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It Worked!

6/30/2017

To my amazement the nautilus kind of turned out, it's not perfect, nor am I.
However I learned from this casting, every time I fire a new design, there is always something I can do differently. The depth of the piece isn't what I expected, but it was all the glass the plaster investment mold would hold. (The most embarrassing/frustrating thing to have happen in kiln casting is for your mold to have the dreaded "diarrhea of glass" in the kiln. Aka- mold breaks)

Next time; if there is a next time, I'd put the glass in flower pots above the piece. I'll be doing some serious coldworking to finish this one!

.....

6/29/2017

The Nautilus

6/25/2017

Today my chambered nautilus shell was placed in the kiln with a bunch of System 96 glass. I took photos of the positive in clay before I cast it in the investment. This is sort of an experiment, because I have never cast with system 96, only fused their glass- they really don't have a casting schedule for it on their website. A big thanks to Chuck Lopez for creating the schedule.

The nautilus has many symbolic meanings. As the mollusk grows, its body moves forward into the new larger chamber and produces a wall to seal off the older chambers. The empty chambers are used to regulate buoyancy. A cross-section of the shell of the Nautilus will show the cycles of its growth as a series of chambers arranged in a precise Golden Mean spiral.

For myself, the nautilus is a metaphor of spiritual growth during the transitions of life. Passing through time and the chambers or doors perception that keep us growing and changing.

Oliver Holmes wrote, in a poem entitled The Chambered Nautilus, "Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul….Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!"

Hib Sabin

6/22/2017

I will be attending this opening, Sabin has influenced my work. Just reading about his show reminds me of Johnny Cash and when he covered, the song "Hurt". The insight most have at 82 in life reflection is pretty powerful.

The Long Game

July 6-30, 2017
Opening Reception: First Thursday, July 6, 6-8pm
We are proud to present "The Long Game", a solo exhibition of juniper and bronze sculpture and original sketches by Hib Sabin this July. A print and digital catalog will be released in conjunction with the solo show, available only through the gallery.

Hib Sabin (Non-Indigenous) returns with a body of work that considers ideas about age in a world where youth is lauded, applauded, and sought after with religious fervor. Now in his 80s, Sabin turns his critical eye and dexterous carving hand upon himself, with work that reflects upon the timelessness of the human condition, the desire to revisit the past with a discerning eye, and a fearlessness of what lies beyond the known.

“The Long Game” is partially inspired by singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s final album, released in 2016 just a month before his death at 82. Sabin--also 82--found deep resonance with Cohen’s mentions of ‘leaving the table, being out of the game’, and recognizing the growing desire to move beyond the hustle and games and seek something new.

What does it mean to leave the table, to fold the cards and seek out a different game, a different table, and new players? What kind of sight does it take to peer beyond the pool of light on the baize and see something out there? Sabin utilizes animal characters--Ravens and Owls in particular--to explore the states of the human soul, and convey the power and grace of age, aging and agelessness.

Fresh cut glass

6/20/2017

Today I divested work I placed in the kiln on Saturday. Some pieces turned out, some didn't- "life's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get". This holds true for the desired opaline color... The piece on the right shouldn't be opaque, it was supposed to be opaline. However, it's all a process and getting the temperatures to hit during the right time in the casting process all has it's variables. It's a scientific process to figure out the size of glass casting with the mold thickness and placement of the piece in the kiln.

These pieces when finished will be cast a second time on top of crystal boxes.

Fathers Day Fish.

6/19/2017

Below are the photos of the finished fish. Every students work turned out different, which is a good sign of personal expression.

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's of the world.

Artist Angist

6/11/2017

Thinking about Van Gogh reminds me of the time I decided to paint like Vincent...
About four years ago I wanted to reproduce his sunflowers. I don't normally paint; perhaps inclined to do so because, my life, at the time felt as I've known his to be... A bit manic, and strong emotional turmoil filled with abandonment.

I've noticed myself when having strong emotions. I've turned to art as my vice of expression.

Unfortunately, the reproduction painting to this day is missing- On the flip side... It's been a very productive week!

Below I give you- (drum roll) the process of my madness- and the end: side by side with Van Gogh's sunflowers. Included is also a crap picture of Van Goghs cypress trees I also attempted to paint.

Are you underwhelmed? Ha! I did preface this by
"I am not a painter!!"

Mask, boots and cape..

6/9/2017

I spent this morning in class of very sweet 1st graders. We glazed the fish plates they made a few weeks ago.

Upon walking into the classroom with the plates in hand, I was cheered like a super hero... Oh the excitement of art! A big Thank You to Mrs. Russell, and her 1st grade class.

Sad, that the pressure for high results for standardized testing and less funding is pushing the arts (including music and performing) out of our schools.

If we lose the ability to think creatively, we lose innovation...

Plein Air Art

6/8/2017

It's raining today, and I'm outside investing plaster and working wax . Too messy to do inside.
Good times!

Not necessarily the best weather for what I'm doing, however I set a timeline for myself and am sticking to it!
Sometimes we must do things that are not pleasant for the sake of hitting a timeline.

Positive attitude is everything while getting soaked- For encouragement and inspiration, I think of Van Gogh, and his plein air paintings; enjoying nature and creating.

Below is a less known Van Gogh nocturnal series of "Starry Night", he painted it outside on the banks of the Rhone river.

The more popular Starry Night" (the town scene) was painted in the confines of the Saint-Remy-de-Provence insane asylum - A view from his barred window. (Second image).

I'm drawn to the Rhome river painting more so than the town scene... The "Starry Night" in town, the sky's movement/brush strokes give the impression of turmoil, (with obvious reason). The Rhone river, and yes I like the water; the stars appear to be happy and winking to the water.

Having Direction

6/6/2017

Sometimes I get too much into my head, if a design will sell or what looks good. I vacillate, I ask friends for advice and in the end, I find myself going with my own intuition, which usually pays off.

"Trying to please everybody is impossible - if you did that, you'd end up in the middle with nobody liking you. You've just got to make the decision about what you think is your best, and do it."
-John Lennon

If you choose to make art, you can't follow the herd or please everyone. You will certainly end up taking criticism from others in the process. Yet, at least your head wasn't up another cows ass!

A photo of what I'm working on... This piece is in wax and will be cast in crystal. It's still in process. The oval object is a box and will be formed to look like a nest. I'm attempting to sculpt the crow in a defensive posture on top of it's nest.

It's very symbolic of my thoughts at the moment. Someone once told me crows hold grudges... Funny huh?

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