Wednesday, August 20, 2014

New Work Table!


It is high enough to put my file cabinets beneath, and thick enough for my mandrel clamp, and long enough for more tool stations.  The fresh pine smells great.  Next, a peg board for the wall, to hang my hammers, and with luck, a jeweler's bench, second hand.  Yipeeee!

Friday, August 1, 2014

WIP Octopus Brooch



With my studio uprooted and waiting for the new built-in work table, I am taking my time with the foundations of this project.  The top photo is a sheet of tin, 4 by 4 inches, with multiple layers of gesso, prismacolor pencil, and matte finish acrylic spray, baked between layers and cured.  The layering and successive sealing and baking enabled me to begin to show the changeability of the fascinating octopus.  Below is a preliminary sketch.  The body and mantle will be die pressed, and the tentacles and other details will be riveted-on layers of tin.  I'm researching the wonderful creature, as well, and am finding many admirable and loveable qualities in their natural history.



What we think of the "head" is actually the body that holds all the organs, and internal gills connected to siphons.  There is so much to learn about them, it just feeds my fascination, and adds energy to my creative forces!