Firing is a form of alchemy. Having spent many hours sculpting metal forms, riveting them and then many more painstakingly painting with enamel, the sculpture is then subjected to intense heat in a kiln for just a few minutes. Hours of slow, meditative work culminate in an unpredictable process which dictates the outcome.
Internal landscape 1, 2013, copper, rivets, enamel, felt
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I use enamel like paint, applying it to the copper with a selection of different sized paintbrushes. For my series of sea pieces I have thoroughly enjoyed using colour, even though that can change unexpectedly during the process of firing.
For Internal landscape 1 I also added a piece of hand knitted blue felt which sits between the two copper forms. It provides an interesting contrast in surface, the felted wool maybe suggesting comfort against the fired surface of the metal and the bright shiny surfaces of the enamel.
Felting is another unpredictable process, a change in control, so the two techniques, felting and firing, both have similar elements of alchemy associated with them.
Both metal and felt are considered gendered materials, which provides a thought provoking tension, forging intellectual connections between material, process and concept.
