Plum bowl is made from paraffin including little sterling silver jewel and it comes in two sizes 28mm and 36mm in diameter.

Below you can read little bit about investigation of paraffin, which is almost at the end as the fully working prototype has been finalized. In past couple of weeks I have improved my casting technique resulting small changes leading to big progresses. Here are some examples:

One of the big details making difference is cleanliness. Even the smallest dust that finds its way into molten wax will appear as really filthy once paraffin is hardened. Special care needs to be taken when breaking 5Kg paraffin slabs into smaller pieces.

Other detail making shift was switching of ventilation when paraffin was cooling down. Snow flake effect within the material was still found, but not on such a large scale as before, when I have used the ventilation. I haven’t seek the proof, but it seems that the stress caused by rapid cooling increase appearance of those. I always thought that that is the way the paraffin comes.

Little shake of the mold after hot paraffin is poured in also helps to release any trapped air bubbles. This will result nicer, smoother finish.

Filling up the spherical lamp shade (my male die) with hot water prevents it from forced flotation on hot paraffin.

Until this moment I have been using vegetable oil as a release. This works fine, however, the oil causes discoloration of paraffin to yellow. It is not very attractive look. Therefore, I had to substitute the vegetable oil with silicon spray (commonly available lubricant). Silicon spray is clear and works well.

Securing female and male die in correct position also helps. In my case, I have made wooden box in order to secure mold in centre and to guarantee that any other piece reproduced will be as close to original one as possible.

Branding should always be considered. Once again, I have tried to stay true to my identity and sneak in at least little taste of my metalsmithing background. Have a look at the image demonstrating placement of my logo. You will see saw pierced sterling silver logo “pined” into the base of the paraffin fruit bowl.

Lastly, naming of this object had to be done. Due to the simple fact, that I am not being able to come up with any interesting names, I have asked for help from my friends. It was hard decision as lots of good suggestions came up. Nevertheless, PLUM, was so far the most interesting and memorable. So……plum it is!

Constant improving of the form, material and technique is unavoidable. Therefore, this is not the end, but rather the beginning. What comes next are market testings and some more progresses until it can be called fully developed. Stayed tuned for more updates until then check out my first fully working prototype bellow.

An artist’s talk is and event when public can come and listen to an artist talking about their work. It is also an amazing opportunity to ask questions and receive immediate answers or start whole discussion.

This is how it went during artist talks on  girls on time by tenmoregirls .

In the past couple of weeks I was looking at form. Whole time I was going back and forth from rectangular to round form. At the end I have decided to give another try with round form this time perfectly round. As a result I have achieved shape I am relatively happy. Also, using pure paraffin, without any hardener made the form look crisper and clearer.  Of course, more experimentation with form is necessary, but I feel I am on the right track. Next step will be securing my mold so it is each time right in the center, working out my release (canola oil) and making sure that outcome looks nice, clean and crisp.

An opening night of girls on time by tenmoregirls was as usual very exciting experience. Lots of friends, family members and even quiet large number of new followers came to support us. It is always little overwhelming to show your work. As it is a conceptual work, exhibiting is about communicating your feelings, views, statements and objectives. Therefore, it is easy to feel nervous and excited. It also involves lots of talking during the opening night. I usually stand whole night right next to my work and talk about its concept over and over again until the night is over. Some prefer to hide and pretend not to be there. I aim to create work that can speak its concept on its own without any words, yet,  I also see an opening night as an excellent opportunity to explain my message or technique to whoever likes to hear it directly from me. I feel that my work is me and I am part of it.

Curating an exhibition requires lots of hard work right from the beginning till the end. It involves jobs like designing catalogue, flyer, promotional materials, writing media release, advertising, approaching sponsors, liaising with the gallery, organizing catering for associated events, writing grants applications and much more. When you are curating your own solo exhibition it is all on your head, however if you are part of a collective like tenmoregirls you have others to pull some weight too, to encourage you and motivate you.

This year our gallery bump in was rather different experience than any other year, yet we have managed to put on another successful and amazing looking show. After all experiences contribute to your development.