Form and Function: Lewis

TO PULL

I am utilizing bronze for this project, I’m casting two drawer pulls that are approx 2.5inx 2.5in. They are organic collage of cubes and partial ones . One of them is distinctly missing a piece in the center. This follows my expression of autism , two very similar objects that both are fulfilling the same purpose even though one is missing its center. I want to express the concept that even when others don’t see it it still feels like something is missing or out of place. The feeling that around others you are missing something they aren’t , but maybe some drawer pulls wont be analyzed that deeply. They should be. :)

List of to do:

dremel bronze so its chased well
drill indention in back of both castings
patina bronzes
clear coat bronzes
glue on threaded inserts

Up to date^

This is my current concept for how I should add sprue’s to my waxes, because I’m doing a few I will need to use a tree arrangement. I’m not sure if swap the bottom left and top right, since the one on top is more bronze. I’m also realizing the two on the right need to have there orientation adjusted to the was can flow out.( I would correct this before posting, but I didn’t bring them home) Aligning the “top’’ points so they are angled so the wax will drain from the shell entirely.

So for my purpose I’m thinking of creating a drawer pull intended for the night side table I built for my mom several years back. I came up with three in progress designs, they are currently intended to be made of bronze. I won’t be able to display my moms furniture but I have thought about making a maquette of it and displaying it along side the drawer pull. I want to include some images and sketches but I will need to travel to Cheyenne for that. For this project I want to focus more on the more on the drawer pull but the table itself would be in concept the other material. For scale I was thinking the handle be about 2.5 - 3 inches, but I’m curious what size people would find comfortable?

For my first Idea it's based on a spiraling triangle pattern , its simple but it may look out of place with my moms other bedroom furniture since they all have circular pulls. The symbol is said to represent the infinite journey of the soul and equilateral triangles represent harmony and balance. I really like it conceptually so if I don’t use it now it will likely come up in my future art. A question I have is if this your favorite why and do think that the design is or isn’t distracting alongside other furniture with round pulls?

For my second idea, I selected a shape the wouldn’t stand out as much as the others. I pulled inspiration from the works of Linda Flemings, I really admire her use of complex simplicity. Another reason is her work has played a role in my passion for art. I remember seeing her work at UW as a little kid and was always drawn to it. It’s represented a landmark in my interest in art and her beautiful works are something I'll never forget. The question I have for this one is should I attempt it with positive and negative space like Linda Fleming, or ridges that imply similar patterning?

( Artist Linda Flemings)

For the third Idea I was thinking of a heart shaped drawer pull, whereas its been done before it seems to be one of the less common shapes. I wanted to include some design based on my moms zodiac symbol, using either the Aries symbol or maybe focusing on the actual star pattern. This third concept is more in attempt to personalize it to my mom in a subtle way. I’m curious about how this is perceived, is it cute? Would you use it( assuming its your birth sign) ? Or does it come across juvenile?

To HANG

For this project I also decided to deviate from my original ideation, although I think I would like to revisit a hook for my hanging fabric project. I will be creating a coat rack utilizing cast iron baby doll legs and arms. This project isn’t meant to align with concepts for other serious works , this is for whimsy . It will be four coat hangers on a wooden panel measuring 6 inches tall and approximately 12 inches wide . Since its function, I don’t intend to use a patina but rather allow the natural appearance of the iron. As for the wood I’m thinking a brown stain to mimic more serious coat racks pairing it with an uncommon form. Creating contrast between what is expected and the unusual.

You need patina which will still allow the iron to be itself yet add contrast. this needs to happen before you connect them physically to the wood.

Up to date^

List of to do:

chase iron
drill indention in back of castings (or weld threaded inserts or bolts- need to buy size with nuts)
patina cast iron and shine
clear coat iron
glue on threaded inserts if you didn't weld them
how will the wood hang? clean hanging french cleat or edge to apply a hanging wire or alligator insert
drill holes in wood

artist inspiration:

Divyendu Anand:

Reference :

Grimanesa Amorós

TO LIGHT

I have gained insight through exploration I tried a existing lamp and it just didn’t make sense visually. It’s to heavy to hang and honestly my wood working skills could use practice before incorporating it in a final project . So now I will discuss what will work, and I believe aligns more with my other work. I chose to have the bulb come though my cast iron so I need to construct a structure to lift it . I will weld on a metal box frame out of pencil rod, this will be strong enough to support the weight. I haven’t decided if I will put paper on this part, but I am leaning towards doing so. To have the lamp look complete I will fabricate a top cover out of pencil rod and use the skin and bone technique with paper. A question I have is how to attach the light hardware; I was thinking maybe washers , but I’m looking for advice.

Up to date^

So I completely scrapped my other concepts at least for now. I have created a geometric form out of cast iron . For my concept I will create a wooden frame that mirrors the cast iron half , it is tended to be hung from a chain so it doesn’t need a stand . I have a few happy accidents where metal didn’t fill in entirely but I intend to work with it and use bubble wrap as inspiration. I will include a link to a video that I intend to use the technique of. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjsfQsQoAxv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= This piece Is very likely to cast some interesting shadows , I look forward to seeing it complete. Its interesting the missing spaces kinda align with a common thread among my serious works. An unspoken theme of my work is expressing in one way or another the autistic experience. Missing pieces , interjection of foreign objects, and tension between the interaction of forms, are the major motifs I’m exploring.

For my first concept I was thinking of a hollow sphere with a bunch of triangles cut out, with a single square cut out on the side. I was planning this one to be iron. The scale is around 4in., Could be a maquette or full sized project. I would need to figure out a light source that is bright enough to project light in the cut out shapes.

My second concept is a circular lamp that would also be cast iron, along with paper as a second material.

Artist inspiration: