Form and Function: Amanda

Pull:

I enjoyed the casting process for bronze and the amount of detail that is able to come out, in the end, is amazing. I felt the pierce work would give the seahorse some context on the furniture but I agree with the feedback on the critique that it may need to be subdued or placed on a lighter tone of furniture. I originally had it brushed copper with a wire wheel and it was subdued but it started to feel plastic-y next to the patina of the seahorse. I am happy with the seahorse being a severed body and still reads as a whole when placed close together. It was one of my biggest concerns in the casting and wax process.

I would like to make two asymmetrical cabinet pulls or a small bottle opener that are thematic with my kitchen or other areas of my home.

My kitchen is lemons and I'm really intrigued with using other materials after the casting like inlaying a yellow abalone or another material with epoxy. I also enjoy the tactile aspects of a bottle opener that can be pleasing to the eye and left out for guests vs hidden away in a drawer.

I also think a piece that looks solid together is intriguing but separate when opening a cabinet, like the school of fish.

Influences:

Sketches:

Hang & Light:

Going into cast iron making was incredibly intimidating as I had no prior knowledge of it which made the process challenging to be preventative- as to see where I was heading. It was a good exercise in trusting the process as I really loved the pieces that came from the pour. I fear with my respiratory sensitivities I may not be able to participate in future ones unless they are on a much smaller scale or I have better protective equipment. Forewarned is forearmed so I appreciate the knowledge that I obtained from the experience. I also really found welding to be exciting and loved learning how to do it. I appreciated Ashley's suggestion about welding aesthetic spots to mimic the original texture and it worked wonderfully to create variation in the piece. Being new I can still see there is a lot to learn about it but I look forward to finding new ways to bind materials together that I couldn't before.

I got overwhelmed towards the end trying to navigate the light fixture I wanted and the cast pieces I had. In hindsight, I think I may have found a solution now to make some form of the channel down the back of the piece to keep the cording in the correct direction.

As for BFA I think the feedback at critique was helpful in thinking about color since the pieces take on a washed-out, tone and have a dead appearance. I will experiment with color this weekend when the piece comes back home and see how it interacts with life and my orginal proposal. I'm happy with how I was able to hide the armature and will take that technique going forward into a more resolved version.

I think the laser-cut components create wonderful cast shadows but begin to take a messy form when used exclusively without some additional structure for them to "fade" out to.