Sword Fabrication for the Crossing Swords Tintype

One of the enjoyable things about the new tintype work is I get to create props for the characters being photographed. Crossing Swords allowed me to fabricate miniature weapons, to the scale of a fetal skeleton. The Hoplite sword was chosen for its graceful leaf shaped blade and Greek origins. Greece, being the cradle of democracy. The props were made during July and August of 2021. It was necessary the miniature swords be constructed like a real sword, using materials that would reflect light realistically.

The blanks were roughed out of sword grade steel, the same as a full sized sword would be made out of.

After the blades were shaped and polished, the tang was rounded and threaded to accept the pommel.

Aluminum was used for the pommels and guards. Here, one of the pommels is finished on my metal lathe right before being cut off.

The hilt wood was glued over the tang, shaped, then painted.

The Infant King Tintype Session

I am fortunate to have an artist like Eric Baillies so close to where I live and so willing to share historical techniques. My first tintype, The Infant King, was shot in Eric’s studio using my camera on May 29-31, 2021. While we experimented with different lenses, my favorite image was made with my Darlot. Eric guided me through all the steps, and the involved hands-on practice cemented that this is what I want to do moving forward as an artist. Making a tintype is akin to alchemy, and I hope to always remember the magic of watching my first image develop.

Focusing on the Infant King sculpture in Eric Baillies’ studio.

The sculpture projected onto the Fresnel lens screen.

Experimenting with Eric Baillies’ CC Harrison lens.

Several variations of the Infant King.

Three day’s work in the drying rack.

The Making of the Lithographic Print, Shroud I

The lithographic print, Shroud I, was created for the show RESPONSE at ArtHelix Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, exhibiting from November 10-26, 2017. It is the inaugural show of Vox Populi Print Collective, for which I am happy to be a member. Very special thanks for Elizabeth Jean Younce for graining the stone and Barry Roal Carlsen for expertly handling the printing.

Detail of the stone drawing.

Some very rough thumbnails. I was thinking about faces and forms of fabric.

Drawing on the lithography stone.

The lithograph print, ready to be painted and cut out. The lily wasn't included in the final print, as I liked the roundness of the head with the linear berry stalks and barbed wire. Printed by Barry Roal Carlsen.

The finished print.

The Making of the Bronze Plates for "The Anatomy Lesson".

Last year I had the pleasure of working with Jeff Adams and his inBronze foundry. He helped me invest a wax pattern in a ceramic shell mold, which picked up detail and remained true to the original wax beyond what I am able to to at the University of Wisconsin Foundry. I have brought some waxes to him again to invest, and I'm happy to say the castings once again turned out wonderfully.

The sculpture patterns for the plates being molded in the fume hood.

The silicone mold and rough waxes for the title and name plates.

Four sprue trees of waxes with ceramic shell investment by Jeff Adams of inBronze foundry. The wax has been burned out and the molds are ready for bronze.

The bronze title and name plate castings after imperfections are ground and smoothed out.

The finished bronze title plate with a liver of sulfur patina and clear coat.

The finished bronze name plate with a liver of sulfur patina and clear coat.

The Lithographic Dolls for "The Four Humors" Automata.

A few pictures of the lithographic printed dolls being painted and finished.

Painting the lithograph print with thinned acrylic.

The finished dolls: Mounted to bookbinding board, cut out, and the edges distressed.

Lithography Stone for "The Four Humors".

The Four Humors is an automaton that I have previously finished and shown at my gallery, but was never completely happy with the drawing of the paper dolls. After the show was over, I asked for the piece back and am currently remaking the central paper dolls in stone lithography and giving the dresses that represent the humors more visual interest.

The four humors is an ancient medical theory in which all diseases, disabilities, emotions and behaviors are due to an excess or lack of bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The fluids also have organs that relate to the fluids: blood=liver, phlegm=brain and lungs, black bile=gallbladder, and yellow bile=spleen.

I've redrawn the paper doll's dresses to reflect the corresponding organs. The girl herself is now drawn holding a fleam, or bloodletting knife. The mechanisms of the automaton will remain unchanged. The changes of better design and drawing, the richness of lithography, and an addition of a new bronze title plate will make The Four Humors into a stronger piece. 

The central paper doll with her fleam, or bloodletting knife. Drawn on lithography stone.

The lithography stone with finished drawings for two upcoming automata, The Four Humors and Cardiomegaly.

The lithography stone with the drawings for the central paper doll and the dresses coorisponding to Black Bile (gallbladder) and Blood (liver).

The lithography stone drawings for the dresses cooresponding to Yellow Bile (spleen) and Phlegm (brain and lungs).

The bloodletting fleam from my collection.

Photographs From Dazzling Killmen's Face of Collapse

In celebrating the Special Edition re-release of Dazzling Killmen's 1994 recording, Face of Collapse, I wanted to show some of the photographs, used and unused, for the album. In 1993, I did the artwork and design for this release in LP, CS, and CD formats. This was the first music release I had worked on, and it was also the first time I experimented with photography, pattern making, graphic layout, woodcarving, and woodworking.

I took the photographs using a 35mm camera and developed the negatives at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with the help of my friend Anna Cimini. Anna was also the model for the face and hand photographs and I am happy to say we are still in touch.

This was an exciting project for me, and it is wonderful to see such great music get its due and continue to find new audiences. Thank you to the Dazzling Killmen, Mark Fischer, and Skin Graft Records for making this happen.

The original 35mm contact proof sheets for Dazzling Killmen's Face of Collapse. The first two strips show a clay head I sculpted. Strips 3-5 show Anna Cimini in different poses with varied lighting and exposures. Strips 6-9 show different experiments with Anna's hands.

The photograph selected for the cover of Face of Collapse. This was taken with a piece of plastic wrap over Anna's face. I really had no idea what kind of imagery I had until I entered the photo lab and began developing the negatives. This photograph spoke to me right away.

One of the notched pine frames I built, with a found medical instrument.

The photo used for the round record label. I believe these were dog bones I found in a woods in Wisconsin.

Alternate versions of Anna's hands. The first photo is an experiment with developing a hand on a crumpled piece of photo paper.

The front of the gatefold CD booklet for Dazzling Killmen's Face of Collapse.

Beginning of "The Anatomy Lesson"

Created in 2001 and depicting a nineteen part anatomical dissection sequence, these paper dolls are finally being developed into a shadow box piece. They were drawn on a lithography stone at the University of Wisconsin and printed with the help of Lithography Professor and printmaking master, Jack Damer. Some may recognize the dolls from my design of Oneiroid Psychosis' 2001 release, DREAMS (with pollutions when virile). I was never satisfied with half the dolls in the sequence, and so all nineteen sat, tucked into a flat file drawer.

In the long version, the paper dolls become more skeletal towards the end of the sequence, and I always felt they weren't projecting the right mood. I'm glad a shortened version of the progression got printed in DREAMS, but I didn't feel confident enough about the end stage dolls to commit to a shadow box. Over the years I took the nineteen out from their drawer and tried different arrangements, different approaches, always feeling there was some potential.

Recently I have decided to move ahead and use the first ten dolls in the series. The progression feels strongest when the dolls are their most subtle. Dolls #11 and #12 will be framed separately, as they work better as individual images. The rest of the dolls...who knows? For now they return to the flat file. The shadow box itself will be of simple design, with a bronze title plate. The piece will be called The Anatomy Lesson and will be finished early 2017.

Planning the arrangement and construction of The Anatomy Lesson.

Detail of some of the lithographic paper dolls in The Anatomy Lesson.

Remaking Bronze Plates , New Title

There was a sinking moment upon finishing my newest sculpture when I realized that the title and name plates just weren't working for the piece. The central image had gone through many changes, enough where the original title, "All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found", didn't reflect the work any longer. The alliteration in the title always bothered me too. But my main issue with the plates were the rough clunky appearance of the castings. I had so much trouble this year with my investment molds cracking in the kiln and the bronze flashing out. I had tried my best to salvage the plates, but in the end the quality just wasn't there. Maybe over a dozen hours of work lost. After some pacing of the studio, I decided to take the time and effort to remake them. The piece was given the new title "Beneath the Remnant Veil" and new waxes were designed, again using the hearts on either side of the title plate.

The University of Wisconsin Foundry doesn't do ceramic investment, a far superior technique that would solve all of my casting issues. I've been thinking about working with someone to ceramic invest my waxes for a while now, and thought this a small enough of a project to be a test of sorts. I had the great pleasure of working with Jeff Adams and his InBronze Foundry in Illinois and will be working with him for all of my investment castings in the future. The bronzes came out beautifully, superior detail and surfaces than I was able to do.

Finishing the edges of the new title plate.

The finished remade bronze plates before applying patina.

Dissolving Liver of Sulfer for the hot patina.

The Liver of Sulfur patina applied after heating the bronze with a torch.

Comparison of the title plates. The redesigned wax (top), the new title plate (middle), and the original title plate (bottom).

Comparison of the new title plate (top) and the original.

Comparison of the title plates. The original wax (top), the new title plate (middle), and the original title plate (bottom).

New Automata, "The Four Humors"

I recently completed a new paper doll automata, The Four Humors. There wasn't time to get finished photos before it went to the gallery, but I hope you enjoy seeing some of the building of the mechanisms.

Using the metal lathe for the custom mechanisms.

Working on the tiny brass hand crank.

Testing out the hand fabricated Geneva mechanism with the finished hand crank.

The completed gearbox.

Frame For Upcoming Sculpture

The finished frame for my next sculpture. Every element has been sculpted and fabricated by myself. Referring to Gothic design and ornament, I was striving for a reliquary feel. This will be my largest piece, with a standing height of 3' 10".

Originally titled "All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found", the center imagery of the piece has undergone so many changes I am renaming the sculpture. It will be now called "Beneath the Remnant Veil". I am working on the new bronze title plate at the moment.

The top of the frame for "Beneath the Remnant Veil".

The frame's under structure and basic paneling.

Detail of the paneling.

A Basswood carving for the front lower panels.
 

The frame with all of the ornament on, as well as the red bole, starting to be gold leaf gilded.

The finished gilded frame. The gold leaf has been toned down with a thin layer of oil paint, and clear coat applied.

A detail of the frame's bottom ornament.

Detail of the front panel ornament.

Detail of the side panel ornament.

Detail of a column top.

Detail of the top tracery of the frame's opening.

Detail of side top spires with small crockets.

Detail of the top crockets.

Detail of the top finial.

Base For The Ephemeral Knot, Part Two

Several hours of gilding later, the base for the upcoming sculpture, The Ephemeral Knot, is finished. In a few days it will go to woodworker Ed Wohl, who is always kind enough to help me with the clear coat finish work.

Detail of the finished gold leaf base for The Ephemeral Knot sculpture.

The finished red oxide base coat.

The finished gold leaf on the underside of the base.

Applying the gold leaf to the top of the base.

The first of the gold leaf sheets to be laid into the base ornament.

The finished gilded base, less a gloss clear coat.

Detail of the gilded base and ornament.

Base For The Ephemeral Knot

The primer and color layers being added to the base for The Ephemeral Knot, prior to gold leaf. Traditionally, the red oxide colored layers would be a clay bole. Instead, I use an acrylic for durability. The base will finally be ready to gold leaf this weekend.

Detail of the bone ornament, it still needs a few more layers of paint.

The base in progress for The Ephemeral Knot.

Detail of the corner ornament in progress.

Bronze Plates For "All Horizons Lost..."

The title plate for the upcoming sculpture, All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found, is 13.5" long x 1.25" wide x .25" inches in it's bronze state. The length and relative thinness of the plate made it difficult to realize in metal using the techniques available to me at the foundry. My first attempt left the plate warped and twisted beyond saving. For the second try, I waxed an 1/8" piece of basswood to the back of the wax pattern plate, making it thicker and giving the pattern rigidity. I knew I would have to grind it all off later, but it made a huge difference in how the second title plate came out. As always, my apologies for the cat hair.

Detail of the front title plate for All Horizons Lost...

The second attempt at the title plate, after having removed the investment mold. The casting is still a little rough, but not bowed and twisted.

The extra thick title plate, roughed out and sandblasted.

Using a cutting wheel to carefully split the plate down to its proper thickness.

The plate successfully split with the extra material removed.

Back at the studio, filing down all the flat surfaces.
 

The back name and date plate getting touched up with the TIG welder.

The plates after the bronze has been heated in a kiln up to 1100 degrees, which gives it a black patina. This is then rubbed off in areas to get back to bronze.

The finished title and name plates after rubbing the heat patina out and clear coat.

Detail of the posterior heart on the title plate.

Detail of the anterior heart on the title plate.

The Ephemeral Knot Plates Finished.

The front title plate took me three tries to get a good casting, but the bronze title and name plates for the upcoming piece The Ephemeral Knot are finally done. On either side of the plates are castings of human finger bones, specifically that of a fourth proximal phalange. The bronze has been heated in a kiln up to 1100 degrees, which gives it a black patina. This is then rubbed off in areas to get back to bronze. I applied the final coats of protective finish yesterday.

The bronze title and name plates for The Ephemeral Knot.

The third casting for the title plate, just out of the mold and still on the sprue tree. Finally something I could work with.

The cleaned up and sand blasted plates in the kiln, waiting to be heat treated to 1100 degrees.

The final bronze plates. The heat patina has been rubbed away for highlights, and the protective clear coat is finished.

Opening Investment Mold

It was great to be outside in a sunny warm Spring evening opening the mold for the plates for The Ephemeral Knot and All Horizons Lost... But as soon as I started removing the investment, I knew my pieces were in trouble. Maybe the metal was poured too hot, maybe my investment mix wasn't right, but there was an astounding amount of flashing. Some of the castings can be salvaged, but some will have be redone.

The investment mold outside the foundry. I couldn't wait to see how the castings turned out.

After I removed most of the investment from the castings, it was obvious the pieces had a huge amount of flashing. This image is of the long All Horizons Lost... plate.

The opossum mandible still with a bit of investment around it.

The investment tree with the investment removed. Look at all that flashing- I just felt sick at this point. It's as if I brought this up from the ocean floor.

The All Horizons Lost... plate. What a mess. Besides the flashing it is warped and twisted. I tried to make it thinner than I usually do and I think that contributed to the distortion.

The ugly seven. I think I can salvage most of this, but the long title plate for All Horizons Lost... will have to be redone. There are many hours of grinding and finish work ahead of me.

Foundry Pour, April 2016

Below are pictures of the last bronze pour at the University of Wisconsin foundry. I poured my investment mold for the title plates of The Ephemeral Knot, and All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found, as well as a few other waxes for future pieces. Observing this time was a group from a local high school.

Foundry pour, April 2016.

Setting up the molds with the pour team.

Practicing the pouring order of the molds.

Sculptor and Art Metals instructor Peter Flanary loading the forge with bronze. Take a look at his work HERE.
 

Bringing the bronze crucible out of the forge. A group from a local high school was observing.
 

The pouring of my investment mold.
 

Pouring other artists' investment and sand molds.

The remaining bronze is poured into ingots.

Sculpture Plates and Miscellaneous Waxes

A sprue tree recently completed. Title and back plates for an upcoming large bronze sculptural piece entitled All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found. Also the remake of The Ephemeral Knot title plate, and some other wax objects for future pieces.

Three sculpture title and name plates with a wax vertebrae and opossum manible.
 

A detail of the All Horizons Lost... title plate. Anterior and posterior heart views are sculpted on either side. This is the longest bronze plate I will have made, at 1.5" x 14".

The All Horizons Lost... plate on the sprue tree.

The Ephemeral Knot remake wax and the All Horizons Lost... name plate. Also a pine cone experiment. The pine cone should burn out into ash within the kiln.

A few small pieces for future sculptures. A leaf experiment, a vertebrae, and an opossum mandible.

The wax tree now in it's investment mold, waiting to go in the kiln at the University of Wisconsin foundry.

Foundry Pour

I wanted to share more pictures from the last bronze pour at the University of Wisconsin Foundry. Two of the investment molds were my own, the rest belonging to other artists.

The investment and sand molds waiting in the sand pit.

The forge heating up with bronze ingots.

Myself with the rest of the pour team.

My two investment molds. The blackened charring around the large one in typical, due to the large amounts of wax that was melted out.
 

Myself cleaning sand off other artist's molds.

Bringing the crucible out of the forge. I'm working the left side.

The crucible is lowered into the cradle and the crane is attached.

The crucible is slowly guided over to the sand pit with the molds.

Pouring the first mold, which happens to be mine. This is the largest mold that I have done and it was very exciting to finally get metal into it.

The pouring of my second mold.

Pouring other artist's work.

The remaining bronze is poured into ingots. About this time I was unbelievably hot. The heat radiating off the crucible and molten bronze is incredible to feel.

Upcoming Illustration Scratch Boards

I recently completed an illustration for a very special upcoming project. The official announcement is yet to be made, but I wanted to share some parts of the piece in progress. Usually my illustrations are done in different mediums and pieced together into a whole image. Below are two pen and ink on scratch board drawings that were later incorporated into a larger composition. Before too long, I will present the illustration in it's entirety along with the news of the collaboration.

Girlchild number one. Pen and ink, Scratch board.

Girlchild number two. Pen and ink, Scratch board.