In the midst of it all / Harmony
First of all...be warned - This is a REALLY long post with LOTS of cool pictures!
In the midst of the sculpture and mold of Sara, new classes beginning, my daughter graduating from Columbia NEXT WEEK, I've been working on a big commission for In Bloom! An opportunity came my way that deeply resonated with my passion for giving back to families in crisis. Some of you are familiar with the concerts that David and I have held to benefit Upward Bound House. So when I heard about In Bloom and their connection to HCS Family Services it was right in my wheel house. HCS Family Services is a compassionate human care organization serving low-income individuals and families since 1937. During the selection process I had the choice to either donate an existing piece, or work with a sponsor. I chose the latter, and Whole Foods chose me!
After submitting concept proposals, this one was selected. I've been working at a large metal plating factory, designing, constructing, and finishing this piece! The process has been UNBELIEVABLE. More complicated than I ever imagined. The definition of Murphy's Law. It was finally crated today and is on its way to Chicago. The installation and opening event will be the week of May 16th (the same day Sophie graduates!), so I'll miss that moment. The sculptures will be on display throughout the summer, with a closing Gala Art Auction Charity Event in September. Part of the proceeds will benefit the families that HCS works with. If you're in the Chicago area this summer stop by at the Oakbrook Center to experience In Bloom yourself.
Here's a peek at the process of creating Harmony!
Here's where the fun starts. I began with a globe creating relief with a acrylic medium. My intention was to plate the globe with copper after this pain-staking process.
I tinted the ocean areas in order to be able to see the brush texture.
Added pumice gel medium to increase the relief of the continents.
Beautiful,right?
Unfortunately when it was filled with foam, before plating, we discovered that the glossy surface on the globe made all the paint fall off. So.....
I had to start over from scratch. This time it was all about Bondo. Instead of acrylic gel mediums the materials switched to glass beads, catalysts, power tools and spray booths.
Simultaneously I was working on the figure at the foundry. I needed to make the feet fit around the globe, and create fabric to drape the figure.
I looked everywhere for the perfect branches and finally found manzanitas on Ebay. The structure of the manzanita tree is beautiful and exactly what I was looking for. I put them in my kiln for a week at low temperature to dry them out first before they were to be plated in copper.
Finally the bronze was cast from the wax (known as the lost wax process). This is what bronze looks like before any kind of patina has been applied.
And here she is being fitted on the copper-plated globe for the very first time. It worked!
At this point everything moved over to Brite Plating: You probably have something in your house that came from there if you have a doorknob or a light or a metal table...you name it.
Alan and Landon and a team of thousands became my champions from this moment on....
Then came fabrication of the stand, refinement of the fit of the feet, more coats of copper, and the whole process of patina on the globe.
This was a cold patina. We started with a dark base to bring out the texture in the surface.
Then I added greens on the continents and used first ammonia, then stable blues on top for the oceans, then sealed everything with permalac.
Next came the patina of the copper-plated branches and the bronze figure.
These are huge dipping vats filled with chemicals. OMG
She was hung upside down through a hole in her foot which is actually part of her structural engineering (thanks to the genius of Landon Ryan.)
If this were a video, you could see that she went down into the vat and came up, which is why she is now a different color...Dark...
Darker...
Darkest!
At the end, she is blown dry with an air hose.
And here come the branches...
Here is the stand that will go into the ground. The bottom will be filled with concrete for extra weight. There will be stakes embedded in the concrete since the piece will be installed in grass. It will be oxidized black. It's going to be awesome!
And finally the globe is fitted onto the top of the stand for the first time...Very exciting!
And there she is, on top of the globe, for the very first time. Each stage is a landmark!
The first patina on the branches and the figure was just a base. Then I rubbed everything down to expose the highlights..
To apply the Cupric Nitrate (green) patina, the bronze is heated with a torch
The chemical is sprayed on and reacts with the metal. The highlights still show through, which gives the sculpture beautiful dimension.
And then the very last thing...the branches are soldered into the hands of the figure.
And then finally , for the first time, all the elements went together and the whole concept was actualized.
In the time it took me to write and post this she has been crated, made her way safely across the county and arrived in Westmont, Illinois, to be installed next week while I'm in New York. If you're near Chicago, please go check it out at the Oakbrook Center and send me a picture. I'd love to see it installed!
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