Design: Perspective box

In my early teens an old neighbour once gave me a pile of wooden cigar boxes. I used them to create what's called "Guckkasten" in German, a perspective box or peep-show box. They contain small bric-a-brac figures in front of a matching background, arranged like frozen scenes of a story. I still have some of the original cigar boxes, and recently I needed one to make a small stage for the tin figure of Charlie Rivel, the famous Catalan circus clown. He got a luxurious curtain, gold glitter, a proper shadow and a matching frame. Curtain up!

Tin figures, wood, glass, paper, acrylic paint. 
Size: 12 x 11cm (blue frames), 16 x 16cm

This box is called The pink Dress

Clay sculpture: Snails

I made these two snail shells as practice pieces in coiling clay. What seemed like an easy task turned into a biology lesson - I had to get a real shell from the garden in order to understand how the spiral of growth rings develops. And then I promised myself I'd never crush a snail shell under foot again. There is so much beauty in this seemingly simple form.
You'll find more of my clay sculptures in older and newer posts - click on Clay sculptures in the blog archive!

Red earthenware, earthenware glazes. 2009.
Diametre: 11cm, 14cm

Printmaking: Collograph

A collograph - or collagraph - combines elements of intaglio and relief printing on one plate. I have used the smooth side of a sheet of hardboard and created an image with glue, acrylic texture medium, carborundum and engraving tools. This print is called Tree Shelter.

Speedball waterbased relief ink,
Charbonnel intaglio ink on cartridge paper. 2007.
Size: 43 x 48cm

Bronze sculpture: Two figures

These figures were the result of a bronze casting workshop in Kinsale, Cork. I was introduced to hand built equipment - a kiln and a furnace, plus a roofer's torch and butane gas as fuel. The students used the lost wax technique: we made models from casting wax, enveloped them in a mixture of horse dung (matured!) and clay, and fired the clay to melt the wax core. This clay mould was then filled with molten bronze - a task we weren't allowed to do, much to my relief - the crucible with red-hot molten metal is quite scary. Grinding away casting seams and some patination added the finishing touch.
The rather squarish shape of the heads reveal where the casting funnel was attached to the clay mould, and the "skirt" of the female figure appeared accidentally because I didn't press the clay-dung mixture hard enough around the wax model. Learning curve...

Bronze, patina. 2007.
Hights: 15cm, 13cm

Printmaking: Relief print

Liverpool is one of my favourite places in England. This print is based on a photograph of the "Three Graces", those famous buildings on the waterfront.
The architectural shapes of the buildings are cut in cardboard and printed in solid colours; the fine outlines were cut in linoleum and printed on top. 

Lino/cardboard print, Speedball relief ink on cartridge paper. 2008.
Size: 17 x 15.5cm

Papier mâché sculpture: The Walker

This figure has a cardboard core; the skin is made from strips of newspaper, partly stretched over wire. Later I put the Walker on a wooden pedestal.

Cardboard, newspaper, wire, acrylic paint, oil varnish. 2008.
Hight: 33cm

Printmaking: Intaglio print

Walking along the Thames from the Tate Modern Gallery to the Oxo Tower, one passes under Blackfriars Bridge. The intricate construction details of its arches have always fascinated me, and I chose them as a motif for my "London" series of drypoint prints.

Aluminium plates, drypoint, carborundum, Chine collé.
Charbonnel etching ink on Fabriano Rosaspina paper. 2006.
Size: 13.5 x 13.5cm

Gherkin

Full Moon over the Millennium Bridge