Blog
6/20/2023 1:41:28 PM
It’s finally gotten warm enough to take my relief sculpture out to the garage for grouting. After this, all I have left is taking some photos of the finished product and finalizing the slideshow that’ll go with it. As I've mentioned before, this is the last of the mosaic relief sculptures in the series. I’m looking forward to my next art adventure!
This cake frosting tool shoves the grout where it's supposed to go, in between the tiles
Wiping down the piece after grouting
4/14/2023 12:53:19 PM
My desk and almost every other horizontal surface in my studio has been occupied by relief sculpture tools and materials
I’ve had a ridiculously hard time writing this email. It’s because my art is going through a transition.
Here’s what’s going on: I’ve decided to stop making relief sculptures. I’ve devoted the last 10 years to the sculptures, including 3 years of experimenting and failing until I finally figured out how to make them. And I’ve LOVED making them.
But...each one takes 1 ½ to 2 years to make and they eat up a gigantic amount of space in my studio (tiles, plaster mess, huge metal pieces from the hardware store, lots of tools and more!) It also hurts my hands to make them. For the last few months, I’ve felt sad and lost as I’ve wondered whether I'll ever make anything that I love as much.
Fortunately, those feelings are starting to dissipate. While cleaning up the relief sculpture mess in my studio, I’ve realized that I'll have much more time and space to make other things. I’ve already been working on new silk painting techniques, and I’m also excited about exploring oil painting and a watercolor style called line and wash. Looking towards the future has made it less painful to let go.
1/28/2023 9:08:36 PM
At last the tiling is done on my latest relief sculpture. Now all I have to do is wait for the weather to warm up so that I can do the final stage, which is the grouting. I do that part outside so that I’m not inhaling bad chemicals.
Warm weather will be here soon!
I use tweezers to place most of the tiles because they're so small
1/3rd of the way done with the tiling
Just a bit left to do
The last few tiles get placed
Done until it's time to grout
10/18/2022 8:49:28 AM
The leaves are brilliant, the air is crisp, and kids are getting ready to get themselves sick on dental-destruction delights. Meanwhile, I’ve been in the studio, working on my leaf sculpture, capturing the colors of the season. Here’s my progress:
I start with stained glass sheets and cut them into mosaic tiles
Starting to do the mosaic work
8/19/2022 1:59:15 PM
I’ve been steadily working on my latest relief sculpture. Here I'm varnishing the ground, which means that this part of the piece is completely finished.
In the photo below, I'm starting to work on the part that will be covered in stained glass tiles.
Those gray metal pieces will support tiles that will hang over the side, in mid-air.
Here I'm shaping the piece using plaster and fiberglass mesh.
Still quite a bit of shaping and smoothing before I can start tiling. Will keep you posted!
6/20/2022 1:13:18 PM
Hear Carlos’ story and watch the process of making the piece:
2/24/2022 2:22:09 PM
First full-sized sketch
Each new relief sculpture that I make starts with an interview. When I recently interviewed Kim Stubbs, she told me the story of giving birth to her stillborn baby, Gregory. We both cried. The sculpture that I make her will be of an orange leaf, which represents what Kim learned from this especially hard time in her life. As the sculpture progresses, you’ll learn more about Kim’s story.
Miniature painting of how I picture the final piece
1/27/2022 12:27:53 PM
I’m so excited to announce that I have just one final step--grouting--and Carlos’ relief sculpture will be finished. But wait a minute! The safest grout I’ve been able to find has just a smidge of VOC’s—volatile organic compounds—which are known to cause brain and nerve damage as well as cancer of various body parts.
So, I’ll wait to do the grouting until the weather warms up and I can open some windows. Meanwhile, I’ve started working on another relief sculpture. If you haven’t already, sign up for my emails and get the news about the new sculpture and whatever else I’m working on.
More photos of the process:
Affixing tiny stained-glass tiles with a tweezer
Almost done tiling
Signing the piece
Varnishing the ground
Another view of the all-but-grouted piece
11/1/2021 2:51:05 PM
A friend recently asked me where I buy the tiles for my relief sculptures. The answer is that I don’t buy them; I cut them from sheets of stained glass.
Sheets of stained glass
A few of my cutting tools
Some agitation in an ice cream maker smooths the rough edges so I don't cut myself
Tiles all ready to be glued onto the armature
8/9/2021 1:34:33 PM
This is how I have fun. I'm not kidding.
6/25/2021 1:47:12 PM
At last I get to start plastering my relief sculpture for Carlos. This is one of the fun parts! I love the plastering so much because it makes such a lovely mess all over the studio and me and then cleans up with a little H2O.
In the first image, above, I'm just starting to apply the plaster. You can see in the next image, also above, that there are still some rough areas. Those need to be smoothed over so that I can glue stained glass tiles onto the surface. In the photos below, I'm smoothing over some messy corners.
5/31/2021 12:21:27 PM
It took me three years of messing around with plaster, stained glass, and acrylic paint to finally be satisfied with my relief sculptures. The process involved experimenting, failing, experimenting, failing, and repeating this over and over (like I said, for three years) until I was happy with the results. I would have taken a class instead of trying to figure it out on my own but there wasn’t one that taught how to make what I wanted.
I now make my relief sculptures using stained glass sheets that I hand cut into tiles. But before I discovered stained glass, I tried making tiles out of plaster. Unfortunately, the tiles proved too fragile and partially disintegrated when I painted and grouted them. These are photos are of just some of my many, many plaster tile experiments.
5/3/2021 2:18:49 PM
What you can’t see from this photo is that this will be a wall hanging. The white base will hang flat against a wall and the ski boots will protrude a good seven inches away from the wall. It’ll need to be hung above a piece of furniture so that somebody doesn’t poke an eye out!
4/30/2021 11:35:27 AM
My relief sculptures are so fun to make! I use stuff from the hardware store (styrofoam insulation, plaster) to make something that’s both meaningful and beautiful. Also, any oddball thing, like a funky little knife that I never use for food prep, can end up in the studio because it’s exactly the tool that I need.
In case you don’t recall, these pieces will be part of a relief sculpture that I’m making for Carlos. He went through a career crisis and cross-country skiing helped him find his way to a new profession.
3/29/2021 2:16:31 PM
It’s been a while since I posted about the relief sculpture I’m making for Carlos. I became interested in working with him when I heard his story. Carlos faced an emotional, financial, and career crisis when he was pushed out of a job by a boss who was both abusive and incompetent. Cross-country skiing played a part in both his healing from the abuse, and in his successful career shift, which is why he chose skiing as the theme for this piece of art.
Relief sculptures like this one take about a year to complete. I’ll continue to update my progress here, and when it’s finished, I’ll post a slideshow that tells Carlos’ whole story.
In these photos, I’m creating the clumps of snow that form around cross-country ski trails.
12/21/2020 2:20:03 PM
A well-worn x-country ski trail has tamped-down snow that has striations from the many skiers who have used it. I recreated those striations with plaster for Carlos’ relief sculpture.
12/21/2020 1:58:31 PM
My relief sculptures start off with layers and layers of plaster. This one, which I’m making for Carlos, will look like a pair of x-country skis and ski boots that are on the trail. Here I’m using tape to mask areas of the piece, getting ready to apply yet more plaster.
12/4/2020 3:12:46 PM
Fixing the design of my new relief sculpture isn't terribly exciting, but wait! Who’s that in the upper left corner?
Go here to find out.
11/23/2020 2:15:26 PM
I’m just getting started on a new relief sculpture for Carlos. The sculpture will be of his skis, which were of great significance to him at a difficult time in his life. He has approved of the initial sketch, and I’ve started working on the piece by installing the hardware that will be used to hang it up. I've also begun plastering and reinforcing the edges.
8/27/2020 9:34:14 AM
I was taking a walk on the beautiful island Sifnos, in Greece. When I looked down into a ravine I saw a pig that must have been six feet tall. I’d never seen a pig so big and didn’t even know that was possible! The poor animal was in a cage that was so small that his snout stuck out between the bars.
Once I was back home, I couldn’t get that pig, with his snout as long as my arm, out of my mind. I was between mosaic projects, so decided to make one of him. He needs a coat of varnish, then I’ll list him as available. Meanwhile, I’ve just put my other relief sculptures up on my site. See them here.
