Looking back to Move forward

The Momoe

This is mostly meant to a pic heavy post.  I was reminiscing with a friend earlier about some of my old sculptures, and it made me think of what I have accomplished in my art over the past 10 years.  I decided to look back through some old images and see what has carried through and what has fallen away.  Also to see how many pieces I have poor images of or no record of at all.   Its been quite a journey so far, and I look forward to seeing what else comes.  This first image is Momoe.  I still think this is one of the my favorite things I have ever created and that I still look to all the time.  Momoe represents how many of us experience life, constantly torn between emotions.  I chose to show him as the sad face here, but if you flip your head upside down you can see hes also quite happy.  Originally he was meant to be a sticker that you put up in the orientation of how you feel that day.

The next image is of a splat thing I used to draw.  I had completely forgotten about them, but they have a strong relevance in the work that I am currently making.  Looking back at this one gives me new ideas of how to approach my new pieces.    

Sculpture has always been one of my true passions.  The ability to physically create something with my hands that exists in three dimensions has always excited me.  The two sculptures here are both made with yarn.  The first was a site specific piece done for a group show.  The second is yarn that has been wrapped around found objects and then coated in beeswax.  Being in New York has limited my ability to make large pieces like these, but I feel like the aesthetic and shapes still show up in my work. 

After school I moved towards pen and ink drawing more and more.  I started a project called "If and When" where I challenged myself to make 365 drawings in 365 days.  I made close to 400 during that time, and built the habit of make drawings on a daily basis in an almost obsessive way.  A habit which I have continued.  Since I began that project nearly 3 years ago I estimate I have made close to 700 finished drawings/paintings and countless sketches.  40 of those have been make since the beginning of 2014.

Wanting to keep my hands active I decided to make some small sculptures last year.  A friend and artist Marty Henley gave me one of the greatest gifts I possess, the knowledge of mold making and casting.  I set up a small wooden desk in our tiny apartment and went at it.  I have created three "toys" so far including the boxes.  I hope to make some more of these in the near future.      

 That brings me to where I currently am.  I was given the task of drawing a booger for a friend and have run with it.  My roommate Jake Ingram encouraged me to use the water color we had laying around to see if it would make my work any better, and it has been so fun playing and learning how to paint.  Below is the first booger I made followed by my most current painting of what I am now referring to as plumpies.  Over the next week or so I will post the images and talk about the transition from the former to the later.       

 I also have to give a big shout out to my best friend and partner Jessica Augier who has stood beside me and been my biggest supporter for the past 8 years.

With this post I hope to get back into a routine of posting more frequenlty.  So keep your eyes and internets open for new and exciting things.

As always thanks for looking, comments and critiques are always welcome.   

Some more watercolor paintings

I thought I had posted these a while ago, but it seems I didn't. Hope you all enjoy. Sorry it's been a while, I've got some other projects going on, but I'll be back at it before to long. 

Water + Color = Much Fun

So I have been spending the past week or so experimenting and playing with watercolors mixed with pen. I have to say for the first time I am really enjoying using color and seeing my pieces gain a new sense of life. Here are some recent pictures let me know what you think. 

 I am really just playing right now and seeing stylistically what works for me. So far so good. Well see what comes next. 

Sedna the Destroyer

Well shes been a long complicated process, but the time has come to introduce Sedna the Destroyer.  But before we see the final final, process... 

Early stages.  Placing the eyes getting the spacing right.  Roughing in some eye lids and the curve under the dome.

 

Some different stages of refining.  Using the wax pen, flame polishing, and rakes to refine the shape and contours.

 

Adding in some of the most fun textures I have ever attempted, The suckers.  I was very indecisive with what I wanted to do in place of the realistic beak.  

 

I finally decided on sensual lips.

 

Getting everything blocked off to create the first piece of the mold.

 

A small fleet of Sedna's after being freshly cast.

 

Detail of the underneath cast in resin.  Look how sensual those lips are.

  

A shot of the custom box I made.  I really should post on just the process of the box for this one.  This box was one of the more challenging projects I have done.  I probably went through 5 prototypes before I got the proportions and size that I wanted.  I am so pleased with the final product.    

The first of the ladies are boxed and ready to go.  I did a smaller run of these, only 20.  10 Are already gone, have you got yours yet?

 

Üdolf the Star Gazer

Well its been a busy couple of weeks, but at last Üdolf has finally arrived.  The first couple of pics show the progress from a funky little blob into a some what recognizable little creature.  I wanted to create some space in between the legs to make him more interesting.  In the end I built the nose on to make it look like a dogs nose.   

This is the final original sculpt.  I added some fur like texture and smoothed out the nose and ears.  

 Here you can see the mold making process even better.  The first side is blocked off with water based clay and I use an old pizza box to create my mold walls.  The second side is made after the water based clay is cleaned out and the sculpture and the mold are scrubbed so that all the residue is removed.  Finally you can see the two halves of the mold with the resin cast that just came out.  You can see how he has this things coming out of his nose.  I chose to pour through the nose in order to preserve the texture on the bottom of the paws and the belly. 

This is the final product, notice how I had to refine the nose back to a high polish.  This takes cutting off the sprue with a small saw.  I then go through 8 different sand papers, and three polishing solutions.  I also use the polish to enhance the surface of the eyes and inner ears.  Notice the pitting on the forehead.  This was one of the first casts I did and had air bubbles.  It took a few tries, but I was able to eventually get the bubbles out of the later casts.  

I wanted to create an interesting box design.  The dots represent the points of interest on the sculpture.  I wanted it to look like a constellation since he is the star gazer.  I also wanted to do a little bit nicer box, so I got some heavier card stock and chose to do a double flap on the top.  

The final product comes with a figure, a custom box, and a certificate of authenticity.  If you are interested they can be purchased here for $20 plus S&H.

As always thanks for looking.  Questions are always welcome.
If you are interested in the tools and materials follow the links:
Smooth-Cast 325 - Resin
GI-1000 - Silcone (mold)
Various tools
Cx5 - sculpting material

Etsy!!!

Well I finally took the plunge and decided to open an Etsy Store.  I named in UnderTheLadder, because that's where my studio exists right now.  Under the ladder to our bed.  As always thanks for looking and enjoy the shop.

I like you all to have images as well so here is a sneak peek at what's next.  I call him the star gazer.

 

Corvax the Omnipotent

I know it has been a while since I have posted and apologize, but I promise I have been hard at work.  I made my first official collectible art toy.  In the past ten days I have gone from an idea to an edition of 30 cast resin little bundles of joy.  I put together a few pictures so that you can understand the process. 

The original Corvax sculpted in Three 60 wax made by Willow products.  Unfortunately they no longer produce wax, but don't worry I found an amazing replacement.  Cx5 is my new jam.

This is half of my "studio", the other half being my couch.  What you see is a 24"x18" vintage school desk in the nook underneath the ladder leading to my loft.  Behind me there is about 24" to my kitchen.  Tight quarters, but my new motto for the week is "Don't make excuses, make art."   

This is the mock up for the custom box that Corvax, comes in.  It was all originally hand drawn, then scanned. 

  

This is the mold I made for Corvax.  I used GI-1000 from The Compleat Sculptor. It is the first time I have used this particular silicone, and I must say its fantastic.  It is rigid enough to hold shape and be extremely durable, but still flexible enough I was able to create a one part mold, and still get my piece out with relative ease.  Notice I didn't even have to cut mine very much.     

  

These are the first five pulls from my mold.  I cast them with Smooth Cast-325 tinted with So-Stong black tint.  

Everybody has been scrubbed clean to make sure there is no residue of any kind.  Now waiting for you to take them home.  

 

A couple of detail shots of the final product.  Corvax Lives!  I have already sold a number of these guys, but still have a few left if anyone is interested.  $15 + $5 Shipping.  E-mail me at reesetchamness@gmail.com for inquiries.

Thanks for looking, already got the Star Gazer in progress... stay tuned for more updates, and thanks for looking.