etched line print. Made during my survey printmaking class under the instruction of the much exalted grand-potentate of printmaking Michael Ehlbeck. It was created using studies of a rotting stump and a snail that I had made during an afternoon fishing. The snail made an easy target being slower moving than most fauna in the swamp. At the time, I was reading a book on the golden ratio and used its principles to establish the composition. I continue to use the ratio in my works, but seldom do I adhere to it as strictly as I did at the time. Value was added later by using the technique of aquatint. That final version won an award in the student show that year to my delight.
drawing enamel samples. White enamel was fired onto domed copper disks ranging in size from 2 centimeters to 3.5 centimeters. The surface was then etched to give it a paper-like tooth. Using normal graphite pencils the design was then drawn on, fired in, then another clear layer was fired on top to protect the drawings. This is my favorite enamel technique by far, mostly because it doesn’t require the tedious bending and placement of wires like in cloisonne nor does it demand much time stoning like in champleve.
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waxes ready to be cast. Preparing waxes to be cast in metal is to design a corral into which a herd of cattle are going to be hurled into at an ungodly speed. The opening must be a funnel so that the cattle naturally form rank and file. The transitions must be smooth so that they do not snag themselves and damage their leathers (cause inclusions of investment in the metal.) And most importantly, one must take care to insure that their numbers do not exceed what the confinement may hold (lest molten metal overfill the mold and splash hazardously.)
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an incomplete piece from my brief career as an illustrator
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four raised copper vessels. They are finally bouged, planished, pickled, and ready to be filled with pitch. After typing that, I realize that all of those terms mean nothing to most people. The process of earning a bachelors degree in art does actually teach you many technical, precise, and complex things after all. Copper is such a beautiful and workable metal. It was very likely the first metal to be worked by early man, and they must have struggled to learn its language. After having unlocked that knowledge, I know that they found the red metal to be just as amazing as I do.
wasp nest brooch ideas
after a very short-lived job as an illustrator, I now have even more respect for anyone trying to make a living at it.
“It became my practice not to name my works. This was my reaction against too much dependence on verbiage in the visual arts. It also became my practice not to sign my work. Again my protest against the “cult of personality” still so rampant in the art world.
-George Alexander Norris-
Anonymous asked: You obviously don't understand that clear-cutting on a global scale is detrimental to biodiversity and the overall ecosystem balance in the area
thanks for the comment! I am not that tech-savvy, so having someone I don’t know send me a message is pretty exciting :) One of my brothers is a timber-cruiser, my father was the owner of his own logging and trucking company, all of my uncles have at some time worked in the logwoods, and my great uncle owns one of the largest logging companies in eastern NC. I have spent my life surrounded by wood haha anyways… As far as biodiversity goes, clear cut areas generally favor what they call in the timber business “understory” species; things that cant grow with a blanket canopy above. In an environment like the one here in eastern north carolina, the ratio of species is something like 20:1 un-developed clearcut land to old growth. In other environments this may not be true. Maybe I should have included some regional information in the post. Also, I should have stated that I was referring to commercial logging only which is done responsibly (which is why North Carolina has a higher basal area than ever.) As far as “global scale” clear-cutting goes, I assume you are talking about locations like south america where farmers are clearing land. This is a sad happening but they are doing exactly the same thing that all of Europe and the United states did before and during industrialization (clearing land and draining swamps.) These farmers are responding to demand from countries like the U.S. for crops. Clearing land for development is inevitable but the most effective technique to handling this problem would be to reduce demand by encouraging everyone you know to do at least some light farming and hunting for themselves. Most people in my family and community already do. We are working on the problem and would love for an eco-conscious person like yourself to join us in our efforts. Don’t be so shy next time mr/mrs anonymous, I wont bite and I am a rational, calm, debate-loving person :)
Many people think of clear-cut logging (removing all trees in an area as apposed to thinning) as an evil, habitat-destroying practice that should be stopped. No doubt these are the same people who would have thrown red paint on our ancestors for using their food’s fur to clothe themselves. I spent part of the day walking around the swamp, searching for plants to sketch. In the deep swamp with old-growth cypress trees dominating the landscape, I found only two varieties of grasses and saw little animal activity. As I stepped into a clearing that was clear-cut only two years ago, I was greeted by an abundance of grasses (some growing eight feet high) and young trees of several types. I displaced birds with almost every step across this cutdown. Animals like deer, rabbits, turkey, mice, and quail raise their young in areas like these in order to have more cover from predators.
