C'...ALIFOlliJIA STA'I'E UNIVEHSITY 1 NORTHRIDGE
,A., ~vET
BIRD DOES NOT FLY A'r NIGH1'
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A abstract submitted in partial satisfaction of ·the
requirements for the degree of Naster of Arts in
Art
by
Charles N. Albrecht
~
June, 1976
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·california State University, Northridge
May, 1976
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
To Fred Lauritzen who watches this comedy
from a considerable height.
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FOREWORD
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The wet bird theme developed during the years of 1969
j
through 1973 at California State University, Northridge
!metal and jewelry department.
Originally i t was an old
jvaudeville joke, which, bec:aur::.;e i t involves the fantastic
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I idea
of someone somewhere possibly know·ing
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the answer"
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ito ·the ultimate mystery of existence, appealed to the par-
!ticular
"zen" atmosphere lurking in the met.al shop.
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j attitude
This
'Iivas and still is largely attributed to Fred
f
!Lauritzen's humorous, and for the most part, unfathomable
!
lpersonality.
l''livhich
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For i t is precisely this humorous twist
makes the entire comedy worth the candle •
·Thus, the "wet bird" became the source of much laugh-
!
becam~e
j·ter and carrying on during t.hose years and,
i responsible
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r,.;as
for introducing the joke, it became associa·ted
!with my views on art and life in general. Although I have
'
lchosen to enlarge upon the original joke to the point of
!alluding to some obvious personal parallels, the general
I thrust
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and punch lines are indeed faithful.
The statement is in two parts.
Part one, consisting
!o£ poem and essay 1 is really a kind of self-indulgence.
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I For
!
what I
!task of attempting
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1.
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to describe that which is unapproachable;
by words or verbalization.
j only
The mys·terious "it".
hin·t at "it 11 and at best suggest what
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can
it" is by
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lj
·.1
}
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am really trying to accomplish is the impossible.
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perhaps pointing out what "it
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is not.
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Part two deals with the technical problems encountered:
during the program and their subsequen·t solutions.
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PART ONE
METP~PHYSIC
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"What would a work of ar-t be worth, in which each of
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!the smallest parts - the least stroke - did not describe,
ljin
one sweep, its author's entire philosophy?"
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!
-DuBuffet
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A WET BIRD DOES NOT FLY AT NIGHT
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Once,
!
Not too long ago
As years are counted,
There lived a young man
!Who by virtue
o£ being thoroughly identified with his ego;
1
And possessing a dry, almost humorless \vit;
!Although certain formations
and compassionate;
!Allov1ed
himself
of his nature were charming
To indulge in the puerile act
0f imperiously imposing his willfulness upon others.
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!
jwith the constant extending of this willful
!Egocentric nature,
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!He became uptight
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!And thus a drag with his family and contemporarieso
!This predisposition was brought to his awareness one day
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,
·
• h snarp
w1t
rea 1·1zat1on.
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!Whereupon
IHe began to reflect upon his thirty-some years of
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existence.
And thus
!
Consequently to seek ways of liberating himself
!
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comedy
IlAsFromto thetheweltsmerzian
meaning and purport of
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!Existence.
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II At
first
!He sought help from the professional services of psychiatry~
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1 On a very regular weekly schedule.
:
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L~~~lt:~g~t w~-~-inte~est~ng-----·---·-··--·----_j
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n~-- i~~:;;.;~-~~-
To his nature;
He found these men utterly lacking
In a metaphysical approach to life.
'
The itch at the periphery of his mind
was now forming itself into a query:
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j "What is the meaning of life?"
He next assiduously applied himself to the study of
philoscphy
And the classical arguments
of philosophical approach to human existence.
tThe writings
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!He discovered to be a sea of knowledge
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jWhich were incredibly absorbing
lAnd could
easily engulf one's enti:r-e lifetime.
!However,
!He also discovered
iThe circular nature of philosophical inquiry;
/And realized almost simultaneously
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JThat
noth'1ng ever becomes resolved
!"Once and for all.~
!By such an approach
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!He was as far away as ever from
"The meaning of life."
!concurrently,
The oriental approach to life
Was becoming manifest in his search
!Upon
!1 of
I
discovery
the writings of "the great tao"
!He began to feel a kinship forming somewhere in his
being.
L__
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With the advent of his discovery of Zen Buddhism,
j
j
He felt he was finally following the right path
j
That eventually would broaden
,.
Into a road;
And answer the obsession plaguing him
With every sweep of calculated time.
This relationship
With oriental wisdom
jHe knew "in his bones"
!would be a life long endeavor;
!But,
;The inunediate question menacing his brain
I
!Had to set to rest;
lLest his sanity be endangered.
!
!Striking him suddenly
lwas the realization
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!that he was continuing to read about experiences,
!Not doing them.
jThe question
jAs to life's meaning
!
!Would have to be satisfied by direct experience.
lAs the years passed, so also
iwent the numbers of gurus
I1me d'1tat1on
.
.
exerc1ses;
•
•
ij 1ncantat1ons,
lAnd yoga practices;
lwnich had the total impact of
IA bee
sting
!upon an elephant's hide.
!Remaining intact
Was the omni-present, overbearing question
"What is the meaning of life."
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!Nearing the
e~:--;;~=-~-----~--·---·~
He sensed a breakthrough upon hearing by chance of a
recluse
Tibetan monk
jReputed
ITo have searched his entire ninety-plus years
And to have found the precise answer
To the precise question
Which had become the not-so-young man's entire occupation.
!Travel plans were formed immediately.
No expense too great, nor hardship too stiff
To be endured
1 "Was
I
this it?"
"Aye, this had to be it. "
jAt last
)This horrendous comedy would mercifully terminate.
j
!He would have his answer,
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lThe living of life could resume.
,
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;
!The trans-Atlantic voyage by ocean liner provided pure
!!
agony.
l'Almost two weeks of
ocean and sky
!Wind and rolling sea.
jThe endless pacing in his cabin,
jon ship's deck.
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"How possibly could one live the seafaring life?" He mused
"It is as constant
And unrelenting
one's
.. As
"Indeed,
breathing."
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The swells and troughs afford the ship's breath;
The navigation is difficult
The conditions impossible.
I should be grateful for some firm ground
Upon which to s t.and. again. n
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r~l:e~~TI-g~~
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t~:-~:en::-·~; ··~--~-----~
Gained
!upon touching land
!vanished
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lAnd alternately was replaced by anticipation
·Second only to
'The "obsession."
In the past days he enjoyed
Travel by rail.
j
jNow he felt
!This
journeying by ·train to be painfully slow.
lAs a prisoner serving a sentence,
!He marked off days
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!As well as countries - provinces - towns.
·' Bordeaux •••
IVichy .....
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j Cognac ••••
lon through Switzerland,
!Touching briefly Italy's northern tip.
!Then onward to Trieste;
'By that day's nightfall, Budapest was behind him.
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I Traveling sout.hv1est through Romania,
!He counted the third crossing of the Danube.
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lNearing Bulgaria's eastern coast
Bordering by the Black Sea,
He observed signs
Indicating approach to Turkey and
Istanbul;
jThe gateway to the Oriento
j With
Turkey 1 s passage ·the halfway point was breached.
I Soon
it would be over.
!Briefly skirting Iraq's tip
I gave
way
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•to
[
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!
an entire day and night of travel through Iran -
Afghanistan.
Quickly slicing through a strip of northern Pakistan
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He observed the approach of tiny Kash.rnir;
.And off
In distance remote,
Engulfed with clouds;
!The awesome Himalayas.
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!Point of departure was Ogartok;
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lA modest village approximately one hundred kilometers
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inside the Tibetan Border.
From there
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jHe must travel by carriage to village outskirts
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h1lereupon
The only transportive means were mountain goats,
!Which would take him through cumbersome
I had never before witnessed.
·terrain such as he
!Ascending the treacherous roadway
lwnich !Jecame but a path
~~And
was now only a trail,
He was led to a wall of solid granite,
Upon whose clifftop edge
Some two-thousand feet above,
Lay a colony of monks
Of obscure origin.
1 Annunciation
II Flimsy
completed, he clu.'llsily mounted the unnervingly
Rope and wicker basket
And was hoisted,
Jerk by heart flutter-jerk
1 To
the top
f Feeling light-headed,
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More from anticipation of mission than thin air;
-~~-i-~-tely
sought
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J;:~~~-··~he. w:::eab;~~~-·;he ~g:~ .. ;~:;:- mo~;:-----~·-~~~-'1
~~~ter
lenthy deliberation,
The old one's dwelling was abstracted
And affixedly positioned upon a map.
At day's break
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!He set out for what he prayed
h·lould be
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!The final length of his sojourn.
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!With but a few miles upward on mountain paths
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!The clouds thickened,
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IH1s breath labored.
IjFrequent stops became mandatory.
jFinally 1
iRounding the edge of a precipice
l,Trodding a ledge his foot's width,
!He came across a widening of path
!And
' became aware
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!of
surroundings which indicated
lA possible human dwelling.
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Breathing easier, he chanced
An upward and then downward glance;
!And found
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!The mountain wall to disappear into fog
lin both directions.
While still gathering himself
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'Together
!He noticed.only
sever~l
yards beyond
But the fa1ntest outl1ne of
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What seemed to be
A human figure.
Squatting in the meditative position,
LAt-the ~ge of the precipice.
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As he cautiously approached this slumped figure he
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observed
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That indeed
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This was an old fellow;
!Possibly a septugenarian.
With his build slight and withered:
Facial features
, . A combination of effeminate cragginess,
Partly shrouded with snowy white gnarled hair and beard;
!He seemed to breathe
!About twice a minute.
1But this was difficult to perceive since
The old man
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~vas
wrapped in
an ancient, magnificently battered blanket;
jVisibly deteriorating
jAs bits were scattered upon ajoining ground.
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!suddenly
~~·The
ancient man's lips parted;
,And with a sound akin
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ITo flaking dandruff
lLaboring over each
w~rd,
jspoke:
j"Why do you come here, my son?"
I Taken
I "I
by surprise the visitor could but starmner:
have a question t,vhich plagues me, 0 wise one!
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JAlmost inaudibly
!And gesturing slightly right-handedly,
j
The wise sage spoke again:
!
, "Speak it my son."
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1 "O great and learned wise one;
jPlease enlighten this wretched mind!
0 pray
What is the meaning of life? 11
1 Several moments passed.
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Then
With excruciating slowness
Th~
aged monk's lips moved once more
and he spoke:
"A wet bird does not fly at night."
Dumbfounded,
Thunderstruck;
The visitor could not believe his ears.
Instinctively, he retorted:
"Wh ••• v-1hat did you say?"
l seeming
to rally all the energy
1His frail frame could sununon;
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!The old bard replied:
!
I A wet bird does not fly at night."
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!Many moments passed.
jonly the hissing of irregular breathing remained.
!Finally,
IThe visitor's voice shredded the air:
I "Do
you mean to tell me •••
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have .suffered greatly - vastly because of this quest!
II
have hovered on the very brink of insanity!
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!I've studied the great philosophers,
!The profound religions,
I
Undertaken strenuous disciplines,
Meditated,
Undergone psychiatric treatments,
j Incantations;
j And then
j Then upon hearing of you,
l Spared no expense,
by steamship across an ocean,
ITraveled
Crossed thousands of miles by rail,
l
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1 Rode upon a goat - with great discomfort,
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1 Up to a vast wall,
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!Was hauled up two
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jinto a monk colony.
iThen had to pursue the.final miles on foot
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jAlong treacherous mountain precipices."
~All
this
lTo find the answer
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!To the question:
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j"Wha·t is the meaning of life? 11
!"And all you can say is,
I"A wet bird does not fly at night."
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!"Have you nothing more to say?"
i
.
!The aged w1se one turned and gazed upon the visitor.
!"You mean," he cried,
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they do?"
Aside from a certain humorous twist, the "wet bird"
!I
theme serves no other purpose bu·t to remind me that no one
!person,
philosophy or system of thought possesses the
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jexclusive right to explain the life phenomena.
Indeed, my
l
!only point here is to attempt to focus upon that elusive
i
~quality of existence which can be approached best, if not
jonly, through direct experience.
The main stumbling block
which stands in the way of an explanation of existence is
1 the constancy of its happening.
Reality phenomena simply
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!
j will not stay put long enough for us to obtain a fix on it.j
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l Indeed the mentality which attempts this avenue of approach
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!
not only will meet with considerable frustration but worse,;
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will totally miss the point4
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This is but my way of saying that the refusal of real-'
ity' s yielding to a rational analysis is tantamount to
Lo~serv,_l_·n_g_t_~_at.. _:_x_i_s_t_ence
is
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absu_r_d_·---~~u_s_s~_e_n_~_r_o_m_ _:~i_s__._j
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viewpoint - art, which is at. best a reflection of life's
highest form, i.e., human intelligence- is also absurd.
All of this is not meant to convey hopelessness or
jdespair.
Rather it is to recognize the existence of
Ianother language.
Whether ·this language is good or bad
(conventionally speaking) is actually beside the point.
That it is each of our own selves is, however, very much
Ito the issue.
For then what is art except that which each
of us in the recesses of our beng admit to ourselves as
having meaning and order?
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!many different labels:
!What is the difference?
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"It" in the universe goes by
God, philosophy, psychology, etc.
Art is as good a name as any.
Art is a means of joining the universe.
For art is
!a way (one spoke which leads to the hub, if you will) of
!approaching "that" which is real, concrete.
Real in the
!sense of a non-attachment of labels, names or whatsis to
!what is happening "out there." It is an appreciation of
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Jthe life-happening by way of ritualistic approach; a
i
lwatching of phantom phenomena without attaching abstract
I
!signs such as word noises to i t - save that these noise
!
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I1 abstractions are themselves non-sensical or poetically
absurd.
Commenting on this same art/life theme Henry Hiller
has written:
j eventually
"He {the artist) takes the path in order
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to become that path himself." Another way of
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Henry Miller, "The Wisdom of the Heart" New DirecL.Eol"!~~~-19. 41_~
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saying this, my way 1 is that one trods or stumbles along
siasm, but moreover,
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!
tic process.
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For me, thus far, the path has been frequently rough,
alternately joyful, almost never uninteresting.
And here
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seems to lie the crux of the creative life; human beings
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for some strange reason seem predisposed toward predictions'
of their future behavior.
i
Perhaps this is a way of voicing:
£rustration of not being able to con·t:rol the uncontrollable; or perhaps human beings believing the rational mind
or ego to be all-knowing are simply being human.
At any
rate, true artistic achievement - with but seemingly the
- no handbooks will be issued.
One enters the esthetic
life by whatever means he is suited for - which is to say,
!his own way.
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Were it not. so, he would not be an artist, in,
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the strict sense of the term.
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Somewhere along the path, the gradual realization
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!but to trust one's own artistic credibility; which is tan-
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!becomes increasingly clear that one really has no choice
tamount to embracing that one really must believe in oneself wholeheartedly and unreservedly.
Thus I took a stand
and extended my tender neck to point of commitment.
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[r-
--~A-s--~: ar~~~-p~~~~-~e-r--~~ ~eems :~~~ar~-~~y ~-c-le:~.. ··~~l
jme that art and life are inseparable ~ in almost every
!sense.
l
Consequently, one of the very special delights of
!existence is to be able to journey metaphysically.
I am
speaking primarily of spiritual traveling; that is, taking
lcare to keep the spiritual mechanism in good working
!order.
(No easy task.)
I
In short, looking for relevant,
lthe unexpected in art as in life.
When I first began in metal. and je'li'Ielry a good number.
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of years ago, I knew almost immediately I had found the
medium I was searching for.
What I did not realize, and
what in turn took a considerable amount of time to dawn
I
upon me, was the realization ·that I had also found a way
lof life.
This was indeed precisely what I was seeking;
!although I was unaware and had not the wherewithal. to
!
!ascertain the situation.
It is perhpas a hen and egg question as to which exer-;
li
ted the most influence upon me during those early years.
I
The fact is, the combination of professor Lauritzen's per-,
!sonality
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II to
j
and the feeling of having "come home" with respect)
:II
metal proved to be the way I wanted to travel.
But
this artistic journey began, as one may well suspect, ia
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l well worn esthetic paths - almost ruts.
I
Reflecting upon
l this now, I realize it could not have been otherwise.
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!
My
1 work was, of course, a product of the totality of myself;
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l::~::k ~:~:-~::::~:ns_::::_~:::a ~ens trained
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in approach
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When all else failed, whether it was lack of materials
or more aptly, lack of ideas; the itch remained.
If what
separates an artist or any truly creative individual from
j
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persons not oriented in this milieu, is the artist's
ad~ittedly
weird way of reading the universe, his somewhat:
strange vision, then I would be loathe to think myself not
II among
them.
I am not, however, saying that this vision is
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Iparticularly superior nor is i·t to be regarded as inferior
Ito other viewpoints. Rather, this approach is sir.1ply d if-'
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!
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'i f eren t
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- the v.Jay "it" is and the way things are.
I believe most individuals who have found out who
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fee~
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this situation of "special vision" to be theirs also.
This is so probable because we are all centers of the unl-;
!
verse; we all possess the "I" consciousness; and when we
are involved in what we.love to do, then we perchance to
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!
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feel more integrated, and part of the world.
Art is a means of joining the universe!
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Joy is a clean piece of silver!
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.
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The above statements are the essence of all I bel1eve:
and have been saying thus far.
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The base or ground of thisj
~
· activity is the euphoric mystery that occurs when "it"
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i happens, that is, when I come in contact with metal in
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general.
I have great affection for painting - I thor-
oughly enjoy it.
joy.
t._
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But silver is magic; silver affords pure;
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Why this chemistry is, I am unable to explain.
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know that i t is, and I am content to leave it, for the
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most part, at that.
·
..,.,......., _ _ '0:..__,
j much
-~--"'~____.,_.,.,~
---...-..-----.--::~-·--~"'---"~3
For me, this phenomena needs not so
to be explained or analyzed as, rather, i t requires -
jlike life itself - to be experienced and lived.
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PART TWO
TECHl'!ICAL
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~--.My ~~nm;:-:sthe:::--;-:edi:-::-::::-1
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More specifically, I am involved with holloware and the
1 techniques necessary for its execution.
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My early pieces are unmis'cakenably tradi·tional in con-!
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cept and design.
~
Later on, hov1ever, toward the end of the
!master's program, for reasons- if any- which escape me,
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noticed a freer attitude developing in my holloware
!
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j designs which in turn began to overlap into sculptural
elements.
The tea set is an early and rather ambitious project
of the master's program.
Executed in sterling silver, it
features a rosewood handle and lid knob with cast sterling
1
silver handles on the sugar bowl and creamer.
I ambitious
surge of energy, I
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i
With an
raised both the sugar bowl and
creamer on the same day, to the point of planishing.
~ntire
!
Il
The
undertaking was to take some three semesters, how-
ever, before all three pieces were finished.
The single most difficult aspect of this project was
attempting to keep the sugar bowl and creamer of uniform
size.
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l
Both pieces were raised from 18 gauge sterling sil-l
I
ver discs, six inches in diameter.
!
The sugar bowl \vas theri
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planished and refined to point of sanding. At that time
the creamer was checked against the sugar bowl's dimen-
Il
sions, the necessa"t"y adjustments were made and both pieces!
the finishing process.
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19
__
.
, _....__...,
__
~-,.~--...__-
_____________
...._.._...
~ ~~~~
1 ~·
.
A
problem
ensued
with the teapot's spout.
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How to make;I
i
one?
i
At first I attempted to forge one from a truncated
!cylindrical shape filled with pitch.
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It proved disastrous.:
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!The seam opened, splits developed and the pitch refused to
behave.
To make things worse, the spout shape took on the
looks of a misshapen worm.
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The perfect solution was found
j
in an interesting technique called the masonite die.
This 1
process has the unique advantage of enabling one to make
I
! difficult
three-dimensional shapes quickly and with great
I
l precision..
Simplified, the masonite die process involves
the hammering or punching of tightly clamped metal down
into a pre-cut die or silhouette form.
I
Two halves are
formed, their shapes are refined by planishing and Subse quently joined together by riveting and/or soldering.
.
1.'
The
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flange surrounding the forms may be retained or eliminated~
depending upon design purposes.
With care, and if the
II
situation calls for it, the process can be repeated several
times before the masonite begins to break down.
ELECTROFORHED VASE
When I first began to acquire some skill in being
able to raise holloware forms out of sheet metal, I found
myself experimenting with attempts to explore its limitations
.
Often I would hammer for days at a time on one
I
I.
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II
I1
piece, attempting what I thought •.vere difficult feats of
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metal r.aising and forming.
1
For· the most part; success Was ·,.
minimal because I had but the vaguest of ideas in mind and
----~~---·-------"
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20
r;:a~-~~;-·in~e;ested in--;~w;;-~;~ti~·~-~ha;-~~~pl~~~
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I
projects, at the time.
· However, at one certain point, upon having recently
acquired Oppi Untrac~t's Metal Techniques for Craftsmen,
and becoming influenced by a sequence of photographs of a
!
I silversmith completing a difficult bulbous shaped, narrow-
!
!necked water pitcher, I decided to apply this experimenta-
l
tion to a master's project.
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My idea was to make a copper pitcher similar to the
l
i above mentioned silver pitcher, and if successful, I would j
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consider repeating the form in sterling.
The form pro-,
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ceeded well until I undertook the more difficult process
of
11
necking in" or metal condensing, attempting t.o shape
the cylindrical neck.
Due to a combination of inconsis-
I
tent annealing and irregular raising, deep cracks developed
I
around the upper and middle neck portions, impeding any
I
further development.
At this point I discarded the origi-!
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I
nal design and decided to wing it. I chopped off the
splitting neck portion and filled the form with pitch.
I
tural curves emerged which seemed to hold esthetically
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together.
,
Following irregularities on the form's bulbous portion
with chasing tools and hammering, a pattern of deep sculp-
Further sculptural definition and shaping took
place which at that time, gave way to an impasse Of approxJ.
imately six months whereby I could not decide in which
l
direction to
proce~----~------· - - - -
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21
,--~---~--~~~---~·-~~-~·~~~-·~-·~---·~-~-------~-~~--~...-,<~~
F'inally, this paralysis
Iadvice
and electroforming.
'i'JaS
resolved by contemplation ,l)
l1
(When in doubt, electroform.)
I I also realized at this point that the piece was actually
!upside-down.
Therefore, the "bottom" was taken out and a
new bottom soldered into wpat had been the top.
Now, extensive harnn1ering and filing had produced very
sharp angular curves which, in turn, produced considerably
I
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jpleasing noduling from the electroforming process.
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Further:
~
design enhancements resulted when certain areas were
1blocked
out by nail polish resist.
I
However, the resultant
Icoup-de-maitre occurred completely by accident when the
i
j vase
inadvertently became left in the electroforrner over-
1 night at extremely low voltage and emerged the following
l day
i
as something alien which looked as if it had been pro-
~ - duced by the corrosive action of the sea.
I
I SILVER BOWL
I
AND SILVER BELT BUCKLE
Somewhere during the latter part of 1972 and continuing through most of 1973, crushed turquoise as well as
fitted material inlays seemed to be the rage at
c.s.u.N.
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metal and jewelry department, and I became caught up in it.l
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The results took the form of a small sterling silver
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bowl and a considerably large sterling silver belt buckle, j
both inlaid with a host of different materials, fitted and
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crushed.
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·Both pieces were conceived and designed specif-
ically for inlays.
ished concurrently.
Both pieces were worked on and fin-
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·-----------·----------..1I
22
soldering operations, the silver bmvl far and away took
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longer to finish.
The inlays consist of fitted Indian
. rosewood and two kinds of briar woods, also crushed
!Alaskan jade and fitted tusk ivory.
In addition two
bezel-set jade stones and nine 14 karat gold shot balls
of all other inlays on both pieces.
For me, the process of custom fitting inlay work requires arduous concentration and painstaking discipline.
But I love it and would have it no other way.
Indeed, I
have often fantasized of leading a monkish existence in
some really far out region of the world.
There I would
indulge myself in long hours of complete absorption, where
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my only task would be to do intricately precise inlays, in1
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as many diverse materials as my lifetime would permit.
HANGING PLANTER AND APPENDAGE
An almost entirely spontaneous project, which, con-
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I
sidering the size and its function came out quite success-!
ful.
With only the simplest of sketches and but a vague
li _ _ _ _ _
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23
of 17 gauge bronze.
The concept was to make a planter to hang outside in
jall kinds of weather, to be influenced and acted upon by
I the forces of weathering and to become part of a specific
!environment.
From first to last the planter was meant to
have "rdugh edges".
That is, it was never meant to have a
i
l slick,
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!~
I to
highly finished surface or appearance, but rather,
assume the contrasting moods of nature, in a somewhat
I grainy fashion.
This is partially achieved by the retain-
ing of hammer marks, put in during the raising process,
l
rough filing on surfaces and edges, and finally subjecting '
the entire shell to electroforming.
I
sideJ~able
i
Hopefully, after con- ;
!
subjectivity to weathering elements, the planter ;
I
j should oxidize and subtle coloring action take place,
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especially in the deeply recessed and chased areas.
One of the shortcomings of working spontaneously in
I
!
metal is the tendency for certain steps to occur out of
sequence.
Thus, if I had thought the project through more'
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thoroughly, I would have realized that cutting deeply intol
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I
the half-dome shell of the planter - to produce the branch/
leaf extensions - would present considerable problems
when the entire form had to be fill.ed with pitch for purposes of chasing.
i
late~
Consequently, the gaps between the
extension~ had to be breached with layers cif overlapping
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II
masking tape, which not always kept the hot pitch in check.)
Because of the large volume of pitch needed to fill the
I
----·------·-........l1
24
i,.-:._~_.,_...,...,.""""_....,.-;:.~-·--.-~a
•-•'"""'~~-~-~-"""'-~--=-.,..~1
\planter shell (chasing was applied into the extensions for
I!strength
l
as well as design) six to eight hours were needed
.
for complete setting to take place.
Often this amount of
time enabled the pitch to "work" upon arid thus burst
jthrough the masking tape, producing very messy results;
The dangling appendage seen at the planter's underside is the latest sequential completed form.
Only re-
f motely identifiable •11i th actual plant forms, it is really
I~
I
composite of plant and aquatic archetypes.
The entire
. Iorm, with the exception of the rounded centers, was fab-
1
!i ricated
from sheet brass.
The center shapes were made from
I
jcopper with the process known as the masonite die. Tbe
l
! entire form \vas then subjected to t.he electroforrning proc!
i
I
less and allowed to nodule.
i!
Interestingly, in contrast to the rather spontaneous
!
!working of the planter shell, the dangling appendage was
I
Ivery carefully planned and designed, life size, on paper
Iland
subsequently executed with precision in reference to
!those plaLs.
I
The planter shell with its supposedly
I
I
sponta-;
_;
neous origins nevertheless retains a certain rigidity, a
lack of freedom.
I planned
On the other hand, the very carefully
and executed appendage does seem to possess a more
i free or liberated attitude.
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L_
- - - - · - - - - · · - · - - - - - - - - - - · - - - - - - - - - , · - · - - - · · - -....,.j
25
.
~-·----------------·-··-·-~~---- --~-·--1
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II
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•
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!
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PLA'l'E I
I
STERLING SILVER •rEA SERVICE
I
1
I
ROSEWOOD HANDLE AND KNOB ON TEAPOT
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L__~_. "-~·-~--~-·----~--"-~---·-~~ . .
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___ji
=
26
-··~-----l
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PLATE II
FREEFORM VASE/OBJECT
ELECTROFORMING ON COPPER
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1
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L~----·------~--~~--_ _ _ _ _ j
!
27
r---------~~--··~·--·-----------·-------·-1
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.
,
.
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!
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PLATE III
S'fERLING SILVER BOWL
INLAID HITH IVORY, JADE
BRIAR WOODS AND
VIEW 1
ROSE~·JOOD
28
--·---~-l
I
PLATE IV
STERLING SILVER BOWL
INLAYS WITH COLD SHOT BALLS
VIEW 2
___j
29
-----..,
·r
PLATE V
STERLING SILVER BELT BUCKLE
INLAID
~.VITH
IVORY AND CRUSHED JADE
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30
r---·--------------··--
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PLATE VI
HANGING PLANTER AND APPENDAGE
CHliSED BRONZE WITH SILVER
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---~--~-- -------~j
31
PLATE VII
APPENDAGE {DETAIL OF HANGING PLANTER)
FORJ.'1ED COPP.ER 'iHTH ELECTROFORMING
32
---·---------------
··--.
Ii
PLATE VIII
SHALL SCULPTURE
CAST BRONZE AND SILVER
,
II
-~------·-R-~•-•~J
33
-----·~---·-------------,
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PLATE IX
COPPER BOVlL
CHASING AND REPOUSSE ON COPPER
WITH ELECTROFORMING
34
------,
PLATE X
STERLING SILVER BABY CUP
CARNEI,IAN GEM STONES ON HANDLE
I
t___ - ·-~--------- - -·-~
35
--------~-·---··----
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PLATE XI
BO~lL
WITH LID
BRONZE WITH SILVER TRIM
:
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l_.-.~ --~-~·~ _., -··--·----~----___j
...