BUILDING THE FRAME
Preparing a piece for the Antler gallery show, The Ribbon, and the frame is almost done. Above is a photo of the part I just made. It is a copper wreath of sorts mounted on wood and then primed. It was a surprise when the contruction took on the shape of a heart. A great bonus from my subconscious.

After two days of many hours of braising the copper components, I then fitted the shape for a final time on the wood plate. To do this I drill precise holes in the disc for the tabs welded into the copper wreath. I then used a high quality archival spray to unify the two parts. Eventually I will add a matte black gesso to pull some aspects back visually.
While this 'frame' dries I gather supplies to continue the layout. Layout is a huge part of the process. Sometimes I see a piece fully formed, but other times -like this time- it is vague and hard to track.

Above is the dried frame with porcelain parts being put in for layout. I then add garden leaves of real plants to try out their size/color and spacing- I call it foliage blocking. It can take hours to make the copper leaves so it helps to carefully layout test parts and to do multiple sketches, coloring in if necessary.

​USING AI FOR LAYOUT
I also used some other tools this time around. I used AI Imaging to get rough ideas of what I wanted for layout. It mostly helped me determine what theoretically didn't work. I don't want to give away the final piece before delivery to the gallery so I will post those AI pics later in October.

COLOR MATCHING STARTING POINT
​​Another great new tool was using a photo of one of my favorite artists, Lucy Hunter, a flower arrangement genius. This gave me the color pallette I was aiming for. I could hold the photo up against the black frame for accuracy.

Lucy Hunter is THE FLOWER HUNTER. I adore her work and use it as inspiration. In this picture I found the color pallete I needed to start from in THE RIBBON piece. chartreuse, white, pinks, cream and yellow.

In the studio I am also making flower arrangements in porcelain but they are huge in 'time resource'. I have only finished one-see it below. I hope to have 5 pieces for Olympia Spring Artwalk APRIL/2026. 
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RIBBON PIECE
I am so excited to have an artwork at the Antler/Talon Gallery for their special show, The Ribbon. The exhibit is about the circle of life, rebirth, and emergence. It is a celebration of Susannah Kelly's life, one of the co-creators of the gallery with her husband Neil.

Getting ready for a show is like an athlete in training! Every artist has their way, mine is pretty specific.
I clean the studio, prep all the work stations....in this case I am using about 5 areas (in and outdoor) for one piece!
And of course I had months of sculpting and final firings to ready the porcelain components.

PAINTS: Ready the china paints: since most of my paints are rare and old pigments, I do run out of favorite colors and must scrounge from china painters or order colors faintly in the ballpark. As china painting is a fading art, there seem to be very few companies left in the business.
I am making china paint samples in the rage of pinks today since I need very specific colors for this piece. I paint way more flowers than needed, and usually start with them for warming up the the special big parts.  However, I cannot wait to paint the falcon and snakes in this work. 
BRAISING THE COPPER: Clearing the braising table for the long strands of ivy making. A key ingredient of my new work for The Ribbon. I also am working on acanthus leaves and other foliage. hundres of leaves await-precut.
SANDING: A sanding area. There is extensive sanding just to get my porcelain parts ready. Both in greenware and bisque stage. Then after the high fire 'Bisque', I sand a final time in a high grit. Either by hand or with a Dremel or both. Even tiny buds only 3/16 wide. A soft smooth surface creates a better final coat. 
NEXT....MAKE BACKGROUND PART: My studio has multiple areas... porcelain/paint/wood/copper/assemblage/adhesive/spray paint.....you get the idea!
And making the boxes or mounting wood parts is critical to get the final layout of an artwork. Today I finish a round wood disc by cutting hardwood, sanding and then about 6 coats of black gesso sanded each layer with a final coat of uv sealant put on tomorrow. I use an antique metal cart outside on the braising deck.
ASSEMBLAGE: I am far from the final days (but only 5 weeks to completion and delivery) but I have to have an area to work on assembly. I usually have a preconceived notion of a layout, but this piece has eluded me. So I am using AI imagery to assemble theoretical versions....Then I put pieces out on the assembly table in trays to get a closer notion of final imagery. 

MAKING: But its GO TIME! And the energy is flowing, the music pumping! (Chilltrax). Pour another espresso and get it done!