Monday, July 25, 2011

Arrowmont 2011

It takes some time to readjust to regular life after spending an intense week at Arrowmont. My friend and co-worker Debbi sums it up well over on her blog http://paperdollpost.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-letdown.html  Michelle Cox was also with us for the week. Three women going to "art camp" in one car seemed to be amazing to people. I have to give most of the credit for us not only fitting in one car, but for having room to spare to Debbi and Michelle.

We all worked hard during the week but had opportunities for fun. Karaoke night was a blast until I decided I would get up and sing. The monitor that displays the lyrics decided to go on the fritz. Poor Amy Winehouse's Rehab took a beating that night. Poor Amy Winehouse--so much talent and all wasted away.

I decided to take a break from fiber this summer. I have been to Arrowmont nine times and it was time to try out another type of class. I landed in the glass casting class totally clueless about glass. Everyone else had some kind of glass experience and all were very kind to answer my questions and offer suggestions.

The weeks booty! Some are sand cast pieces, some were sand blasted to make them frosty. The bird head at the top was modeled in clay first; a plaster mold was made and then the clay dug out. The elephant head in the middle (blue swirls) was carved out of wax and then a plaster mold was made.  The wax is steamed out of the mold.



Here is another view of the elephant head showing the wax original and the cast piece side by side.


The blue swirls on the cast piece were created with the "pot melt" method. A flower pot with glass frit arranged in thirds was placed over the opening to the mold so the glass melted and swirled to fill it as it melted. The bottom was sanded on the lap sander to smooth it out. I think it will make a great paper weight!
My pattern bar after being sliced on the diamond saw. I was going to remelt these on another project but ran out of time.
I loved the textures in this plaster mold I made on a slab of clay. I really did not want to ruin it by casting the glass in it. I went ahead and did, but I was not happy with the results. It is in the lower left of the picture at the top.

I think I love the plaster above because the textures remind me of my beloved textiles. It was good to step away from them and work 3D in another form, but I still missed my textiles.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Stitch Fall 2011

Stitch magazine's Fall 2011 issue is out and it is fantastic. I want to make so many of the projects in this one! I did make one already--the Hardware Toiletry Kit.

The Barbasol is a nice touch isn't it?
 The messenger bag on the cover is awesome. I am going to have to carve out some sewing time for me.