Wednesday, May 30, 2012

crafthaus inspirations

Over the last few months, I have been inspired to make specific pieces in response to several "call for entry" postings on Crafthaus. First up, we have Loren Angulo's "Behind the Brooch", an exhibition and book about the way in which makers embellish the back of their brooches and how it relates to the front, as well as the reasons for so doing. My own contribution to this is a piece I've been thinking about for years, a brooch on the lyrics to the David Bowie track, Future Legend* from the classic Diamond Dogs album. Here is the result:

Future Legend - Front
Future Legend - Back


As ever, these photographs were taken by Andrew Neilson at Neilson Photography. I'll be posting off the high-res versions of this for the book publication tomorrow.



The second piece I have just completed - but which has not yet been photographed - is for Marina Sheetikoff's "Chain" exhibition. For this, I really wanted to make a piece of very typical "Justified Sinner" chain, something which is an essence of my style. I started off with a couple of found, corroded keys and built the chain outwards from that, even managing to incorporate a CAD/CAM element (the silver gear at the end) set with polycarbonate from a crashed car:

Chain Sample - 1


Chain Sample - 2


Chain Sample - 3


I now need Andrew to work his magic on this piece.



Off on holiday for this silly royal jubilee nonsense. Not that I mind five days' holiday! When I get back, it is, once more, degree-show time, which - of course - I will be reporting to you.


 *Future Legend 
And in the death
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building
High on Poacher's Hill
And red, mutant eyes gaze down on Hunger City
No more big wheels
Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes
Coverting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers
Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue
Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now legwarmers
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald
Any day now 
The Year of the Diamond Dogs.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Apocalypse Cow

I've been a bit distracted by family matters over the last two weeks and haven't really been doing very much of note, though I did get started on "Future Legend" again today as I realised that I have to have it finished and photographed by 1st June!

Future Legend (WIP) 10

Yesterday, I made a bulk run of "Werewolf Protectors", silver and spinel-tipped found brass bullet casings. I used one before on "The Deerhunter":

The Deerhunter - 1

but now have made the rest into inexpensive "diffusion" pieces for my Etsy shop.

Personal Werewolf Protection - 1



Other news! My good friend, Michael Logan has had his first book published: