Moulds, Molds, Bears, Giant Babies and The Cautious Emergence of The Weirdly Absurd

Well, I've been doing the usual thing, neglecting this blog and manically experimenting/pottering. 

Allowing that it is possible to potter manically of course - I'm taking the view that it most certainly is. .

The trouble is, as I have probably mentioned before, is that my focus shifts so quickly between projects and ideas that I am into a new idea before I have blogged about the last one. Then eventually, the weight of unblogged about things becomes so great that my Blogger's Guilt kicks in and I try to feature about ten ideas at once. 

Oh well, so be it ;-)

So, first up - You remember the plastic model railway figures from my last post? Course you do. I have made a few more little surreal scenes using them, (in this case some very nice hurrying passengers) and a few very pink plastic babies I came across on the internet (of course). Combined with an image transfer of one of my digital fake-cell-structure creations and a few other bits and pieces this interesting little scenario came about. It's called "Try to ignore The Babies".

Taking this post to be a vaguely logical progression, I considered said plastic babies and wondered how making polymer clay moulds of  them might work out. Polymer clay does seem to be pretty good for mould making. Non-flexible ones but that is OK. This Baby/Alien piece was made using crude impressions from one of the moulds I made. With some crackle effect technique and additional glass beads. (I was given a box of various small beads from a friend. I didn't think they were the sort of thing I would be using but as it happened they found a place)

One mould led to another, this time using a couple of model railway figures, which, my creative process being what it is, resulted in some pieces with a very different vibe. Using inks and Ren wax etc etc helped.

As is the way of these things, before long, some of my little plastic animals got roped in to the mould making frenzy. These two little Red Panda head drops came about that way. 

And this Bear pendant. All interesting stuff I thought.

And moving skilfully on, like a smooth radio DJ style link, talking of bears, I made some bear images using a rubber stamp I acquired, and taking sort of multiple, artily out of register monoprints from the stamp's impression on poly clay, which I coloured up in various ways. 

I used one of these images as the background for this piece called "Big Bear, Good Dog" ;-)

Moulds from the heads of various plastic figures I have had knocking around for years came into the equation also, to somewhat creepy effect. Only somewhat, as the absurd tends to trump the creepy; in the work I do at any rate. Here's a couple of spike beads and drops to emphasise my point.

The more observant amongst you will have clocked the strange image at the top of this post. This was me trying to mix and match heads and bodies ;-) The body is from a mould of an unpainted pottery dog blank that I acquired from who knows where, ages ago, and the head is from a plastic motorcyclist. the result is like some very odd artifact from an archaeological site somewhere. No idea idea where that 'somewhere' might be though. . .

So that's me for the moment. Other stuff will no doubt emerge from my fevered brain as this strange time of Covidiosyncratic Groundhog Days grinds on, and on.

Oh well, and talking of 'well', stay well!

best, 

Jon x

Tripping Over Afterthoughts, Teetering On The Brink of 'Art Jewellery', and the Dilemma of When Components are Complete in Themselves . . .

Back to what passes for normal round here, after the the somewhat frantic goings on of the last few weeks. Still managed to be late with this blog post though. But never mind, the only person nagging me is me, and I never listen to me anyway. . .

As you can see, I got inspired by the electronic components I indirectly inherited, and by various other bits and pieces, and made some interesting things. . . 

But more on that, later in the programme, there is the small matter of chronological precedence vis a vis the blogging process to discuss. 

As you are possibly aware, I like to blog every ten days or so. Over those ten days I will have likely explored two or three different ideas at least, some successfully, some not. Each idea worthy of being documented on this blog. The trouble is that come blog writing day, the most recent idea, my day ten obsession, if you like, is going to be the one my head is full of and the one I most want to share. Which leaves the previous good ideas as mere blogging afterthoughts if they get a mention at all. Not sure what I can do about this. I don't want to blog more frequently so I think I shall just have to live with it and go with what is is uppermost in my mind at the time.

Which is - My messings around with electronic components and other bits and pieces.

Repurposed beads plus electronic bits and wire mesh stuff - 2" by 1-1/2"

A combination of events has led me down this interesting route. Firstly, inheriting these electronic components from my late Father in Law. Secondly, deciding to break up some old necklaces that I had hanging around, which never sold. I still quite liked them but have come to realise that they just weren't up to the mark. It's quite liberating to actually admit that things don't work and to reclaim the bits that are worth repurposing. And thirdly, there being bits of garden related wire and mesh and suchlike lurking in and behind the shed. These things had caught my eye and been stored in the 'Possibilities Pending' file in my head. These three things and a good dose of 'Why not?' when following spontaneous creative ideas led me in this hopefully fruitful direction.

More repurposed beads etc - 3-1/2" by 3"

I even ventured into larger pieces, using resistors (I think) as decorative elements alongside some old dremel carved poly clay beads I made many moons ago and couldn't find a good use for. 

And again - 4" by 3"

This stuff does start to look like something you might see in some kind of gallery. (I did say 'might see'. . . ) It has a certain confidence in what it is, if that makes sense. 

And again. . . 3-1/2" by 3" - image trans bead plus big hollow organic pod thing 

I feel more free to explore composition and balance. And to enjoy the juxtaposition of unlikely partners, neither of which were intended to be combined but can co-exist successfully once the right balance is found.

Interesting though this process is, it does leave me with my biggest dilemma. A lot of the more complex components I make, and quite a few of the simpler ones have a certain completeness as objects in themselves. Adding an ear wire, or attaching them to some kind of chain/string/thong seems like an afterthought. Which of course, it is. 

The type and shape of ear wire and the length and thickness etc of the string is very important, and I worry that I haven't left room for additions to my design.

It's something I need to work on, think about and explore. Not being a jewellery maker is a disadvantage at present. I want to have some finished pieces to show at our upcoming open studios thing at the end of May.

Nothing like a deadline to get the mind working. . .

OK - Afterthoughts. . .

1 - I followed up my experiments in combining image transfer and turned look beads, and made a bunch of immensely cool spike things. Big buggers too, about three inches long.

2 - I also made some small turned look beads for more delicate projects, around 1" long. That intense blue when varnished looks almost like glass. I love that blue!

There is probably other stuff I could show you, but as I don't want to write, and you don't want to read a flipping novel, I shall stop.
See you next time,
Jon x