Painting Exercises

It's been months since I've picked up a brush to do some oil painting. I've primed several small canvases and I'm going to fool about and do a couple of still lifes and colour exercises to get myself reacquainted with mixing colours with different solvents.

It's been much too long since I've done painting from life and I'm kind of jonesing for it at this point. My studio is closed for the holiday and I have the opportunity so I'm going to seize it.

I'll be posting my colour practices up here in a few days.

1 hour study in oil paint
December 2011

UPDATE:

Painted a few studies of this tea pot and random things in December which has since had the canvases repurposed.

Not Even A Car Crash... maybe a tank.

This is a TED talk video featuring Klaus Stadlmann presenting his itty-bitty 3d printer. The printer itself is rather small and what it prints is measured in microns which opens many doors.
It's worth watching.

http://www.ted.com/talks/klaus_stadlmann_the_world_s_smallest_3d_printer.html#.TuOACXUC5vo.facebook

PMC - Coppery Clay - Firing

My attempt at a pmc-copper clay firing was dismal. I placed the pieces in the instructed contained and covered said pieces in activated carbon and sent up my kiln(electric with a control) and ventured off to attempt some pressing matters outside the studio. Smoke. A lot of smoke. The poor ladies in the studio had to open all the studio doors and deal with the smell. To boot the pieces were only partially successful, while they now feel like metal they are dull and rough looking. Not the desired result. Any further experiments I do with the pmc-copper clay will be done when the studio is barren so as to not smoke out my compatriots.


comes of that.

Other News: My porcelain canvas substrates have arrived, with some free seconds to play about with! I've decided to get a couple of my artsy friends to play with one or two as well so we shall see what

IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE... after I killed it once, maybe twice.

It lives! It only took forever. After a couple failed attempts at making my rather large, heavy and monstrous upside down positive I now have my rather large, heavy, cellulose fiber and plaster mold from which it shall give birth to more vase babies.

This vessel mold shall be the starting point from which I shall further the design of my cloud vessels from my previous academic year. These pieces shall be slip cast in cone 7-10 porcelain. I'm expecting some slumping with the high firing temperature and a fairly translucent porcelain as a result. The slumping I'm hoping will add a soften, more gestural feel to my pieces making them look a bit more round and natural.

CNC and Me

Recently I was offered the chance to make use of my schools new CNC machine. I've designed a bowl that can be cut out by the machine to near perfection and from there I can mold it up and make many casts. This experience is rather exciting for me because it opens up a lot of design and making possibilities. It will allow me and others to take things farther than what we could, make things a bit sharper, a bit more symmetric and closer to the idea we had in mind. At least it hast he possibility of doing that for me.

To get the design from point A (my head) to point C (the CNC machine) it must first venture to point B (solid works). A kind faculty member, Stephen Hugo-Seinader, has offered to draw it up in Solid Works. Yay!

Design Hope

My little three sided cuddle cups have been toasted to a creamy, white and besides some rather minor tweaks in the design they are rather nice to drink from. The shape and feel are nice, the torque in the design help further for comfort in holding the piece. My major complaint, which is minor, is that in taking the last two small sips you can get some drips.

These three sided cups are part of a collaborative piece, previously mentioned I believe, with Kamal Fox, a furniture designer. The cuddle cups are to be nested into a wooden tray with the idea that it is for the individual. The tray and cup set is designed with the tea drinking bookworm in mind.

Another tidbit about our collaboration is that this piece has been accepted into the annual Design Hope event to help raise awareness about homelessness.

Check out their good deeds
http://www.designhopetoronto.ca/