Testing, testing

This week I have been doing loads of tests including strength, joining and colour tests.

My tests were successful on a small scale but now I have tried to work on my final pieces which are on a much larger scale, I am having problems.

I am having issues de-moulding from the plaster mould and I have had to chisel the plaster off which is damaging the pieces.

I have tried different sealants and release agents including shellac, PVA, wax release (gel and spray) and have tried these methods on both wet and dry moulds but still haven’t had any luck.

Today, I am going to try and vac form over my original models to give me a acrylic mould which hopefully will work successfully so fingers crossed.

Concrete and glass

I came across these whilst in the library doing some research. They were made by Anna Baroti as part of her graduate work and were titled ‘Herpes’.

It’s really nice to find other artists combining concrete and glass as it seems such a rare combination.

I reall like the piece above as it’s more sculptural and leaves more to the imagination.

Not a good start to the week

Today is not a good day! 

After endless testing I started to make my final pieces but am having major issues with de-moulding them once they have set.

I have spoke to my tutor and sveral of the technical instructors and everything they have suggested hasn’t worked.

I have now called the manufacturer for advice and am awaiting a phone call back so hopefully they’ll have some answers and advice.

This weekend I am cleaning up my glass. I will use the dremel to remove any shards etc... and then work down throught the grits to polish them and finally finsh them off at the end by polishing them with armour oil which gives a lovely finish without being too shiny.

Combining concrete and textiles

I really like the combination of materials here- the soft, fragile textiles in contrast with the raw, harsh concrete.

I find it really exciting putting unusual combinations of materials together and try to combine concrete and knitted textiles within my own work which is why this probably appeals to me.

Tactility Factory was co-founded by a textiles designer and an architect.

On their website they state that:

'Tactility Factory is an innovative company that mainstreams tactility in the built environment. It does this through a range of innovative products and processes that can be used in a variety of contexts.'

Happy happy happy!

I am sooo ridiculously happy... after a failed first attempt my glass pieces came out the kiln yesterday and they have cast beautifully. 

Making the models and moulds the second time around, I made sure that I cleaned the wax models up really well and also the moulds- ensuring that they were perfectly steamed and cleaned to give the best possible cast. Next, I am going to clean up any glass shards on each of the pieces with a dremel before beginning to polish them. At this stage, I am thinking that I will highly polish three of them as they have colour in but I am thinking that I will only part polish the others as it gives a really great finish if you have used clear gaffer and only work partly through the grits

But, come tomorrow that could all change so watch this space!

Combining concrete and silver

These pieces of functional tableware are designed and made by Victoria Kershaw. I really like her interesting and unique combination of materials, in particular, silver and concrete.

In an interview with Kershaw she states that:

"I quite like to challenge people's preconceived ideas of materials, and silver already comes with quite a high value, whereas concrete can be seen as quite cheap. But when you're working with them in a different way or put them together, you get a totally new style of work. Inspiration for my work can come through derelict sites where you find things like concrete and run-down areas, and then working with them in a different way to make them more precious."