She's has to sit on something!

The Flower

Word of caution; when presenting a quote, you better be darn sure you are giving an estimate and let the client know. I am grateful my client gave me full range to create. I had this beautiful butterfly “Hanging in mid-air”, what to do, but create a flower!

This is where the term OMG really fits.

The designs of Art Nouveau came to mind. I love the lines and curves, the flower will have the feeling of movement. The butterfly will be sitting upon the a pedal, yes we add legs and antenna into the quote. 

Very involved! Many many hours labor.

Here's a link to share the beauty of Nouveau

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau

The flower has large and small pedals, three each along with the base being three additional pedals. Next is the stem, three pieces designed to be welded together.

What does all this mean?

I went way over budget! Thirteen pieces over, that is intense labor! Thank goodness my client was very understanding, and it taught me a big lesson. It’s a very special gift and he loved the idea. I was lucky. I could have just given a bud for the butterfly to sit on.

Wire Mesh crates the pedals

Working on ideas for the stem

Wooden Butterful mold

Clay add to fill in the gaps

The wooden butterful is now complete, it is very smooth which isn't what I want, so I added texture to the wood. I also needed to fill in the areas which were not solid with clay. The beginning steps are involved, the process is time consuming. Best to take your time and do all the corrections in the clay because once the piece is in wax it takes more steps to correct. If one waits till the piece is created in bronze to correct errors, that could take weeks to correct. 

Wire used to hold everything in place

Creating the Butterfly

First Clay Mold

Once the design was approved, it was time to create the clay mold. Having the grand idea of rolling out the clay, cutting the design out, was the first thing that came to mind. I thought, "Just like making cookies, how fast is that!" Wrong! Making something out of clay without an armature leads to complete frustration. I made the clay design in the middle of summer and the temperature inside my art studio was eighty degrees, which caused the entire design to fall apart.

Plan “B”, open the design up and insert wire.

Nope, the design was not symmetrical after cutting into the clay.

Trash it.

Plan “C”, create an entirely new butterfly out of wire mesh, making the design with a “Sharpie” and cutting it out.

Nope, the mesh wasn’t fine enough and I cut my hands several times on the wire because the gloves were too large to wear while cutting.

Plan “D”, don’t give up, keep thinking…

Wood ! Wood doesn’t bend and anything can be used as a mold because silicone does not stick to anything!

Creating the body, measuring the thickness for the mold

No smaller than 1/8" to hold the silicone

Design for commission Bronze Butterfly

25^th of July on a Saturday“Solo Dancer” my bronze sculpture met with Cassandra Davis theEducation Volunteer Coordinator at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach California,to have a meeting with the educational department.
The reception was wonderful.Cassandra took photos of Solo Dancer, next to the stingray pool, amazing.Thank you Cassandra!

Real Stingray in the sand and another one bottom left of photo

Ocean Dancer will be on display until 12th of September.

Waiting for black marble stand for Solo Dancer, estimate cost to enlarge the ray and writing estimates on time-frame and cost of producing larger sculptures. Getting the word out.

Front Porch Gallery has accepted Ocean Dancer the “Trio”

into their 5^th Annual Juried Exhibition.

Opening Reception Sunday, July 19^th from noon to 2pm

2903 Carlsbad Blvd. Carlsbad CA 92008

Driving to the foundry in Los Angeles is wonderful. Knowing I can work with amazing artist, meet new people in the industry and have my sculpture created with the finest craftsmen, brings new joy!

Here's the third Ray

Today is a day to celebrate the completion of Ocean Dancers "the Trio".
Words can't describe the time and energy it took to complete this project. I did all the labor; building the molds, spurring, slurry room, sandblasting, sanding, grinding, polishing sandblasting and doing it again. Then the patina, one never know IF it is going to turnout exactly the why the artist wants it.  If it doesn't one has to sandblast all the tint and start all over again. I want to thank Mc3 for making the patina perfect. I learned so much, every step and now they are complete!

Swimming Along

Plate of "Sand" now flat, briased on the kelp today, welded the rays, then cooled. Next step; grinding & shaping kelp, taking the "bumps" out then curving the kelp. Practice the patina on scrap bronze, sandblasting and hmmmm, did I forget anything??? Now we know why bronze sculptures cost a good chunk of cash; so many hours, lots of labor involved!

Ocean Dancer

Successful Pour!

SUCCESS ! THis is the beginning of the support for the "Trio Dancers" It was a challenge to sprue these correctly, one error and the Kelp would have exported. Thanks to Brandon Roy at the Fallbrook Foundry for making this a wonderful success.

Del Mar Art Center Acceptance!

I received an email that I have been waiting for six months, acceptance into the Del Mar Art Gallery. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be surrounded by other sculptors. Thank you DMAC!
Del Mar Art Center

Out of her Shell....

After hammering out the large pieces of ceramic, the base stingray looks fantastic.

Now the work begins to clean her up, cutting off the spurs, which were the channels that deliever the bronze to the sculpture. (Originally rods of wax which turn to bronze)First step is sand blasting, followed by grinding, sanding, polishing then adding a tint called "Patina"

The other rays will be welded to the base with kelp as their support.

Out of the shell come a beautiful bronze base

Pouring the Base

Today was the pour of the base stingray "Peeking" out of the sand. It was a exciting yet, bit stressful day as I have seen what can happen if the spurs are not set correctly. Blow-Up time. After spending about fifty hours building the base and creating the texture of sand in a slab of wax, the last thing an artist wants to see is their piece in "Pieces" Daniel was coaching me; "Always watch your feet and everyone elses." In other words, make sure there is nothing under your feet when you are handling 2200 degrees of molten bronze.

Getting Ready for 1700 degrees "burn-out" wax

Daniel giving me waring about "Watching Out the Feet"

2200 degree Bronze

My First Pour

Amazing if I must so say

Texture of the sand is perfect

Wowo... Looks whos on the cover of the Coast New 24th Feburary

Arts Alive 2015 Feburary...
June 7th Auction begins at Cardiff Seaside Market Center
Come Bid #24 is Yogi Surf Crossing ! See you there!

A Great Day at the Foundry.

Amazing day learning more attachments for the Drumel Tool. Yes, I am excited to learn what tool grinds down bronze after the big angle grinder, its a Carbite steel bit! Now, I know why guys feel so mucho, holding that tool and feeling the 20,000 rpm WOWOOWowowo. Daddy, are you watching over me?

Hardhat, gloves, eye protection, mask clothes from the thrift store, I am ready to grind away.
Dunked kelp in wax, used the sander, began spurring the base of the Trio. Its a great day at the Foundry.

Ocean Dancer II the first steps

After heating up the bronze agite to 2,400 degrees it is time to pour. The shell is stablized before the bronze is added.

The Crucible is the glowing orange pot that holds the molten bronze

Within hours an artist is able to clip away and see their sculpture

Bronze Trio being Created

Many hours cleaning, grinding, sawing, clipping away at the ceramic shell, bits of bronze that are not part of the sculpture takes days of work and lots of patience. It is all worth the amazing reward of the finished project.

from wax to rough, then grind

Sand Blast

1st Polish of many