Slow endings, renewed beginnings
Wrapping up Steps Repeat and diving into the next
The transition into Winter has been trying. Waned daylight and chilly temperatures affect everyone, but not everyone relies on a non-temperature controlled environment in which to make their art. It has led to a severe reduction in studio time. I put leggings under my jeans and countless layers upon my torso, but after about 45 minutes in the garage with a space heater, my fingers and toes can’t take the chill. I submit to the coziness of indoors.
This shift has made me thankful for my ritualistic practice this past Fall, and for my art practice as a whole. Although it’s a bit daunting how large a part my artmaking plays in my mood and mental health, I’m so grateful to have an outlet like metalworking that so deeply provides me peace and presence.
Although my production has reduced to a snail’s pace, 10 minutes is better than no minutes and I’ll persist.
Steps Repeat update
Steps Repeat sculpture is officially, unofficially done. I fit that final fraction of bent rod into place using needle-nose pliers. Once it was welded, I bellowed a liberating yawp.
The piece got heavier and heavier as I added density. I figured out strategies of how best to maneuver the piece. I have no idea how much it weighs but I can lift it (for short periods held at a very specific angle). To reposition it, I drag it slightly over the edge of my workbench, then push it up and away from me. Any other attempt, I risk it not budging, or worse, landing uncontrollably with great force and a greater boom.
To clean up the welds, I cycled through all 10 faces of the sculpture “de-BBing” it — a process where I meticulously pop off BBs of weld splatter with a chisel and hammer. As I rotate the piece in every direction, light hits it differently, revealing what needs my attention. This is always a finalizing step in my process, but was greatly needed in what has become the most welded piece I’ve ever created.
I did countless rounds of this before calling it. I could’ve spent another month obsessing over those tiny, rock-hard specs. Like any art form, at some point you just need to decide to step away.
Studio visit and ways to display
Over the holidays, two metalworking artists from northern Mass came for a studio visit. Ryan Kelley and Evan Jespersen are great artists with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and are incredibly warm and generous folks.
We discussed potential ways to display the work and they offered a plentitude of strategies for mounting the piece at different angles.
Defying gravity with heavy sculpture is always impressive. With its weight, I know it’s unlikely this piece will be frequently rotated, but keeping repositioning an option feels important to me. Part of the beauty of sculpture is how utterly transformed it is depending on the angle of viewing. I fear something may be robbed from my viewer by definitively answering “the correct way” of display.
After working on this piece in private for so long, it was liberating inviting others into my space and sharing what I’ve made. The other beauty of art is everyone brings their own perspective, adding dimensionality I can’t build.
Next steps (no pun intended)
My final step to truly call Steps Repeat complete is to put a finish on it. I have a powdercoater I work with, but since the inside is inaccessible, it can’t be sandblasted effectively. Since sandblasting helps ensure the metal is fully clean, it isn’t guaranteed the powder will coat the inside properly.
Thanks to the advice of my studio visitors, I found a plating company that’s willing to just clean and etch the piece. After that, I’ll see how it looks and decide whether I want to clear coat it or finish it with a particular color.
Here are some photos
The next sculpture
Meanwhile, I’m revisiting a piece I started this summer. As I was constructing these flat, graphic panels, I fell out of love with my original idea. It didn’t feel like me. I want to avoid previous pitfalls of proceeding too quickly with an initial idea, not exploring alternatives.
The more time I give to the process, on paper and in three-dimensions, the better the concept and physicality align. The more I iterate on an idea, the more I can be sure of my direction.
These two five-foot chevrons have been ready and waiting, baiting me from the corner of my eye the whole time I’ve worked on Steps Repeat. Giving patience for the idea to develop has allowed me to grasp a final form that resonates.
Here’s what I’ve shared so far about this piece:
Good things happen when you slow down and let ideas marinate
Video TL;DR There's so many ways for me to engage with my sculpture and keep creating even if I don't have my hands on my medium of choice. To focus on my sculpture — away from my actual sculpture — allowed me to evolve the idea past where I would have gotten if I was just working as quickly as I could to get this piece done.
Have you thought of saving up those "B.B." piece of welding and making Art with them !? They are like little shed cells of the larger work.....
gorgeous! truly I taught sculpture today to kids - i want to show them this!