Untitled 8 (Beautiful)

I finally had my first big breakthrough last night. I spent the first few days here making a rubber mold, messing it up, fixing it, making a mistake, inventing a new mold making technique to fix it, etc. etc. Once I finally got a functioning mold, I began trying to cast home made hard candy in it and wow has it been a challenge. When I did the smaller casts at home in the old My Little Pony molds, everything worked like a dream on the first try and it all seemed so simple. However, the change in scale to a kickball sized mold made a huge unexpected difference. Suddenly it was impossible to get an even coating of candy throughout the entire inner surface. With the first cast, I didn’t make the candy correctly and it never hardened properly. The second cast I poured the candy out when it was too hot, creating an incredibly thin shell, meaning it crumbled and shattered when I opened the mold. This trial and error system went on for several more casts, each time getting a little closer to a successful full cast, but each time shattering and crumbling in the end. Every time I tweaked something about how I ran the cast, it would come out slightly better and therefore encourage me to continue adjusting, thinking EVENTUALLY it had to work. Towards the end of the day yesterday, though, I was starting to think that I should stop forcing the candy to do what I want and maybe step back and spend some time learning what the candy wants to do instead. Even though I finally got a successful cast yesterday (by pouring the candy in, closing up the pour spout with some plasticine, and continuously rolling the mold for a good 2 hours while it cooled), it’s still ugly, too thick and not really what I was hoping for. At least now I know it is possible though and can continue to tweak my technique until I am a pro. It still seems like it might be a good idea to step back and just play with the candy for a day or two before pushing forward. I might find some nice effects that I wouldnt have found on my own.

Anyways, without further ado, some pictures. I have also been taking time lapse photography while working in the studio so I will post the first week of video soon…

 

Kickball covered in plasticine with pour spouts and dividers for 2 mold halves

plaster mother mold... I used cheap modeling plaster and it was a big mistake, next time it will be half ultracal, half modeling...

 

After mother mold, I opened up the plaster, pulled out all the plasticine and put the ball back in to pour the rubber

I totally f-ed up the rubber but sort of invented a new technique in my attempt to save it... will explain that more another time, but here is the completed mold with kickball model, rubber mold, and plaster mother mold

The mold all closed up and waiting for candy to be poured in...

the mold upside down over a pot to drain out extra candy-this didnt work but it might in the future...

Next time will be the candy half of the process…

Yesterdays Schedule: I’m actually really sick of writing about my schedule and you’re probably sick of reading it so no more of this…

 

 

Untitled 6 (Townies)

The polaroid film I ordered for the $5 camera I found at the thrift store in South Boston arrived (that not only had batteries but when I pushed the button to see if it still worked, a photo popped out!). How hilarious is this:

It has an ancient coupon for candy on it! Obviously this pack of film was destined to fall into my hands at this point in my life...

I also went into town (you know, around the corner), and bought a case and a half of sugar and half a case of corn syrup. The manager obviously thought I was a little crazy but humored me as I’m sure she gets weird requests from VSC kids all the time. I wasn’t sure how to lug it all back down the street, short of borrowing a shopping cart or checking with the staff for a wheelbarrow, but then remembered I have rolly luggage! Thank god for boxes with wheels on them…

About 60 or 70 lbs of sugar in various forms...

I think that’s all I’ve got today… It’s been almost a full week and I still don’t feel ready to actually share any of the work I’ve been doing. There has been a lot of mistake making so it feels like slow going. As usual, I expected to be much further along than I am! So once I feel a little more confident with where I’m at, I’ll post something… hopefully within the next couple days…

Yesterdays Schedule: Up at sunrise, online time, breakfast, open up rubber mold, lunch, make and cast candy, set up reference images, catch up on emails, watch season finale of project runway, dinner, model sugar molecule, out to local bar for drinks with crew and townies

Untitled 5 (Raging River)

Ah Black Friday. It is so appropriate to be working on this project during this commercial holiday. How have we as a culture come to this point where something like Black Friday could possibly exist? Not to mention the fact that it gets crazier every year! Are we so easily manipulated by commercial marketing that we would trample our fellow shoppers in the name of a bargain? And what exactly are we gaining by participating? The satisfaction of having won the battle against all other shoppers who may have wanted that deal, but won’t get it because you were there first? Consume, consume, consume, that seems to be all we know how to do. We shop in order to feel better about ourselves, having been brainwashed to think that stuff can fill the gaps in our lives. But let’s not forget that buying things for other people will make you feel twice as good! We attribute all kinds of value to meaningless objects that have no inherent worth-the diamond industry being one of the best examples-especially during this time of year. Here is this meaningless rock, that isn’t even that rare in the grand scheme of geology, which is somehow the most precious and sentimental of objects to be given during the holidays. Watching TV tells us that if you buy her a big rock, she will love you forever and be beautiful and you will have sweet children and a big car and a gorgeous house and a gentle dog in a nice part of town with great neighbors. And if he buys you the right rock, then you will know that life will be easy and wonderful and fulfilling for the rest of your days together.

OK, enough ranting. I am as much of a consuming zombie as the next person so I should probably stop talking. Here are some pictures I gathered today as reference images. Enjoy.

Soap Bubbles

Layered Bubbles

pollen molecules

Urine molecules

Sugar Crystals

Sugar Crystals

Gemstones

Diamonds

Cuts Diagram

Yesterdays Schedule: Slept in, straight to studio to pour rubber for mold, realized mistake and invented new mold making technique to fix it, online time, lunch duty, research, dinner, print images, back to room to edit video, read, draw, doodle and write.

Untitled 3 (Happy Thanksgiving!)

I have got to figure out how to pace myself! Having the ability to concentrate on nothing but art all day, every day, is crazy and I find I am just exhausting myself. Coming in with a plan was great, because it means I can jump in without wasting any time thinking, but I might have dived in a little too deep right from the start. I should probably slow down and build up some studio endurance. But wow does it feel good to be able to live in the studio if I want. And spread out!! I can have separate areas for different materials so stuff doesn’t get contaminated, or have 5 molds in process at the same time, or everything at once if I want. It’s amazing!

And now some images that hint at what I’ve been working on. I did these test casts before leaving Boston:

A whole bag of Jolly Ranchers, ready for the melting

Jolly Rancher candy art

Jolly Ranchers, cast into an old rubber mold

Set of candy tests. Orange is candy I made from scratch, reddish is what a whole bag of melted Jolly Ranchers looks like

Yesterdays Schedule: Up at sunrise, online time, breakfast, plaster other half of mother mold, lunch duty, studio store, try to take mold apart and break it, replaster mold, dinner, online time, resident slide show, drinks, bed.

Untitled 2 (Set Up)

Work tables consist of sawhorses with doors on top. All visual artists get two of these plus a rolly tabera with a hasp in case you want to lock valuables up. No studio doors or bedrooms have keyed locks; only the exterior doors into each building have locks on them, and basically everything around here works on the honor system. From how you use the machine shop and buy sculpture materials, to borrowing books from the library and picking up mail. But I digress. I was going to share my work tables, which sounds boring, and it is, so I added some fun stuff at the end.

eye hooks, monofilament, goo gone, rolling pin, plasticine, buckets, alum flashing, fiberglass, respirator, safety glasses, nitrile gloves, dust masks, nuts and bolts, screwdriver, metal scraper, paint spatulas, chip brushes, utility knives, yucky scissors, tin snips, wood strips, power drill, towel

wine, sugar, fruit, food coloring, ring pops, electric burners, scavenged pots, alum foil, saran wrap, corn syrup, cooking spray, scavenged yucky towel, measuring cup, thermometer, funnels, timer, yummy scissors, heat gun, giant roll paper, cellophane, business cards, $5 thrift store polaroid camera, ginseng tea, VSC mug, water bottle, miscellaneous crap

Taberay turned sideways with laptop set in place with wood screwed to top for time lapse photography

This made me giggle, animal traps and pet cages side by side. Made me think about our weird relationships to animals...

Funny cat toy which may become a part of this project and will definitely be given to penny when I get home, even though she hates all cat toys that aren’t twist ties or wads of paper

I’m also on a weird writing schedule. Since there is no internet access in my room, I go home to write in the comfort of bed, pajamas and glasses at the end of the day and then get online in the main hall before breakfast to post. It’s different writing without the immediacy of the instant publish… I will have to think more on this. Or not. I have to admit, I find I haven’t been thinking much these last couple days and I’m really liking it…

Yesterdays Schedule: Up at sunrise, online time, breakfast, finish preparing plasticine, shopping at Johnson Farm and Garden with shop tech, Harlan, cover kickball in plasticine, lunch, add pour spouts and dividers in plasticine, cut flashing and insert for dividers, yoga, dinner, prep fiberglass, plaster first half of mother mold, back to room for blogging.