Cleaning up the Studio = Finishing & Futzing!

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by

My studio gets messy! I experiment, and there failures! I work by trying more than by planning, and in the heat of creation I try, set aside, and try something else. Parts, scraps, and more just pile up. Something that does not work in one piece may look extremely promising for another concept! Or may just look so interesting where I set it down that I have to take a few photos!

And then there is my household business in one corner, file folders out of the cabinet to be sorted and “archived”, etc. along with remnants of family history, old drawings of my own or by children, and more.

And the time comes when this must be dealt with, in order to allow new work, and some peace and sanity! It seems to be that time again now.

The above pieces were deemed incomplete, and therefore were somewhat annoying to me. The “incomplete” flat file is huge, and not yet full, but … it should never be allowed to fill up! So now maybe these are as complete as they will ever be. Not great works, but OK!

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Mining Museum Exhibit I now finished

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by

Complete with lighting:

The final step, just completed yesterday, was to decide and permanently install the glass and LED Lights at the top of this work. These are installed in a circular hole I cut through the wood, with the glass pieces secured with 2-part epoxy.

I embedded a small string of (tiny battery) operated rice lights between the glass pieces at the top, with one bare “bulb” dangling down inside. The whole creates a light fixture that evokes a miner’s lantern of some sort, at least for me! The lights don’t bother or distract when switched off (from the back); they are very inconspicuous. And I do like the effect in the “lantern” when the LEDs are switched on. Also they are just bright enough to dimly light the scene in a dark room, for an interesting effect. If you tuck the dangling LED up into the “miner’s lantern” space, you can make it disappear!

Now this piece really is finished, unless I decide to add a wire on the back for hanging. For now it is free standing piece.

The size is approximately 11.5″ x 19″ x 3.5″.

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Finishing up in the Mining Museum

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by

Mining Museum Exhibit I is almost complete: I have attached and tidied up the interior. The main scene is all in place. Now I will make some decisions about the top “mine shaft”, possible lighting, and I will touch up the black paint of the case.

This is a fairly dark piece, as is appropriate for mining, but adding built in lighting is tricky. It can be distracting, or just may not add much. I like the glass piece on top, but I might just install a flat pane of acrylic over the “shaft”. TBD!

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Cross to Bear

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by

An arrangement that may become more permanent:

I don’t know where this new variant cast draped worker will alight, but I really like him. He is not quite so sharply white (and clear) seen in “real life”, but a little bit softer. I rubbed just a touch of iridescent / pearlescent pigment on the mold in the draped clothing area. I left the figure’s head, hands, and feet clear, and I like the result. When I make “replicas” using molds, I make each casting a bit different, to avoid boredom!

Rubbing pigment into the silicone mold instead of tinting the resin lets me color specific areas, and retain a bit of translucency if I am careful. The pigment is still securely embedded in the resin, and will not rub off.

I have already forgotten how I acquired these lovely rusted old square nails: probably from a found drawer, or other piece of furniture. I will spray a clear coat sealer to protect this perfect finish!

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Forest Lights: Trees & Shadows Under a Full Moon

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by
  • Unlit
  • Lit, in bright daylight
  • And lit in dim ambient light

Forest Lights: trees, moon, and spirit installed in backlit found drawer

This work depicts an enchanted forest, softly lit and safely contained. There is no risk or danger in enjoying evening fall in these woods, with a sunset soft sky. When this work is lit with the installed LED rice lights, the woods are suffused by a diffused glow and mysterious soft lights that you can imagine moving through the trees. A benign forest spirit lives in these woods, and a gentle green hued full moon rises above the trees.

  • Dimensions: 17.5″ x 10.2″ x 3″
  • Mixed media relief installed into found drawer: wood, acrylic, resin, paper, pigments, LED lights (12volt plugin transformer for std. U.S. residential power).
  • This work is freestanding, or add D-rings & wire to hang on a wall.
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A Backlit Forest Drawer

P.T. Artist Sandra Stowell Posted on by
Still in progress: nothing is final until the resin pour! But I have settled on the pink-green background and the last arrangement.

This has been a difficult piece! I arranged, re-arranged, and changed almost everything in this work several times. At one point, trying to fix damage to the background, I had way too many “clouds”. It was a mess. The clouds did not add anything, and three resin trees made the scene too cluttered. I have also had difficulty choosing from several “spirit” face candidates; I even toyed with using more than one, but no!

The final piece will have only two of four possible resin trees, and I have settled on using one smaller “spirit” face. I have replaced the damaged background (twice!) so I don’t need any clouds, but I may use an arched tinted bit of resin that rather evokes a rainbow.

Now I am anchoring the pieces and I should be ready to pour resin later today!

The implementation has been very tricky. I have the lighting and the structure mostly resolved now. I still need to pour a coat of resin, add a few delicate pieces, and to anchor the lights. The lights will be resolved last, from access at the back. The gradient background is archival inkjet printed on paper, so is very delicate. It is so easy to scratch it or otherwise damage it; it must be installed very carefully. And I changed my mind about the color, switching from a green to blue, to the pink sky. I have struggled with light bleeding through the edges, keeping the acrylic & paper flat, etc. So I have replaced this paper several times. I removed the paper & medium it from the acrylic each time, because I will not discard or buy new unless I must!

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