A SIDEWAYS DIVERSION.

Sandblasting is an interesting diversion, and allows me to work on a bigger than usual scale. I was asked by a glass merchant if I would do a sandblast for someone and this time I said yes. It was for high placed cupboard doors provided. This meant not having to worry about safety specifications. An elderly couple and it had special meaning, which is something glass is very often used for. “Two Kookaburras facing each other”. A casual photo, reflections just happen.

First I had to hand draw the design, I’m not into clip art type computer design or cut outs, although I respect people that use that method. The to-be-cut side of the glass was covered in sign writers vinyl. Design put onto tracing paper, the side on the vinyl ran over with oil pastel because modern non greasy carbon paper won’t work on vinyl or glass. This all takes a while as I often change it over a few days, by looking at different angles and in different light. The imagination comes into play when you have to decide highlights, shading and shadows.

Cutting is a worry. No going back. All the lines are cut with a sharp craft knife or scalpel and it’s important to make notes on the cartoon because once you start blasting it’s difficult to see the cut lines. Only the highlights which will be blasted deepest have their vinyl removed at the first stage. As stages progress the vinyl pieces are removed, and blasting is progressively lighter.

The sandblasting is done in a large cabinet, with overhead light and dust extractor. I use silicon carbide which can be used multiple times. A simple sandblast gun and the strongest compressor I could get single phase 20 years ago. 80 PSI. Would you believe this is the quickest part, but very tense time as there is no correcting mistakes once they’re blasted. I was pleased to se a smiling very happy client.

COPPER WHEEL ENGRAVING ON THE MERKER MK1

With a reputation as a good beginners or students glass engraving lathe, the blue Merker MK! Has been built for using pre mounted diamond wheels. Certainly strong enough for traditional copper w, until it comes to the tradition of hammering the wheels onto the spindle. My efforts at getting a simple stronger lathe made locally warrants a book on its own. Flying tools in from over seas has not been an option for some time. Recalling internet discussions around the subject, I started exploring with limited experience but nothing to lose.

I have got as far as having half a dozen spindles turned with a proper morse taper 1.5. Narrowed down to 6mm they have a shoulder 6 mm back. Someone gave me 20cm of copper pipe 5 cm diameter. I hack sawed the pipe lengthways and hammered it flat, roughly. Cut circles with tinsnips and drilled a centre hole.

Next I filed the spindle end roughly square, and with needle files changed the wheel centre hole to a slightly larger square.

I have a wooden frame I made for leading small stone wheel centres. Using this and trusting the spindle collar to be perpendicular, I fixed it with silver solder(flux core)using a mini propane torch.

1.Next hand filed it to a near circle then ran it in the lathe, filing it down to a closer circle. The copper was uneven and thin. I have wheels about 1mm thick but a bit uneven.

2.Took me ages to file to get round circles. I should have rounded them on the bench grinder before mounting. I was too worried the heat might un fix them if I did it on the electric grinder later.

3. All the time spend filing and now trying has not loosened wheels at all. I don’t know if the squaring helps.

Thanks  Greg Sullivan for help and advice. I think it was Jim Riser who mentioned “solder” in early discussion. Thanks Jim and I guess the term “bush carpenter’; can apply to engineering. Sure it needs refining but now I’m down to practice on COPPER WHEELS.

THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

I have a piece currently in the Gippsland Art Gallery for a group exhibition “Extinction”

It was important to write about the why and method of expressions I used, with influential writings. It is small, 15×20 cms but well lit and placed within a well curated exhibition.

Dave Hickey “The Hidden Dragon: Essays on beauty.” says the role of beauty is to create a safe place for the viewer to ameliorate the questions posed by the artist through the artwork. Glass has a strong inherent beauty so it is a dance with the material to bring questions and concerns to the fore.

Ben Shahn “The Shape of Content” discusses how the general can be expressed through the particular. This hopefully explains the single everyman as an example for the general overpowering problem.

Lincoln Kersten writing about Paul Cadmus satirical artwork uses the term “universal legibility” to describe the body language and historic references I use, as if in mime, to make the narrative connections.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

I still like the clear glass as the most beautiful of engravings. Very difficult, and it needs a bit of time looking at it to get the real art involved. Some pieces nearly make me bleed, there’s so much of me in them. “Matriarch.”

Jugs are intriguing because there’s always the subtle aim of getting the art and the message into the viewers hands. And I loathe plastic water bottles on the table. “Roses” and Gums”

Meanwhile at the workbench.

FUSED FLASH GLASS

If you can’t buy what you want, make it yourself. I’ve tried enamels and always felt not quite there. I have since fused 3mm color system 96 under 6mm clear, thinking it would mean a simplified engraving because of the extra depth required. It certainly needs much deeper cutting. Lathe with diamond wheels, and a simple laminated float stand.

“Spirits of the Bush.” 15x19cm.

“Adam and Eve. The Expulsion.” 15×15 cm

“Thomas, doubts the news.” 15×19 cm.

NEW LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

LEDs make life interesting. Easy to use and readily available with the right helpful shop. The figure, after the pre-Raphaelite painting, “Light of the World, is carved from white cedar. My old street tree. Copper tube and wire for the branches with my own amateur solder efforts. Glass enamels fused to float glass, then slumped, made the gum leave to be engraved.

HOME

I’ve been chasing my tail over this for about a year. Enamel on float, engraved. Last step, I hope is airbrushed, which is in the kiln now. There’s a sculpture in progress to mount these in.

I’m writing up the progress and have the photos of each step, so I can make a full show of it. Seems a long year, but then that’s the way I work.

‘HOME” IS IN RESPONSE TO THE BUSHFIRES THAT RAVAGES SOUTH EASTERN AUSTRALIA DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019-2020. PROPERTIES WERE LOST, AND MANY ANIMALS WERE KILLED DURING AND AFTER AS THEIR FOOD SUPPLY AND HOMES WERE DESTROYED. HERE IS HOW THE PIECE WAS MADE, AFTER MANY TRIALS AND EXPERIMENTS TO FIND THE RIGHT PROCESS.

FIRST TRIALS WERE USING OIL PAINT, TO GET THE IDEA OF A FLASH TYPE OF COLOUR TO ENGRAVE THROUGH.  SEVERAL LOW FIRING PAINTS, THEN ENAMELS WERE TRIED. IT NEEDED TO BE HIGH ENOUGH FOR SLUMPING  FLOAT GLASS. EVENTUALLY EASY FIRE HIGH FIRE, OPAQUE WAS USED WITH THEIR SILK SCREEN MEDIUM AND AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF WATER. I BLENDED COLOURS, ‘CAUSE THAT’S JUST WHAT I DO.  FIRST FIRE TO 500 deg.C FLAT WITH ENAMEL UPSIDE, KILN VENTING.  SECOND FIRE 800 DEG.C ENAMEL DOWN ON A SLUMPING MOLD I MADE IN A WAVE FORM.

THE OLD TILE SAW HAS A THIN DIAMOND BLADE A REGULAR GRINDER, AND FLEX SHAFT DRILL FOR THE MOUNTING HOLES. TIME CONSUMING TO GET A CASUAL LEAF SHAPE..

AN IMPROVISED SPRAY BOOTH BECAUSE THE AIRBRUSH MAKES FOR VERY FINE SPRAY THAT IS NOT TOO HEALTHY. A LONG LEARNING PROCESS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT MEANT FOR SUSPENDED ENAMELS BUT FOR FINE INKS.  A FEW POINTS.   BIG NEEDLE.  HIGHER PRESSURE 40 PSI. USE ONLY SMALL BATCHES AND DON’T LET IT SIT OR DRY IN THE BRUSH.  IT’S NOT REALLY SMOOTH, IN FACT A THIN SMOOTH LAYER WOULD FORM LOZENGE SHAPES WHILE I WATCHED.

I MADE 2 WAVE SHAPED CLAY MOLDS, THIS IS THE SMALL SLUMP MOLD READY TO FIRE.  GREEN ENAMEL LEFT A YELLOW STAIN ON THE MOLD.

MY OLD STREET TREE LOG WAS CARVED TO RESEMBLE A BURNT LOG, THEN I ACTUALLY BURNT IT.  BECAUSE THE ASH KEPT COMING OFF IT GOT A COAT OF FLAT VARNISH. THE LOCAL PLUMBING SHOP SOLD ME SMALL COPPER PIPE WHICH I CUT AND BENT, THEN SOLDERED TOGETHER BEFORE USING RED WINE VINEGAR WHICH COLORED IT WELL. THE ENDS WERE FLATTENED AND DRILLED.

DIAMOND WHEEL ENGRAVING THE LEAVES. THE MOST ENJOYABLE  PART OF A LONG DRAWN OUT PROCESS.

A PUNCH WAS USED TO CUT WASHERS FROM AN OLD TYRE TUBE, THEN DRILLED AND NUTS AND BOLTED IN PLACE. TAKES ANY EXCESS PRESSURE OFF THE GLASS.

FISH.

An exhibition on the theme, from a potter, water colorist, wood carver and a glass engraver. This is exciting, and the first time I’ve had work out in a long time. It will be the opening exhibition in a group studio I’m working with.

My favorite at the moment. Took a while to get the heads turned just enough to look like they’re talking.

LATHE PRACTICE.

I bought a mini merker as it’s called, a few year ago, and have been working at using it. Different from the drill that I’ve used for many years. A huge amount of practice needed and then there’s the style I want to use it for. I’m basically a figurative narrative artist, and there are many ways to define a figure, usually influenced by the tools.

Donation for a service club raising money for the fire brigade.

A retirement presentation. Putting letters within a flower design worked out well.

FRAGILE MASCULINITY.

THE LOCKED HOUSE. very sad because a house is really a home, not just an investment.

THE BLUES. I love music although I don’t play anymore.  Music means a lot to young people, particularly young men, in many different ways.

LOCKED.  Says it all really.

 

FATHERHOOD. Lots of different interpretations for different people. It’s finished at a time of very depressing news reports, fatherhood is different to paternity.

TIME.  Take it as you like. I made the clock and then the figure took ages. Somehow I prefer the rough cut of these carvings and don’t want to smooth and polish these.

FAMILY TREE. The pressure of a family tree can sometimes be unbearable.

My favorite at present. For the young men who die feeling indestructible on the road.

INDESTRUCTABLE MALE.      Yes the electronic key is shaped like a coffin.LOCKER ROOM Makes a man cringe.

The knotted straps are for the group pressure in this environment.

I need a better photo, and maybe a recast.(mold is fine) This is for “beyond blue” or similar org. Also for the refugee cause I get reminded about by the wonderful Pat Waters who still believes in art for issues.

FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS.

First one done. Used stainless steel in the centre of the mold, for the handle hole. The base/book is carved siltstone. Handle , carved pine, stained varnished.

LAW, AS A MALE CONSTRUCT.

Next stage in the “touched” theme involves casting. Will become more obvious later. The subjects I chose revolved around a loose theme of “masculinity” although they could relate to everyone.

My lack of experience shows. I made terra cotta models, wrapped in clay, but had to sit them in sand to hold up after I took the model out.  Hoping to use the clay molds more than once. The details in the key needed a plaster mold. Back to the books so we’ll see what turns out.