Recent Graduates Exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair

A selection of my work was on show at the Recent Graduates Showcase at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea. I dropped my stuff off on Monday and was persuaded to return for the PV on Wednesday evening. It was REALLY busy. 

A huge space at the entrance to the Fair is given over to the Graduate Exhibition. The Rabbitmen were displayed differently, again (see below) and the Frog Prince was on a plinth right in the middle of the room. Birdbabies and StoryKeepers were also on show.

Thousands of people will see my work over the next few days which is great but it's really made me think about a lot of things, particularly about the presentation of artwork. There was SO much good art on show in the gallery spaces (mostly really reasonably priced) all competing for visitors attention. 

 



A child ran off with the Frog Prince's crown over the weekend. He looks even more forlorn without it, in this photo taken by the fair organisers. Little did I know at the PV that the Frog Prince would soon no longer be mine. He's going to live in Scotland. Not in a castle but in a very large house.

 

 

The View Gallery Student Exhibition

The catalogue is now available to look at online. There is some amazing work. The winner will be announced at the Private View next Thursday. Wish me luck...

                                                   

Frog Prince update

No, the life size Frog hasn't turned into a Prince even though he has been kissed quite a few times. But he is now finished and being assessed at uni at this moment along with all my other work. Here he is clutching his paper crowns looking a bit forlorn...

I thought you might be interested to see some more work in progress pictures showing the various stages in his creation.

I've already shown you the making of the head mould. It took 33ltrs of porcelain slip to cast it! I'm not actually communing with it here but checking that the last of the slip has drained out. 

 

The leg moulds turned out to be more tricky to use than the head mould. I would put the pouring hole in the side if I ever made such a thing again. Here they are drying in the sun with the arms and hands.

At least they didn't slump in the kiln which was my main worry. Paul, the ceramics technician at UWE, fired the parts very slowly just to be sure. They seemed to shrink even more than usual though.

 

The armature for his body is made of wood and a cut up mannequin torso. It's very sturdy!

 

 

He is padded with foam (and a lot of duct tape) to make him look rather portly and slumped.

 

Fitting his fabric covering was really difficult because the cotton I used was rather thick making the hand sewn parts very hard work.

 

 

Now he's patiently waiting for the right girl to come along!

 

 

 

Big Frog Prince

Among the sculptures I photographed last week was the Frog doll who despite being covered in kisses had still not turned into a Prince.

Well, I have decided to try and make a life size porcelain Frog Prince doll. It's a bit rash as there's only 4 weeks till the assessment and I've never cast anything even half this size. But I've been thinking about it for a while now and I think I have to just get it out of my system.

I started a few of days ago by modelling a huge head in clay on the kitchen table.

 

 Then I moved outside and, over the next couple of days, I made a two part plaster mould of it.

 

I inserted pieces of plastic into the clay at the place where I wanted the mould to open.

 

Then I gradually built up the layers of plaster to make a 'splash mould'.

 

Finally I prised open the two pieces, removed the clay and left it in the sun to dry out.

 

It's very heavy and will take quite a while to dry out even in the sunshine. I will certainly need help when it comes to casting with the porcelain slip. I just hope it doesn't collapse in the kiln! I'm going to do the legs next. And don't all the daffodils look pretty outside the studio  (can't say the same for the inside).