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The Keepsake Story
Legend has it that in the 9th century when the Norse were often raiding Scotland, a group of Vikings tried to sneak up on a group of sleeping Clansmen. They had removed their shoes to creep quietly but stepped on thistles and cried out in pain. The alerted Scots made them pay.
I include this story on the back of the piece along with a small infographic of the Cast Paper process.
Paper Casting
Paper casting is to me the perfect medium. It allows me to use almost every skill set. A typical piece begins as a drawing or two. Then I sculpt it in wax. This is a long refining process and often the image sculpted is far different from the drawing. Then I build a dam around the wax and pour a rubber mold directly off the surface. A casting is made by pressing the wet cotton pulp into the mold and extracting the water. Then I finish the surface.
While every piece that emerges from the mold is about the same, no two are painted the same. Maybe I would if I could, but the painting process is always in flux. I am always experimenting with ways of mixing colors or washes and hard edges or new pigments. I spend about 75% of my time with the painted finishes. Click here to see the process.
