Thursday, August 12, 2010

Seeing Red


I was just about to make this post and wanted to create a link to another blog I did a while back on the Jewel Envy site and noticed the date on that post. Jewel Envy, the studio that I work from is planning a group show centered around the theme "Red." Plans and the creation of the pieces have been going on for months and by backtracking I realized that I came up with the idea for my pieces four months ago. Since then I have been over producing smaller pieces of work along my theme, but not finishing the "show pieces" - the ones that will definitely be a part of the show, but still are lying in various pieces in my tool cabinet. I finally did finish one last Friday since it was a deadline for pictures for the upcoming show. A large part of my slacking off had little to do with procrastination and a whole lot to do with my worrying about the outcome of the pieces. This is my problem: sometimes when I am about to finish a piece and I am doubtful that I will able to fully translate what I originally had in my mind when I first came up with the idea I let it fall by the wayside instead of completing it. The outcome relied heavily on the way in which I riveted the pieces together since I was combining metal with leather and I have not always been happy with the way I have riveted in the past. Thank goodness for the deadline last Friday because I was able to get down to work, stop worrying and do some bad-ass awesome riveting. I present you with my first completed "Red" piece.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Zombie Head




I am really excited for this - my first solo blog post - because I recently finished an exciting custom piece for a customer that is anything but ordinary. When Lauren stumbled across the studio website for Jewel Envy and requested a zombie head as a gift for her boyfriend I jumped at the chance to work on it. At first I considered carving it out of wax, but after thinking on it I decided that I could do a better job of it by first making it using Sculpy. Trading a subtractive method of making it for an additive method of creating the piece - an easier process when you are trying to make a zombie head. After finishing it off I then made a mold of it so that I could inject the mold with wax and use the lost wax process to cast the piece myself. I was excited after quenching it and pulling it out of the flask that it worked. I am always nervous about a casting not working properly, mostly unfounded nerves but I can't help myself. It was fun polishing it off and adding a patina to the surface to give it a darker look and bring out his features. I am pleased with the results and after sending the piece off to the customer and getting such a rave review of the finished piece I was even happier. I feel so fortunate to have gotten the chance to make such a unique custom pendant, it's not something I get the chance to make every week!