So, we’ve got to the end of the first week of COVID-19 lock-down here in the UK, a strange week to say the least but we are very lucky to be in a good position to ride it out. While this is a stressful and difficult time for many it’s also heartening to see the majority of people pulling together and acting as a community while paradoxically having to stay apart.
I’ve not done much at all at the workshop this week other than pop in to glue up some parts on the angel wings I cut last week. The workshop is remote enough that I expect I will get back in there soon enough. Instead I’ve been home with the family taking (isolated) walks and there has also been some excellent baking as the pictures below show. I’m also getting the kids going with some Design & Technology projects which will ultimately use the CNC and Vectric Aspire software. So hopefully an element of practical learning to be had there.
What I thought I would do this week is show a few completed pieces of art I’ve worked on in the last six months. Some uncompleted parts of these have appeared in previous posts. First image below shows a geometric design I was playing with a while ago, originally intended to cut in nine separate wall panels. I made this as a prototype to see how it would look. I liked it but my wife was not keen on having the full size version on our wall, my son really liked the prototype though so its now on his bedroom wall. Its made from black Valchromat (dense coloured MDF) and has been sealed, sanded and lacquered. It just needs some black painted over the screws to hide them. I really like this design and how the circles draw you into it but the breaks in the pattern create a randomness with almost a ripple quality. The second image is a tongue-in-cheek piece I made, this very literally examines the idea that modern art is supposed to “subvert”. I feel this is a term that has been devalued by overuse and my pithy interpretation is intended to try and suck all meaning out of it except a play on words. Think of the French word for green and that will clue you in on just how silly this is. In a way I suppose this does subvert the idea of a traditional half-hull boat model which I’ve always wanted to make. The last image is an oil painting I completed earlier in the year that I’ve finally managed to frame. The painting is called “Does Dark Matter 1”. The proportions of the different areas correspond to the proportions of dark energy (the red area), dark matter (the blue area) and regular atomic matter (the grey area). You can read more about why they are the size they are and what these things are here: https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter. I’m fascinated by the idea that the part of the universe we can comprehend is so small, relatively speaking and wanted to express this visually. The frame is made from poplar. The wood was ebonised by using a solution of wire wool dissolved in white vinegar brushed onto a base of very strong tea (for the tannin). This had about four coats of each built up to create this rich very dark brown finish. I used this web-page as inspiration for the method to do this: https://www.instructables.com/id/Ebonizing-Wood-Study/
For now I’ll wish anyone stumbling across this well and will continue to aim to post weekly even if I’m not doing too much in the workshop (habit building). Although I do expect to start a bit more work on Aspire at home in the coming weeks so I can always document that.
