Long hot day at the foundry

                It has been a long hot day at the foundry.  Even some of the Thais were taking breaks to stand in front of a fan and hold up their shirt so the wind breeze would cool them down. 

 

                Sometimes it seems like I just keep working and don’t make much progress and then there are times when you reach times where things come together and it a piece takes a leap forward.  I spent all morning working on the hearts for the Deer Park.  It was pretty tight meticulous work: the kind I’m not too good at.  I had been trying to make them directly in plaster and was getting frustrated so I make them in wax and then using modeling clay I made half molds and poured plater into the half mold to get three half hearts.  After the plaster had set I took the half hearts out and poured in new plaster and then put the first half on top to make a whole heart.  It worked out well enough, but it was hart to aline the two halves so it ended up being more work than I had hoped and probably more than if I had just continued working directly in plaster.

 

                Then late this afternoon I was able to put the Deer Park together and also mount the Breaching Whale in a plater base.  I hadn’t panned it, but playing around with it I realized that giving it a bit of a twist makes the whole piece much more dynamic and interesting, at least to me.  It makes it seem like the whale will land on his back.  Now that I’ve got it up in the air I can make the flippers.  They should really make it take off.

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Sculpture Garden Party this Saturday, August 12, 4-7pm All are Welcome.

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