Spring 2011. Casting. Week 8

So, I have been busy working on my wax studies. I am happy to say that everything is cast and being cleaned up. The first piece I managed to finish was the asymmetrical skin.  I am going to work on the series and take it from this warmer tone and work it towards a cooler tone as it begins to open and peel away.

I am also thinking about the Metals and Jewelry sale, I think I want to do a few different series. The first I want to design is Keyboard Key Rings. I know it is cliche, but many of the ones I have seen are pretty poorly made. I feel in some ways I can do them better and they are cute enough that I think they will sell well. I also am thinking of a series of copper pendants that are based off the T.S. Eliot poem, the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
I feel that I just want to live in the studio for the next few weeks and just create. I don't care what I make or how I make it. I feel the need to make anything and everything. I think this is a bad way to go about things because I don't have a plan.


Also, in the news today, I found out that a few of the Organic farmers have gotten together to sew Monsanto (http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/31/headlines#17). Finally! This has been a huge problem for years, where Monsanto seeds would infiltrate farmer's land and lead them to heavy fines and fees for using Monsanto seeds. And we wonder why food prices are high, when you are taxing and sewing farms over seeds that either blew in the wind or were maliciously planted in their farms. 

Gesture Controlled 3d Modeling

Gesture Controlled 3d Modeling <-- Check it.

Spring 2011. Casting. Blood Diamonds Progress

Well, after about 9 hours of wax carving and about 2 hours of die-forming, chasing and soldering I think my first Blood Diamonds piece in the series is coming together. I have to say, I love this! I want to make some molds of it before I cast it because of the shear time investment this far in carving this. I don't want to see it fail and all of this go to waste. I honestly think I would break down right there and cry if it did.

I am glad to go into design review on Monday with this. I feel like it is at a stage it could be considered "complete" but something in me wants to take it further.

Indentation I carved for the pin carrier to be placed in to be riveted. 

Carving next to diagrams I used.

Placement on hands.

How the final piece will look sans the rivets.

Indentations and redness left from pins on the skin. 

My poor really expensive anatomy book covered in wax. 

Here is where I am stuck right now, do I leave it just as the lovely carving or do I go further with it. I think I will sketch it out more to decide, but I don't know if it feels finished. In my head I wanted there to be this "skin" effect going on like it is being exposed through a layer of breaking down skin, but the carving came out so well, I don't want to mess it up with unnecessary elements. I am going to sleep on it and sketch some more, but any feedback is appreciated. 

Also, I think I have figured out the patinas if this all works out. The lovely missficklemedia (http://missficklemediacom.blogspot.com/) makes beautiful matte heat patinas that have the texture that I am looking for, and she sells them on her etsy site. I think if things work out I can get exactly what I am looking for. I am super excited. 

Spring 2011. Updates!

I haven't updated in about 2 weeks, but a busy two weeks it has been.

Casting:

Wax studies is invested and ready to be cast on Monday! Here's to hoping it works!
The pieces:

I also started on my blood diamonds making the carriers for the pins and needles. I ordered 100 sterling silver acupuncture needles which should arrive roughly right after spring break.

Independent Study:

First off, Big news! I got my research grant! Meaning I will be printing a physical database of rapid prototyped models in the near future for Towson University.

Second, me and the lovely Rachel Timmins have been building a makerbot.

We got pretty far, but unfortunately we were missing some screws and had to put it on haitus until the screws arrive. 

Figure:

This weeks sculpture. We had to go back to some more compact poses because a few were breaking in the kiln. Luckily none of mine were broken.

Anyway, another thing I wanted to touch on was the earthquake in Japan last night/today. (http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/11/massive_earthquake_rocks_japan_triggering_tsunamis)
This is huge! The fact of the matter is it doesn't just affect Japan like some people were saying today. There are far reaching impacts to this, including 2 potential nuclear meltdowns and a burning oil refinery. It is affecting the U.S. as well. Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington will all be affected by the waves and the possibility for reactionary quakes along the California fault lines. I hope that like with Haiti the world comes together to help Japan and some of the other countries that will be effected such as the Phillipines and Hawaii. This is a major event that relatively has minor coverage considering the far reaching possibilities of what this event has caused.