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Piece Progressions

"Piece Progressions" is an online exhibition featuring a variety of art and craft media. The exhibition illustrates the large variety of materials and processes involved in making a complete piece

Members: 40
Latest Activity: Dec 15, 2012

Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

Melissa Cameron


“Blue Tin Set” Pin, brooch and altered container

Reclaimed painted steel tin, 925 silver, stainless steel


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  Inspiration, metal tin, purchased at an antique and collectibles market in Melbourne

2.  Drilling commencing! Pattern for cutting applied, designed in AutoCad and based on the main motif on the tin - the flower.

3.  First section sawed out, 'tin' part put aside (for now)

4.  Sawing in progress

5.  All the pieces laid out, ready to be re-assembled

6.  Threading the pieces back together

7.  Sawing the brooch fixing into the tin

8.  The finished set

 

 

 

 Sabiha Mujtaba 


“Chrysochroa Table”  

Welded metal armature, polystyrene, epoxy resin, fiberglass, book-matched walnut, curly beech, bird’s-eye maple, dichroic glass cabachons and onyx beads, bent walnut veneers.


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1. Inspiration: Client’s request for a table resembling the chrysochroa beetle. Obvious challenge, the delicate legs for a heavy body.

2. Welded metal armature, wrapped with polystyrene. Each pair of legs was detachable, bolting onto a rectangular frame on which the completed body would be attached.

3. I channeled the 2”thick polystyrene blocks to sandwich the metal pipes that narrowed and changed angles at each joint.

4. Each joint mimics a ball and socket.

5. Upside-down view with leg pairs clamped. Carving completed, I applied 2 coats of epoxy resin to stabilize the surface.

6. Sprayed primer, attached walnut spikes (hair) on back legs and covered with fiberglass matting; lot of clean-up to smooth the hardened matting.

7. Sanding enough for a smooth touch but the texture still apparent. Air-brushed several layers and shades of metallic and interference colors for the iridescent appearance.

8. Completed table. Legs base was only a portion of the process of this mixed media coffee table.  Other materials: book-matched walnut, curly beech, bird’s-eye maple, dichroic glass cabachons and onyx beads, bent walnut veneers. 

 

 


Farrah Al-Dujaili 


“Necklace 2010”

Copper, brass, enamel paint, pencil, watercolour, watercolour pencil, pastel, thread


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  Section of drawing that caught my attention.

2.  Re-imagined in three dimensions in soldered copper wire. What would follow?

3.  New forms created that aim to mirror aspects of the original.

4.  Chosen complimenting forms. Begin questioning what these could become-Necklace? Brooch?

5.  Playing with positioning of form on a mannequin to determine how it would sit against the body.

6.  Creating a complimenting chain to turn into a necklace.

7.  Finished piece. Copper, brass, enamel paint, pencil, watercolour, watercolour pencil, pastel, thread.

 

 

 

Emi Savacool


“Khepera” Necklace 
Carved boxwood, sterling silver, enamel on copper, dyes 


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  A mounted beetle specimen - the inspiration for this piece - as well as the raw boxwood block that will become it.

2.  The completed head portion and a roughed-out body, started first on the bandsaw and then carved with a flex shaft and carving burr.

3.  Main carving of the body is completed.

4.  The wood components are pegged together, sanded, dyed, and awaiting a spray of lacquer to finish. I experimented with many, many different combinations of transparent enamel before deciding on the left example. The final copper wings are formed and planished.

5.  The individual components are fitted together before finishing. The wings are each made up of three pieces that peg into the wooden body. 

6.  I tried out several different chain combinations before deciding on the final version. I also decided to include two enameled copper elements flanking the beetle to balance the piece visually. 

7.  On the left is the chain before assembly and finishing. On the right, the beetle has been assembled, lacquered, and is waiting to dry.

8.  The final piece: (photo by Ken Yanoviak) 

 

 

 

Kim Baxter and Michelle Pajak-Reynolds


“Salt Cellar Set”, inspired by salts from around the world

24k yellow gold, 23k yellow gold leaf, sterling silver, lucite

Salts: Red Alae Salt from Hawaii, Black Sea Salt from Hawaii, Pink Salt from the Murray River in Australia, White Salt from Cyprus, and Celtic Salt from Brittany/France


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  Finalizing the design and materials

2.  Salt Cellar bowls cut and sanded to a matte finish on lucite base

3.  Sterling silver components for bowl stands and salt spoons

4.  Measuring the feet for each bowl for a perfect fit

5.  Preparing to fuse the feet

6.  Making sure the finished and liver-of-sulfured bowl stand is perfectly level before final assembly

7.  Finished Salt Cellar Set with salts from around the world, photographer Brad Ronevich, VisCom Commercial

8.  Detail view of finished Salt Cellar Set, photographer Brad Ronevich, VisCom Commercial

 

 

 

Jen Townsend


“The Queen of the Night” Necklace [video]

Lost wax casting, silver, diamonds


 

This video documents the making of a silver necklace inspired by Mozart's "The Magic Flute". The green and purple material is wax, which is then cast (using the lost wax casting process) into silver. This necklace is made up of 50 cast parts and 7 tube set diamonds. This necklace is the first in a series of pieces inspired by the opera.

 

 

 

Maria Apostolou


"Home Sweet Home" Ring

Sterling silver, polyester resin, pigments


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1. Inspiration: House-shaped rings that I made for the Ring-a-Day project, using various materials like paper, lichen and an eggplant.

2. The silver frame is soldered according to the initial sketch.

3. The ring is cleaned before the resin is poured.

4. The ring is placed on a flat surface together with all the other pieces of the series. It's secured in position using plasticine.

5. Polyester resin is mixed with pigments and it's poured into the silver frames.

6. The finished ring, after the resin has been sanded and polished.

 

 

 

Natalie Smith


“Kew” Neckpiece

Plastic, textiles, steel, sugar


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1.  Photo taken at Kew Gardens London 2010

2.  Assembled the beginning pieces of plastic, textiles and steel.

3.  The adding and building up of more textiles.

4.  The development of the structure by introducing further steel

5.  The finished structure- Plastic, textiles, steel

6.  The Finished piece- Plastic, textiles, steel, sugar

 

 

 

Norine Kevolic 


“Falling”, a Bamboo Mosaic

Bamboo, epoxy adhesive


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1.  Bamboo poles with various diameters, patinas, and quirks

2.  I use a bandsaw to cut the poles into strips, rings, ovals, etc.

3.  The edges of each piece will be sanded and beveled slightly, becoming a finished “tessera”

4.  These pieces of bamboo have been scribed and cut to fit into the larger mosaic; note beveled edge

5.  I use various metal weights to keep the pieces in place while the epoxy adhesive sets

6.  This completed bamboo mosaic is titled “Falling” and is 16x16 inches

 

 

 

Sian Haigh-Brownfascinated by the historical interiors of 18th century Britain and its relationship with changing attitudes addresses themes of this lost world exploring textiles, traditional metalsmithing techniques & surface patterns, creates beautiful, ornamentally decorated jewellery which adorns the body with an heir of antiquity”


“Shadows” Brooch
Hand pierced copper sheet, electroformed fabric nets, gold plated metal thread, oil based & water based spray paints, patination


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  Inspiration is sourced from historical research on interiors;  the image is printed out and applied to copper sheet
2.  The image is hand pierced out of the metal sheet  and hand finished resulting in a frame

3.  Fabric  netting is electroformed ready for application on the piece
4.  The electroformed netting is sized up to the frame and domed; colours are added through metal patination 
5.  The netting is cut to fit the frame and gold plated metal threads is applied using embroidery techniques
6.  All pieces are fastened together a surface finish is applied to produce a one-of-a-kind brooch.

 

 

 

Pat Morrow 


“Leone Table”

White ash, hard maple


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1. Concept Drawing...I do a lot of noodling to get to my ideas. Most of my work is commissions as is this dining room table. I present a number of ideas for them to pick from. This was the drawing chosen by the client.

2. The base is stack laminated white ash to build up a mass for shaping. Each layer is individually clamped.

3. Shaping the legs with an angle grinder in my 'outdoor studio.' Shop is in the background.

4. Building the top of hard maple - 48" x 84" - with the help of a friend's shop big enough to clamp it.

5. After the legs were shaped, they were hand carved with an abstract design. They were painted with milk paint to match the client's chairs. I actually had a chair to compare to.

6. Assembling all the pieces with bed bolts and screws.

7. Profile beauty shot of finished table.

8. Finished table showing the final shape of the top.

The last step was naming the table. It was named Leone Table after the spaghetti westerns.

 


 

Julia Harrison 


“Messenger” Carving

Boxwood


Click on any of the photos to view the process in a larger size !

 

1.  Walking to my first day at a new job a couple of years ago, I passed a neighbor chopping down the boxwood bushes in his front yard.  One of the best carving woods around, boxwood's capacity for crisp detail and butter-smooth surfaces made it the favorite for Japanese netsuke and Medieval rosary beads.  My neighbor thrilled not to have to drive all the way to the dump, so when I passed by again, there was a pile of boxwood branches waiting to go home with me and season in our utility closet.     

2.  Carving is always a leap of faith:  is the shape really in there?  Am I capable of getting it out?  It looks so ugly at this point that I have to move quickly to keep from getting discouraged; the downside is bloody knuckles and blisters on the heel of my right hand from repeatedly raking against bark and sharp edges. 

3.  At long last, it starts to look like the iris I have in mind.  Growing up in Tennessee, I developed a particular affection for the state flower, with its spectrum of colors and fascinating arrangement of opposed and off-set petals.  When I moved to Japan to teach, the irises came out around the same time that homesickness hit me, and I took a therapeutic trip out to the country to see a famous flooded garden that boasts upwards of 400,000 blooms.

4. I started this project just after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Irises kept coming to mind as a comforting symbol of the tenacious and adaptive beauty of a country than means so much to me. And then at about this stage, tornadoes and then flood waters ripped through the South, giving me even more to think about.  It's not a glossy calendar iris that I'm carving:  it's twisted, drenched, and bedraggled, but most importantly, it just is. Or it will be, in another twenty or thirty hours.

5.  Towards the end even the tiniest cut makes a big difference.  I think I've distributed the weak points pretty evenly, but all the same my ears are primed for the crack of it falling into two pieces.  Like a dieter obsessed with the final five, I almost never feel like a carving is quite finished, but this one is due at the gallery so I call it good.  A few final touches, a coat of wax, and on the bus getting sideways looks from my fellow passengers:  What, you've never seen a grown woman baby-carrying a bubble-wrapped stick before??  When I get home the apartment seems strangely empty; my hands ache and I'm not sure what to do with them next. 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Curator:

Miriam Rowe is an American jewellery designer/maker who now lives and works in England. For more information about her projects, please visit her website and connect via facebook or twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to leave comments on this exhibition, or email the curator (miriamrowe@mac.com).

Comment Wall

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Comment by Aimee A. Domash on December 1, 2011 at 8:34am

This is such a great idea!!!!  I absolutely love seeing how other artists make their work...everyone should be involved in this!!!  There should be a Piece Progressions #2!!!!!

Comment by Leisa Rich on September 13, 2011 at 8:24am

This was a very interesting exhibit. I really enjoyed seeing the progression of creative steps taken to achieve the final piece. i especially loved Blue Tin Set- probably because I used to have that very tin, and what was done with it was absolutely inspiring! I am so glad i discovered this group!

Comment by Lorena Angulo on September 1, 2011 at 3:18am

Fantastic exhibition !!

Enjoyed looking at all the great pieces and their progressions.

Comment by Yu-Ping Lin (Rainey) on August 22, 2011 at 9:55am

Really enjoy the show, thanks for Miriam and the artists who get involved in it :)

Comment by Miriam Rowe on August 18, 2011 at 12:26pm

Thanks, everyone: this was such a fascinating topic to work with, and the high quality of the submissions made the project even more enjoyable!

Comment by Christine Norton on August 18, 2011 at 9:25am

I love this exhibition!  I love seeing how an idea progresses and the processes involved!  Great work and congratulations to everyone involved!

 

Comment by Lora Hart on August 18, 2011 at 9:20am

What an amazing idea for an exhibition.  I adore seeing process shots, and getting insight into all the various crafts represented here is so inspiring. Thank you! Congratulations for a job more than well done.

Comment by Brigitte Martin on August 18, 2011 at 8:59am

Thank you, Miriam. For a process oriented craft nerd like me, this is heaven ! Awesome show.

Comment by Maria Apostolou on August 18, 2011 at 2:02am

Great work curating this exhibition Miriam! It is so interesting reading about all these different processes. Congratulations to everyone!

 

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