After the initial creation of my various mixed media pieces, there is often a new challenge. How will I display this new artwork? Few of my recent pieces can or should be displayed in picture frames! But I do have plans now for an angelic display or two. In fact resin #1 is ready!
The first of my two clear resin versions of “Three Angels: The Mediation” is now installed for display. I have it hung in a window where the light shines through, using simple system of picture wire.
The second clear resin version of “Three Angels” will soon be mounted on an opaque background. I found the perfect background: a 24″x18″ pastel drawing of trees and purple mountains, completed a few years ago I ordered a cradled board to support the paper and resin for hanging. And I will mount digital enhanced photos of the three angels immediately behind each figure to make them more “solid”. The background scenery is misty and muted by the textured and tinted “clear” resin. The result is a wonderfully mysterious environment.
First resin cast is on the left, and the second resin will be permanently mounted on a cradled board, using the background shown on the right.
Visitors staying in my newly refurbished guest room will be able to enjoy an angelic display during their visit, at least until this piece finds a new home. Now that I have a way to display it, it is available. The price will be very affordable if I can make a direct sale, but I will have to add a big markup if I have to try to sell via Saatchi online or elsewhere. Please contact me if you would like to see either of these works.
A little play on words here, for those who know the phrase “Have you heard the good news?”. Well my Three Angels have good news: the improved extended silicone mold worked like a charm! My efforts paid off, now the mold is whole, and does not leak!
So I made a third cast, the second one in clear resin. Now it is out of the mold, and it looks good! In a few more days it will cure hard and be ready to go. It is thinner than I would prefer, but really I am very happy with it. I like the pigments in the side two figures, and the center figure coloring is better. I don’t see any flaws, although I have not inspected for minute bubbles, etc. yet. No need to dull my pleasure yet!
The second clear resin cast: at left you see the glossy flat “back” side, with the cast still in the mold. At right, the relief “front”, released from the mold.
Comparing Two Casts:
First resin cast, Three Angels: The Mediation, earth tone pigment in clear resin.
I think this piece evokes a quite different feel than the first clear resin cast, which was such a problem to complete! My new cast has a cooler, somewhat ethereal feel. This is in contrast to the more substantial strong earth tones used in the first clear resin cast of my piece.
I include this photo of the first earth toned cast for comparison. The overall coloring is darker, and the red ochre against the greens dominates a bit, but I really love the dark beseeching angel on the right in this cast.
For the new cast (in the first two photos) I avoided the green tones used in the first resin in favor of a brown earth, and I chose to emphasis the leftmost figure with gold. I defined my center figure with black outlines and pearlescent highlights, so only a hint of color. The stronger most skeletal figure on the right has a metallic lavender sheen, and is boldly accentuated with black. Did I get carried away with the lavender? Maybe…
Now I am working on a cement cast, for an opaque version that will be durable out of doors. Photos soon!
More Details:
The casts, like the original piece, are 24″ x 18″. The clear resin casts are lightweight, and can be presented/displayed to be viewed from both sides. The relief side is textured, and more or less matte finish, while the flat surface on the reverse side is glossy. I made the first cast of this work in tinted opaque white plaster, so it is single sided, and is very heavy.
Update
This work is now available in cement suitable for installation outside! I have one cement cast made, with rather intense color! And I plan two more cement casts. The next cement versions will likely have more subdued earth toned pigments, unless I get a commission for something vivid!
The saga of the Three Angels mold continues! Due to issues with my original Three Angels paperclay on board bas relief, I made a pourable silicone mold that was incomplete: the mold had all the relief and detail, but was not poured around the edges of the piece to create a full mold. I succeeded in making a decent plaster cast, but my rudimentary box containment system leaked badly when I cast with slow curing deep pour resin! By panicked efforts, I salvaged a fairly decent resin cast, but what an ordeal!
Now I am improving my tricky mold in order to make a limited number of additional casts. So I had various ideas for the next attempt, and settled on enhancing the mold using tubes of hardware store silicone. I built another “box” just slightly larger than the 24″x18″ artwork and partial mold. Then I filled the edges with silicone, and carefully built these up to be at least 1/2″ higher than the mold “background” level. This description makes the process sound straight forward and simple, but that is only in hindsight! It took time to work out the plan details, and to implement it.
Here is a photo of the improved mold, at left, with new pigment added for the next resin pour. The first resin cast is in the photo at right; you can see that I used different colors this time.
I think this will do a much better job of containing the resin for my next cast! But this time I will take precautions before starting my casting. I will contain the mold & box in plastic, just in case there will another leak.
Tune in next week for the continuation of the saga of the three angels mold!
This is an important artwork for me! I would like to make 3-5 good resin casts, and 3 cement casts from this mold. But I think no more than 15 casts total. This is not really an edition, as I plan to make them all unique in some way. But I will set a limit on the number of casts.
I have my first two individual casts from my 2019 sculpture “The Mediation, or Three Angel Figures” arranged on an 18″ x 24″ acrylic sheet. I need to complete the finished work for display. These two transparent angel figures should to be seen from both sides, and with the option of light coming through!
It has been a bit of a challenge just to mount the acrylic sheet securely in the frame. Now for the figures; I do have some ideas, but not a final plan of how to attach them. And unfortunately I am very messy working with glue, so the acrylic sheet and my fingers are a disaster …
An 8/24 update: the figures are mounted and the artwork is (probably) complete!
Completed with figures attached and some additions around & below them, as shown in top two photos. I may post this piece for sale after a bit, but I need to keep it with me for a while for my own enjoyment.
I have the 18″ x 24″ sheet of clear acrylic mounted into the silver metal frame, ready for the figures to be attached. The finished piece should look much like the photos above. But of course these photo have been taken with the piece lying flat, since the figures are still loose.
I will attach the figures (somehow!) so that this can be hung on the wall, mounted in a window, or otherwise displayed upright.
Should I add tiny rice lights to the world of these two transparent angel figures? Wouldn’t it be lovely with tiny LEDs embedded in resin? But then I would have new problems to solve! I would have to deal with either batteries or a cord that needs to be plugged in. Probably not a good idea!
I have “completed” three new casts in the past few days: here are three angel figure casts almost finished. Of course some further detailing is still needed, and presentation/display is still to be determined. But I am happy to have come this far on a tricky project.
Here is the full three angel figure cast, made from a specialized strong plaster. The photo at right shows the piece out of the mold, the photo on the left has the final colors. I have added a clear coat of a protective sealant and reinforced some areas on the back side, where the plaster was a bit thin. Now I have partially enclosed the work for safer storage and viewing. It is not framed for hanging, just protected by a sturdy double frame “box”.
Three Angel Figure Cast in Plaster, Detailed & Sealed.
I have also completed two resin casts of individual figures from this three angel figure mold. This was an experiment for me, and got a bit complicated. I used two different techniques to isolate the far left and the far right figures in the mold, in order to cast them in clear resin.
I used some additional pigment for the right figure, my beseeching angel, rubbing in a little “shimmer violet” in a few spots, and using more black pigment. As you can see below, the lighting in the studio effects the colors in the photo. You can see the warmer yellow tint in the upper left of the photos, but that is not present in the actual work.
What do you think of the “deckle” edge created more or less accidentally? I prefer the result with the first technique, which I used with the left, long haired, figure. The edge for the second, beseeching angel, should be similar after further (painful) cleanup, but I don’t think it worked quite as well. I find both techniques problematic!
Two photos of the same two resin casts presented on different papers.
Purchase a print of this digitally transformed photo now at Saatchi Online:
My three angel figure cast is out of the mold today. I extracted it very carefully this afternoon.
This is the first full cast from this new silicone mold, and I used Hydrocal plaster for it. The result is quite large and heavy, and it is still quite damp and fragile. The cast will harden up and get fairly sturdy over the next week or so.
Three Angel Figure Casting
This is just the unveiling; you can see the plaster cast on the table to the left, and the mold to the right. Much of the pigment stayed in the mold. I like the fine detail in the plaster, but I lost much of the black pigment, and the white plaster turned my red ochre a bit too pink for my taste!
I will refine this cast, adjust the pigment, and clean up the edges over the next few days, as the plaster continues to dry out. The pigment used in this cast is considerably different from my original paperclay sculpture. I plan to make the next cast in a pigmented clear resin, which will give another very different result, I think. There are quite a few options for further adventures with my three angel figure cast from this mold.
After Some Touch Up
I will do a bit more work on this, but have completed a first touch up, reducing the pink, accentuating some features, and repairing a damaged corner. But what I will do with this piece once it is fully cured and detailed? It can be mounted and framed, but then what? I need to find a good home for it! I think these angel figures deserve better than a storage closet…
I am waiting for a delivery of more resin, in order to make a full cast of my three angelic figures triptych. I used the last of my old resin to cast one figure, and so now I sprinkle the digital pixie dust on my relief cast while I wait. The cast in clear resin has a bit of pigment, and (too many) tiny bubbles throughout. This all makes for more enchantment in the digital magic world of photos, scans, and foils!
Today I have a bit more relief: I cast a figure from my three figure triptych mold. I did not have enough resin for a cast of the complete piece, so I used the large mold to cast one of the figures.
I created a makeshift barrier on the surface of the mold, using tape and oil-based clay, around a single figure. This did not completely contain the silicone, but it worked well enough I think. When the resin is fully cured I should have my bas relief figure, in the original orientation, on a thin rectangle of clear resin. The cast is still in the mold in this photo; I can’t remove the cast for another 2-3 hours.
I rubbed traces of metallic copper and carbon black powdered pigment into the mold before pouring the resin. Now the details of the figure show up, instead of getting lost the clear resin. This is an experiment for me, and I am excited about the result so far. The pigment accentuates the edges and provides the illusion of a bit more relief. I think the pigment will embed into the resin, but how well is yet to be determined.
So here I have more relief: I cast a figure in clear resin with a touch of copper and black.
I plan to fill the entire mold box with resin when the new shipment arrives. The goal is to reproduce the 24″ x 18″ original bas relief sculpture shown here. However the effect will be very different in the new material.
Update: Out of the Mold
I have my figure out of the mold now. I am happy, but not thrilled. The figure alone is not as satisfying as it looked in the silicone mold … but it will be fine. The “deckle” edge, gooey with oil based clay, layered with silicone intrusions, is horrible to clean. It will take more work, but I am making progress. I have photos on three backgrounds: mylar, plain paper, and a bit of soft pastel on paper.
A huge sigh of relief about a relief mold! This is wonderful for me: my paperclay bas relief angel triptych survived the mold making and I think I do have a usable silicone mold! The mold should be usable despite my stinginess with the very expensive good quality silicone. Per the manufacturer I should have used at least another 2 lbs of material, but I couldn’t quite convince myself that I needed to do it. The material is expensive, and the containers are throw-away; I feel guilty using it at all.
I feel actual joy at the prospect of continuing to create with these three strange skeletal figures. There will be several new variations using this mold, I hope. I want to create at least one slightly tinted translucent cast of the full piece, but I may also cast the figures separately, to appear alone or with other figures. The possibilities are exciting to consider!
These three angel figures survived and the mold will be usable! Victory!
There is plenty of work ahead. I will need to make a box around the silicone, and I may use cheaper silicone from the hardware store to fill and shore up the rough edges, in order to create a slightly larger 24″ x 18″ casting, to match the size of the original. I won’t go into the reason why this mold is a bit smaller, but trust me, that was the only reasonable option! My goal is to be ready to make my first resin cast in a few days.
Next Day Update:
Today I followed a plan to enlarge my mold to a “standard” size of 24″ x 18″, using 100% silicone caulk. First I built a box the size I need, sealed the wood, then placed the artwork mold in position. I filled around the edges of the new mold with silicone caulk, trying to create a compatible surface. It will show as different, but it should be just fine. The silicone will cure in about 24 hours, so I could pour resin as soon as 3pm tomorrow!
With the silicone caulk tube open, I made two more small beetle people molds. That makes progress on two different art fronts today, after a long dry spell!
I recently completed a simple written “interview” about making art, and my view of myself as an artist. Answering the questions forced me into thinking about making art in a serious way. The questions are nothing very unusual; indeed these are questions I have answered in the past. But I change, and my answers change over the years. I think about making art differently.
Early on in my focus on making, I was impatient with the questions; I had very little energy or understanding of my own motives. This made answering these questions difficult, and I had other priorities. I struggled to see myself as an artist at all. Eventually I made the effort to pursue my work seriously. The conviction that I am an artist came with time and a body of work. When you make art regularly, you are an artist, by definition.
Now is seems easy to answer the questions, and I go deeper with my replies each time I consider them. This time I found value in them, and took some time to respond. I know I could answer these questions at greater length and depth tomorrow. Indeed I find that I am already doing this!
I am told that this interview will be “published” on a newly updated website focused on art, but not immediately. So I won’t hold my breath for this to happen. Also I don’t much expect this site to get many viewers. I don’t really understand the plan. But it was an excellent exercise for me, and I quite enjoyed it. I plan to self-publish some of the questions and answers, starting today. So here is the first question, with an expanded answer.
Question 1: Why did you become an artist?
I have always had the urge to draw and to create. I enjoyed my parents’ books on art and architecture; all three children were expected to know something about art and art history. My grandfather was a painter and art teacher, and although he died before I was born, exposure to his work, and the family interest in art undoubtedly influenced me. However for much of my life I perceived my own creative interests as so different from his work as a painter that I could not consider myself an artist. It was not until I retired early from a career in computing that I found the time and the conviction to pursue art work seriously.
I feel that anyone who makes art is an artist, so that makes me rephrase the question. It becomes a bit different: why do I make art? Because I really want to express myself visually, I think. After some effort and time, this has actually become necessary to my satisfaction in life. I become restless and unhappy when I don’t express myself by making things.
And mostly I do say that I make things! Some of these things fit my definition of art. At other times my work may be merely decorative, functional, and/or entertaining. I don’t try to think too hard about what is art, or what is no. My work is mixed media work: I am not a painter, a sculptor, or a print maker; rather I use all three processes, and more, in making my art. I also use my computer background, my limited construction skills, and so many other things to create my finished pieces. I would love to make larger more ambitious work, but I am constrained to small artwork by my age, space, and abilities.
Sometimes it good to take a little time off, and step away from making art. For the past few days I have certainly been thinking about making art, and I will be making more “art” soon enough!
