as does the building at the end of Green Dragon Lane with the huge tower.  The details are all there - the tiles on the local pub, the walls and structures.

The place in Glasgow that most reminds me of it is Tradeston, with all the bridges, tunnels and railway arches.  I'm planning to do some drawing there (if it ever stops raining!)

Anyway, enjoy the film.

http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-kingston-college-of-arts-students-union-film-society-what-and-where-is-paradise-brentford-1960s-1960/

Christmas stuff

We've been making stuff for sale in various Christmas fairs this week.  I'm wondering if the fair at Royal Exchange Square will be on at all this weekend... we have a hurricane blowing outside.  If it calms down by Sunday I will be there manning a stall from 3.30 til 6.30... if you're around, come and say hello?

Here's a few things I put together .  Oh, plus a very out-of-focus shot of the lift sign, which I realised probably influenced my design a bit!

This week has been about trying to do something simple (and often over-complicating it, having to take it apart and do it again).  It's been a useful test of patience and perseverance. 

Silver sheet scored and folded with a smooth hook earwire and platinol patina (dipped).  There's also a couple of different polish finishes underneath the patina which catch the light.

 I forgot to take a photo of the finished items!  Damn.  They have a sparkly finish from the wire polishing mop.

Hmmm!  Did you ever think you had a brilliant idea, then discover a photograph on your camera phone that you'd forgotten about...?

Reticulated silver with white enamel.  Silver ear hooks with granulated silver balls soldered to the backs. 

wabi sabi brooch

Here's the process of putting together my wabi-sabi brooch... 

These files are amazing!

Metal master on brass sprue.

The clasp I decided to use as a metal master, so I made a little mould and vulcanised it.  A surprisingly quick process.

here's the wax version ready for putting on the sprue tree!

My favourite part of it is probably the slice of green-coloured resin.  It's green because I was experimenting with natural colouring and tried a tiny bit of spirulina in it... appropriate, I thought!  A happy accident.

Background image is not mine, but an amazing jeweller I saw at Sieraad.

all the bits coming together... at the top is the bit of square wire with a groove filed into it for the tube to sit on.  The tube is to house the brooch pin.

Brooch bits getting acquainted.

 

Decasia

Here in Glasgow it's been dark and raining for most of the past weeks.  Time to stay in and watch films!

I came across Bill Morrison's Decasia tonight... a film made from found footage, all of which has been damaged or is decaying.  I can't link to the film - although I think you can see it on BFI player -  but here's a flavour of Bill Morrison - "Light is Calling".  A melancholy beautiful thing. The music for his films is amazing - Michael Gordon using orchestra and various odd things like washing machine drums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf9ah8IUVg

a bit of Decasia here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeEzb-0vf7A

Laser cutting pattern play

A couple of weeks ago I developed a few patterns for laser etching from photographs I'd taken on walks, or around the college.  I love the text that appears on the dry risers in the college - so that has become the basis of a lot of experimentation.

Here's a few of the starting points - with what they developed into:

 

Some of these I laser cut onto wood, or tried on photographs or fabric. I'd really like to try some of them into enamel or spray-painted metal.

experiments and developments

Our experimental techniques project is creeping to a close.

My favourite bit so far was playing around with the laser cutter - using images I repeated on Photoshop and then laser cut onto more photos. 

I've become obsessed with the text and numbers on each floor of our college. The building must be from the late '60s and the font is of that era.  It's got great shapes and sparked off lots of ideas through playing with repetition and mirroring. 

 I forgot about these in the kiln for a good while - started soldering something else... and they were fried, but although black and scaly I thought they looked great.

Mmm, textures...I didn't use the wooden sample in the final piece - I wasn't quite satisfied with the pattern.  A bit too regular, perhaps?  Not sure.

enamel 2 - the return - experiments

hello -

More enamelling! I have realised the folly of trying to enamel on pieces that are not fully clean - each layer needs to be pickled, otherwise the enamel will crack - and sometimes it will come away in a large chunk...

I tried a bit of repairing and in one case tried fusing the cracked piece onto another enamelled shape.  I'm pretty sure it will come off eventually, but really like the effect...

 shape of fused enamel on green piece... mmm



the sample on the left is using salt and dry enamel, heavily over-fired

The problem of the Mother Face -- Holes always equal eyes and a mouth. Not what I was aiming for!



some sketchbook work - developing forms and shapes



still from TV programme - love the repetitions