Week 2 workshop

I continued with granulation, pleased to note that David Huycke has said his granulation pieces are fragile – so not just me then. I made a slightly larger piece in my wee crucible and pickled it. Not quite the 10,000 grains that one of Huycke’s vessels can have.

I then tried some ready mades – steel ball bearings, in a cavity carved in my charcoal block. I used my trusty silver solder stick and loads of flux. It’s much less fragile, I like the dark balls emerging from the silver.

I’ve started on a vessel made from separate rings, getting the surfaces ready to solder. THis one is copper. This design idea is influenced by some of Huycke’s earlier work. More pictures to follow

Week 1 still more

I got down to making the grains for my start of play with granulation.

David Huycke talks about kissing spheres as being a play with the way metal reacts just as it fuses – it was exciting to see the grains do just this. They have a wee life of their own rolling on the charcoal block seemingly attracted to each other, kissing and then sometimes one encloses another to form one larger grain. The action of the metal is so much fun, I had a groove along the charcoal block to limit ‘run off’ – one large globe got caught in this and restrained to a sausage. The larger grains can’t support themselves and their bottom flattens to make a relaxed shape. Nuno (artist in residence) suggested to remove heat slowly to maintain the shape – I’m not sure I saw this effect. I tried the spirflame- but there seemed too much breeze from that and I was only partially successful with the bench torches (hard to get the focused heat) the mini hand held torch suited me best.

I think I have explored maximum size of each grain.

I have pickled and copper plated the grains and persuaded the wee globes to surface fuse. Not all the bonds are secure, but enough are for me to feel I’ve made some progress.

       

Week 1iii

 

I oxidised the chain for this pendant that is stencilled enamel – a sample piece from the Edinburgh workshop that I made into a necklace as it’s quite pretty. Liver of sulphate really pongs, but does the trick.

Week 1ii

 

Following my brief, but great internships at Ebba Goring’s and Eileen Gatt’s workshops I did some milliput repair work on this original piece and I have had it cast in silver at Carter Cutts and then gold plated at PnA platers in Hatton Gardens. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice. It is off to New Zealand as a present for my great niece Rose.

Week 1i

Hmm.. I should have thought out the week numbering earlier – this is my second year at college, but the third year of the course, ah well.

 

Being back at college means access to a vice, so I have hammered the lid that I spun at Goldsmith’s Summer School. I got a friend to lathe me a wooden former to support the metal while I textured it to look less machined. It looks a bit like the bandstand roof.

At Ebba’s the last week of August

 

Ebba Goring kindly let me spend a couple of days in her workshop helping out. The first picture shows some of her pretty silver pieces that I cut the sprues off and filed. I found the texture on the pieces made it quite hard to get the filing right – good practice though. The other photo shows a bit of her workshop with some of her work that had come back from Craft Scotland’s Edinburgh Fair and was heading out again – either for photographing or to other galleries. Thanks Ebba.