ARTISTS TALKING

# 34 [25 March 2010]

New Clay Piece - Pantograph enlargement

I've not had a chance to blog recently as I've been working long hours on my new piece and have been totally absorbed. It is going really well. 

Using the pantograph was great, but it does have its limitations and is not that accurate at times. At one point I thought that either my maquette had moved, or the clay was subsidding, but it turned out that the needle on different settings won't always point to the same point - especially when fully extended as the weight of it bends it.

A few people have said interesting things to me that I've been thinking about:

I had a chat with Nigel Boonham at the Yves Dana private view on saturday - He asked me how I was keeping the freshness of the original. At the time I didn't think this was a problem as I'd been working quite loosely with the clay, quickly sketching the forms.

But as I am working back in on the piece to refine it, I'm finding this is a big problem. The movement and vitality of the initial form has a tendency to get lost. But I can't just leave it as is, as it has a few ackwardnesses and really could benefit from being pushed further.

I also showed it to a few of the people who come to the life class on tuesday evenings that Roberta runs. In particular Julia Knight the american sculptor I've become friends with. She asked me how the piece had changed for me as it was being enlarged. 

I started to tell her how I felt I'd been learning about these amazing, strange and subtle forms that were in the molten wax. I was a bit put out as she didn't seem that interested in that instead saying - "ah, so it is still just forms at the moment".  

However since, I've realised that it has to be more than the sum of its parts and perhaps I was shying away from the whole piece's meaning as it is a bit daunting. Now that I have the model down from its perch under the pantograph, and can look at it, and my developing clay together, I am thinking more of the whole piece and what I have there.

I had also been thinking earlier in the week about what it is and what I am trying to say with it. I don't really understand the piece, it isn't how I normally work, but it intrigues me and I am loving the process. I can't help thinking these are good signs. 

I remembered reading about some artists who equate their practice with being a shamen - that you are tuning in to something greater than yourself to bring out a universal truth. In many ways my bird like apparition is similar to ritualistic artifacts from past civilisations - african masks, south american gods... but I think it also has elements of the things that have been concerning me lately: the untameable powers of nature, and yet its fragility in the face of man's abuse (in the context of climate change and the many ecological disasters we inflict on this poor planet) Perhaps the vulture like qualities of the bird is a representation of death and chaos that could ensue if we get run-away global temperature rises, our 6 degrees of global warming.

It seems weird that I have brought out all my concerns in a very intuitive piece, when I normally work in a very conceptual intellectual way. I somehow worry that I am reading in to an accident things that aren't there, but when I look at the presence and power of the piece I don't think this is the case.

In some ways I also feel like I do with most of my best pieces, that I seem to have accidently found it, not that I had all that great a part in creating it.

Ok - better stop now, I hadn't intended to write so much as I want to get back in to the studio to continue, but in the quiet of the apartment with sleeping mother and son I can think more clearly than at the end of the day, after my son's asleep, when I'm exhausted and just want to hit my bed myself.

# 33 [22 March 2010]

Preparing my first wax for Casting

As it is a complex piece it needs to be separated into 3 bits, and to have all the wax sprues added. Once the piece has been covered in ceramic shell and baked so the wax melts away, these sprues become the tubes that deliver the molten bronze to the space which will be the sculpture.

(These shots were all taken on the 24th Feb)

# 32 [19 March 2010]

The Pantograph

I am absolutely loving doing my enlargment using the pantograph. The first day and a half was a bit frustrating as it takes a while to set everything up and get the armature sorted, but I started putting on the clay yesterday afternoon and it is so absorbing.

Its fascinating enlarging and reproducing the forms of my maquette and as it is a process of really looking and understanding, and with the help of the pantograph it can be a really faithful reproduction.

I'm also enjoying working loosely in clay, after the precision of the wax, and I'm excited about the piece and how it is developing.

I have my lunch in front of me and a toddler trying to climb on my knee, so I'll have to write more later, however as i'm out tonight I just wanted to capture the moment and the feelings I'm having...

# 31 [16 March 2010]

Foundry Artists

I have been enjoying watching some of the work going through the foundry, and have started getting to know the different artists works.

One in particular I really like is the work of Dana - in fact, Yves Dana, a swiss sculptor:

www.yvesdana.ch

Today as I was in the metal workshop he game in to work on one of his pieces, and I was brave enough to introduce myself. My piece was nearly finished, so he looked at it and said he thought it was really interesting. It was very exciting. Tonight I googled him, and saw some even more interesting work on his website, and I'm even more excited to see he has a show in Pietrasanta opening on Saturday. I wonder how done it is here to just turn up to a private view...

Another one that has some interesting work is Vangi - there is currently an amazingly exciting piece of a motobiker, in which he has stretched, enlarged and doubled up the right hand to show it moving - something which could be crass maybe - but which has been amazingly executed.

I haven't found a good site of Vangi's work but here is one in Italian that has a few interesting ones: Guiliano Vangi

http://www.scultura-italiana.com/Biografie/Vangi%20Giuliano.htm

Maria was telling me that there is a Vangi museum in Japan as he has a fan there who has set up a wonderful sculpture park dedicated just to Vangi.

So if you can read japanese:

http://www.vangi-museum.jp/

Dinner

I just had a nice dinner with Julia the american artist. Unfortunately her other 2 artist friends cancelled on her, but we had a nice pizza at a very quiet Il Vatican, and had long discussions about art, transformation of consciousness, states of flow, craft vs concept, material and others.

She told me her art bible (that she re-reads regularly) is Henri - the Art Spirit.

We also agreed to swap art books, she is reading Ansel Adams and Judy Chicago (a feminist artists who I've never heard of...) - and I have Raymond Mason to lend. I also found some other books I had brought with me to read, including Bouriault's Relational Aesthetics which I'd forgotten about - might have to read that...

New Studio

Tomorrow I'm off to Marcello Giorgi's studio to start my enlargement and learn how to use a Pantograph, so must go to bed so I'm fresh for it... I'm very excited. Will be very exciting understanding my little maquette as well. This afternoon I tidied up my place in the wax room as I'm probably not going to be at the foundry for about a week, was a bit sad. A slight foretaster of the fact that I'll have to go for good in about 6 weeks

Yes - I'm already half way through! :(

# 30 [15 March 2010]

Metal, Tea and Blogs

This evening Helaine invited me to tea along with Maria Gamundi and Shelley Robzen at her studio. It was so lovely and really interesting. I felt privileged being allowed into an inner sanctum with these 3 established sculptors, who are all so generous with their time to me and interested in what I have to say and think.

We also talked about my (this) blog! Johannes Von Stumm, President of the RBS, had told Helaine that she must read it (he has also sent me some lovely emails too including: "I am glued to the screen and enjoy it very much.") so she looked it up and apparently was quite surprised and impressed with it. She thought the RBS should put it in their weekly ebulletin!

Shelley also mentioned that she had read what I had put about my visit to her studio, and was really touched. She even said she might want to quote it in a catalogue some day. She also said that the way I wrote it was great as it made her fell right there with me.

It is strange as, being a visual artist, and never being very strong at the humanities at school (I was always more of a scientist) I don't really think that I'm any good at writing. However, the process of keeping this blog has been very interesting. I find myself thinking what I should write about and how to capture the various experiences I'm having. It seems to be a way of digesting and analysing the whole experience. At times I think about the audience, and how to interest them and draw them in. But most of the time I try to forget that anyone might actually be reading it (especially anyone I might know!)

It was great hearing them reminiscing about their early days in Pietrasanta, when there were only a few artists, and even fewer who were women. Tales of endless massive delicious meals; Of long discussions between artists in the marble workshops; and things they had learnt that are still relevant to the way they work today.

However it did remind me that one of the things I'd expected to be doing here on my residency, which as yet hasn't materialise... I'd been told that Pietrasanta was such a mecca for Sculptors that I'd imagine I would be having long discussions about sculpture and art over meals or drinks - but it is hard to intergrate into a community just like that, so I think I need to make more efforts to invite myself into other people's lives! That said, I have been invited out to dinner tomorrow evening with some of the artist from the life class, so maybe it is just one of those things that takes time.

I was actually a bit late for tea as I'd got so absorbed in my work in the metal workshop that I'd lost track of time. I must have missed the 5pm siren when we were re-sandblasting my first bronze, which is really very nearly finished. Massimo had been helping me with all the things I can't do. The 2 small figures are soldered back into place, and it is attached to its purpose built new brass base.

It was fascinating how effortlessly and quickly Massimo sorted out the base. I probably took nearly as long to decide the exact positioning of the piece, he then marked of the 3 leg positions using a marker pen. With the sculpture upturned, he marked a small hole using a rotary tool in the the centre of each leg by eye, then used a drill to make a hole. He then took a hand tap (I just had to look that up online to find out what it was called) and cut the thread.

Again by eye he marked the centre of the marker pens circles left on the base (with a quick glance back at the holes in the sculpture base to cross check - particularly as one the the legs joined the base at an angle making more of an oval shape). It amazed me that he did it all by eye, and is probably far more acurate than I would be if I tried to measure it all accurately. 3 holes were drilled, 3 brass screws were cut down to the exact size required, the burs all tidied up, and the base was screwed into place - simple - when you have 37 years of experience :)

# 29 [13 March 2010]

Oh bugger...

Just got an email from london - the artist who I found to sublet my studio to has had a change of circumstances and has given me notice... i.e. doesn't want to sublet for April - that sets me back £200 I was expecting, or really more, as I'm paying £250/month.

So... if you know anyone who needs a studio on the Fulham/Chelsea borders:

Great studio for a sculptor - in a foundry

Ground floor sculpture studio with car parking and good access, sink, heating, warm water, additional outdoor space to work, sharing with another sculptor who works about 2 days/week (each with own area of space). Normal rent £250/month, offered at £200, available for the month of April 2010. Would also be suitable for other visual arts/crafts. Near Gasworks SW6, 5 mins walk from Fulham Broadway tube on District line. (Images available on request and viewings welcome.) Possibilities of longer term studio rental available.

Contact Briony Marshall: me@briony.com

Please spread the word, but I'm not hopefull...  :(

# 28 [13 March 2010]

Preparing the spare 'arms' for casting

A couple of weeks ago when I finally decided my first piece was ready for casting, it was then handed over to Alfredo to add the 'collate' (wax sprues which will become air tubes for delivering the bronze to the whole piece).

My piece was split into 3 bits for casting (more of this in another post). But in addition, Alfredo was worried that the little thin arms of the figures might not come out, so we did 2 extra of each arm to be on the safe side.

Here are some photos of the process. It was amazing watching Alfredo - with rather large hands - carefully working on my detailed pieces with such precision and calm.

# 27 [11 March 2010]

4pm expresso break

I take mine 'a l'americano' which means that it is about 30ml, instead of 10, with a sugar. I down it quickly over a short chat with Carlo and Ste, standing by the Lavazza machine. 

Today we were discussing National Health Service in UK and Italy (with a brief mention of US, and an american sculptor who didn't want to go to first aid despite a gushing wound and cut  tendon over fears of cost!)

Then I return to my stool and my small wax figures, the delicious taste of sugary rich coffee lingering in my mouth, and a slight head rush and supper alertness from the caffeine rush.

I'm putting together a Pyruvate molecule made out of small figures. The structure is CH3-CO-COOH - the Cs are men, the Os are women, and the Hs will be babies.

I'm developing a technique to make them directly out of wax (so ready for bronze casting), using the brown hard wax as an inner harder armature, covered with the softer modelling wax. It seems to be working ok and its easy to control and change. Although I only just started today so we will see what happens when I start putting them all together.

# 26 [9 March 2010]

We are waiting for snow!

Or so tells me Raymondo, who likes to follow satellite photos and predict the weather.  Apparently it tends to only snow in Pietrasanta about once a year, usually in February or March. The temparature has certainly dropped again after a few balmy spring like days, and I've had to get my long johns out again!

I had a great morning 'chasing' again - i.e. working the bronze to get rid of the sprues etc. I finished the 4th figure, and have nearly finished the legs of the piece.

I learnt a clever trick on how to make the base flat: they have a flat slab of marble which they blacken with the flame of the oxyacetylene torch, then you can rub your piece on it to see which bits of the base are lowest and need grinding down.

My mother has just come in saying its definitely threatening to snow as she's seen the odd snow flake. Typical - just when my husband and father are coming out for the weekend - although Raymondo also says that it should be sunny on saturday and sunday. I hope he's also right on that.

Lunchtime, then back to the foundry for some more chasing - I should be working on the main bit of my piece. I then have life drawing tonight at Marcello's and I need to talk to him about enlarging, maybe next week... I might ask him what he thinks of me going bigger than 3&1/2.

# 25 [8 March 2010]

Fuzione, Sabbiare, Finitura...

On friday, about 3.30pm, I watched my first bronze being poured! My piece is actually now in 5 bits to be cast: the figures and then the support structure were both taken off to be cast separately, then I also cast 2 extra figures in case the first 2 didn't come out, then we also did 4 extra arms (2 right and 2 left) as the arms are very thin and there was a risk they might not come out. (I have meant to blog about the earlier stages of conversion from wax to bronze but haven't had time yet, so will do that later - as I also have some nice shots of it all.)

This morning I got to find out if the pieces had come out OK. I went down to the foundry room, and asked them if I could chip out my pieces. Initially one of them showed me how to do it, then I took over. I was using a hammer, and when required a couple of chisels of different sizes. The trick is not to hammer or chisel onto any of the bronze of the actual piece as you can dent it. But you can hammer quite happily on the runners and risers. 

I started with the main 'wave'-like bit of my sculpture. It had been tied up with lots and lots of wire for added strength in the ceramic, so I also had to cut and remove the wire as I went along. A few of the toothpick trees hadn't come out, but otherwise all was good.

I then did the bamboo legs of the sculpture. I knew my piece so well, but even I had to keep thinking to remember which bits were sculpture and which bits were the sprues. I managed to chip off most of the ceramic of the non-sculpture bits, but the main bamboo rods were all thoroughly covered - so I had to ask for help. In fact what you have to do it bash really hard on the main base sprues, and the vibrations travel along the piece and crack and loosen the ceramic shell!

I then got out the figures out, and again had to resort to help, as I wasn't brave enough or strong enough to shift the ceramic. However, I did discover that the bronze had managed to get to all the extremities of the figures, and despite the odd crack in an ankle, or a slight fault where the 2 figures meet, it was all in very good shape and would be fine with a couple of solders.

I then left the 5 bits outside the door of the sand blasting room, and was told to come back at 1.30pm for them.

When I got back after lunch, they weren't quite finished, but I managed to peep through the little hole in the side of the building and caught a little glimpse of them being sand blasted.

The figures were finished, so I took them through to the small metal workshop to start the 'finishing' - finitura.

One of the Artigiani soldered the relevant bits for me. They have a very accurate oxyacetylene torch, and I think it was a silver solder they were using. He did a very neat job. One of the others (Roberto I think he is called) told me that I was being helped by a professor! In fact, he was teasing him because he teaches foundry work at the Art School here. He then cut off the sprues for me, and set me up next to Massimo to clean up the piece.

I was given the use of what I thought was a dremmel, but in fact is a compressed air rotary tool. It was an absolute dream to use, not at all comparable to an electric dremmel. I think it goes a lot faster, and seemed to vibrate far less. I started getting used to it, and found I could almost model the bronze, stroking it gently and easily finding the surface of my little figures - the curve of a chin, the crease of a bottom. Given the figures are the equivalent of about 5cm tall, it could have been fiddly difficult work, but by the end of the day, I'd nearly finished the 4th figure! 

Tomorrow I start on the main bits of my sculpture!