Week One:

I am starting on a new sculpture of a round fish whose belly illuminates. The working title is “Fish Lantern” until the piece tells me its name. When complete, it will be a focal point lighting fixture for an entryway or room with high ceilings.

I created a smaller 8″ version of the sculpture over a foam ball, which allowed me to work out the shape and visualize the form in three dimensions. I used Sculptex modeling clay for this step because it’s easy to improvise and blend.

I was pleased with my miniature version, so I scaled the sculpture to full size. This time, I used a 24″ exercise ball as a form and Free-Form Air Epoxy Clay to build a strong shell. Once I have the sphere shape, I will deflate and remove the ball.

Week Two:

With the top half of the fish lantern covered in the first base layer of Free Form Air epoxy clay, I moved on to the lower belly area. I supported the exercise ball on a bucket for easier handling. Wanting an organic lace effect for the light to shine through, I drew templates on paper and traced them in random order on the ball using a Sharpie. These served as guides for placing the clay to create a basket-like structure on the bottom.

Back at Anne’s ceramic studio in Grover Beach, I continued working on the bird mask. With the bisque firing complete, it was time to glaze. This stage always leaves me feeling a bit lost because the color you apply looks so different from the final result. I examined swatches, trying to imagine how the colors would come together. Not being able to tell if the coverage is streaky or solid frustrates me, making me want to go back to using acrylic paint.

Week Three

This week, the fish lantern progressed to a new stage. I sculpted the lower amoeba-shaped basket at the bottom of the fish using Free Form Air epoxy clay, then removed the exercise ball I’d been using as the spherical mold. The process went better than expected, and the strength of the cured clay is impressive. The sculpture transformed once the ball was removed, giving it an entirely new appearance. I rigged a frame to suspend it to get a better sense of how it looks hanging. I’m now taking a few days to reflect on the shape and plan the design of the fish fins.

Without a clear plan for the fish lantern, I decided to experiment with the ShopBot and cut out a drawing of Stanley. I enlarged a pencil sketch, converted it to vector art on the computer, and cut three versions to explore creating a series with different color variations. I used a 10mm PVC sheet since it was available in my garage, but I think 3/4 MDF might be better for future cutouts.

I began by painting the back and sides of the cutout, initially using brushed-on acrylic. However, I quickly switched to spray paint for better coverage, speed, and durability.