Sunday, July 31, 2016

More fragments of my art

Some of our creative time goes into many small tasks. For me this has included: testing out some different resin; making a single flying Funky Fish; and making leaf forms for different people and purposes.

The resin is to be used for a children's environmental awareness workshop in November. Whilst the resin worked well and fast it failed the toxic fume test as far as I'm concerned.

©2016 Barry Smith - Used batteries set in resin
©2016 Barry Smith - Batteries and resin in milk bottle mould
©2016 Barry Smith - Batteries and resin to of the mould
The Funky Fish looks good on its rough saw block of Hairy Oak and brass rod - it is going to a good home during the week.

©2016 Barry Smith - Single flying Funky Fish
©2016 Barry Smith - Funky Fish on brass rod
And the different leaves for different purposes.

©2016 Barry Smith - A wedding leaf
©2016 Barry Smith - Personalised peace leaf
©2016 Barry Smith - A trio of peace leaves
©2016 Barry Smith - A trio of ornamental leaves
Though there is a degree of repetition in the creations there is also a bit of variety.

Friday, July 29, 2016

New beginnings

In earlier blog posts I have indicated that some of my work is being include in a new gallery-shop. In fact it is the Design Studio in the Old Butter Factory (shop 6/38 Williams St.) Dayboro - see Entangle Living Art FB here

The Design Studio Dayboro
There is to be an official opening on Saturday 6 August that includes meeting the makers (5-7.30pm).  I delivered a batch of Artisan Lamps about a month ago. Some have sold so I have arranged with the Design Studio owners Nola and David, of Entangle - Living Art, to deliver another batch.

©2016 Barry Smith - Artisan Lamps polished and ready for packing
I'm also going to deliver some watch parts jewellery - pendants and brooches mainly. I have polished and packed the bits and have made my sales lists.

©2016 Barry Smith - Artisan Lamps list 
©2016 Barry Smith - Knives and jewellery list
It is amazing how much time can go into the administrative side of our art if we are inclined to sell. Anyway the task is done and Fiona and I can now settle into Friday evening - that could include bubbles or a red - the decision is yet to be made.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Things that catch one's eye

At times photographs fall into natural themes and groups; and whilst there are a couple of small groupings in this post - the post is mainly an overview of some of the things that caught my eye during the week. All photos taken with the iPhone excepted where stated.

Such as half a moon setting in a navy sky.

©2016 Barry Smith - Silver moon in a navy morning sky (Canon Powershot)
Power poles

©2016 Barry Smith - A tangle of power - Treehaven Way
©2016 Barry Smith - The power of the sun and power pole - can't compare
Birds (and power poles?)

©2016 Barry Smith - Magpie family on powerlines at the top of our drive
©2016 Barry Smith - Swallows on the TV antennae 
©2016 Barry Smith - Swallow on the TV antennae (Canon Powershot)
Refracted light

©2016 Barry Smith - Once again - strong redacted light on the stone kitchen bench
Dark morning light - still quiet dark when I start the morning walk

©2016 Barry Smith - Silhouettes and a blush of morning light
©2016 Barry Smith - City lights and the coming of morning light
And morning light imitating a sunset

©2016 Barry Smith - A riot of morning colour and light across the valley
©2016 Barry Smith - Dark and light
Oh - and a hare on the way home this morning

©2016 Barry Smith
All make me smile.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

More metal

©2016 Barry Smith - Love, hope and peace - on the workbench
I had a couple of jobs to do that involved using my guillotine to cut up recycled metal objects - a stainless steel stove range hood flue and a chrome over brass serving tray. But I thought while I was at it I might as well cut up other silver-plated trays and round placemats for other tasks I have on my mental list.

First the chrome over brass job - making small leaf forms to be handed out to family members to mark the anniversary of the death of a parent.

©2016 Barry Smith - Twenty pieces of cut and folded chrome over brass metal
©2016 Barry Smith - Twenty stamped leaf forms - formerly part of a serving tray
And then the stainless steel flue - creating covers for the signage posts for the Peace in the Trees Sculptural walk - to protect the wood from the damage of rain getting into the end grain of the posts.

©2016 Barry Smith - SS flue - cut and drilled
©2016 Barry Smith - Thirteen folded and polished SS post caps
©2016 Barry Smith - SS post cap - screwed into place
And then select piles of silver-plated EPNS for: Leaf Spoons; Peace Leaves for sale; small peace leaves for giveaway; Daily Word Leaves; and giveaway inspirational words.

©2016 Barry Smith - Twenty-one fine silver-plated pieces (7.5cm X 2cm) for Daily Word Leaves
©2016 Barry Smith - Six fine pieces of silver plated EPNS for Peace Leaves (about 2.5cm X 15cm)
©2016 Barry Smith - About 30 odds and sods of silver-plated EPNS for giveaway peace leaves
©2016 Barry Smith - About 20 rectangles of silver-plated EPNS for giveaway stamped inspirational bits
©2016 Barry Smith - Seven pieces of Silver-plated EPNS for Leafspoon (about 2.5cm X16-17cm)
And left over is the pile of hard to use bits which will be cut into much smaller pieces for smelting.

©2016 Barry Smith - To be cut up for smelting
A good cutting and recycling episode.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Hammered - prints from the anvil

I have been intrigued by the marks my hammers have made on my bigger anvil over the last 6 years. They never really remain the same - new marks overlay and push old marks aside.

©2016 Barry Smith - Print of the end of anvil
I thought I might have a go at printing the anvil surface as it currently is - treating the surface like a printing plate that had been created by drypoint and scraping. Anyway I called on my resident local print person (Fiona) to give me a hand to lift some prints from the anvil.

Fiona cut and soaked the paper whilst I cleaned the anvil of gunk.

©2016 Barry Smith - Paper (BFK Rives and Fabriano Tiepolo) soaking - about 56cm long and 20cm wide
We set up a couple of rulers on the bench as a guide to help us with 'registration' - didn't really work.

©2016 Barry Smith - Cleaned anvil with ruler guides
We applied Payne's Grey water based etching ink to the anvil plate; and started to print.

©2016 Barry Smith - Applying Payne's Grey
©2016 Barry Smith - Registered and rolled
The first few prints were a bit disappointing.

©2016 Barry Smith - Revealing a print - paper too damp and too much ink?
But towards the end we got the inking about right; dampness of the paper about right; pressure with a hand roller about right; and registration by eye about right. So in all we had 9 attempts hanging up to dry.

©2016 Barry Smith - Prints hung out to dry
I think we have about 3 we could call an edition; and a couple of artist's proofs.

©2016 Barry Smith - This pair look pretty good - love the hole from the anvil plate
©2016 Barry Smith - Anvil plate hol;e - negative space?
©2016 Barry Smith - Ink, paper etc
©2016 Barry Smith - The hole in the anvil
I think it was a mad idea to attempt to do prints of the anvil surface on the workbench; but I think it was worth having a go at it.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Magnificent mood of this morning's moon set

I know I go on about the moon - yet I think the display it provided over the last 24-48 hours reinforces why I do go on about it.

This morning we rose early for Fiona's Wednesday exercise group - I thought the moon had set - but as we gazed out of the window when we selected our daily words I was amazed to see the setting moon pop out from behind a thick bank of clouds close to the horizon.

©2016 Barry Smith - Vibrant morning moon as it emerges from a cloud bank and is about to set behind another
I thought I would share a few photos of the moon setting behind the second bank of clouds on the horizon.
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - 5.50am Wednesday 20 July
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - Wednesday 20 July
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - Wednesday 20 July
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - Wednesday 20 July
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - Wednesday 20 July
©2016 Barry Smith - A dark setting moon - about 6am Wednesday 20 July
Obviously given this was to be a full moon I did keep an eye out and captured a few images a couple nights ago - or should I say mornings ago.

©2016 Barry Smith - 2am 18 July - Clear moon in a clear morning sky - I was woken by the bright moonlight through our windows
©2016 Barry Smith - The edge of an almost full morning moon
And then last night as it rose and a little later in the night.

©2016 Barry Smith - Full moon - about 6pm 19 July
©2016 Barry Smith - Moon through a distant Norfolk Island Pine tree
©2016 Barry Smith - Full evening moon in a dark clear sky - about 9pm 19 July
I guess you can have too many moon photos - but not sure when I will reach that point.