Medallion Update and Etc.

Hey guys,

I know its been awhile. Life has been super hectic and I hope all of you are doing well :) My medallion is due Wednesday and then we’ll start making a chain for it after; I didn’t leave the studio till 10:30 tonight. It’s a lot to get done, but every class I walk out feeling super productive. You guys have seen my paper model, but bringing it to life was a more complicated task. For this project, I incorporated 3 metals: copper, brass and nickel. I used the copper for the heart and brain. Brass for my middle, in between a nickel sandwich. It’s rather hard to explain. I haven’t put them together yet, that’s what tomorrow is for: riveting. Here are some pictures of my work thus far:

A. 

B. 

C. 

What you see in Picture A are all my metal layers that will come together as one medallion. Starting from left is my brass plate (the pink one with a disease of indents) it came in yellow, but after annealing (heating it with a torch at 1700 degrees) and lots of hammering… it became that. This was earlier in the night, I later patina-ed it, which is dipping in acid, so it turned into a gunmetal color. Next up is the brain. That is a product of PNP. Basically I have a picture of the whole face my medallion is based on, I went to Kinkos (took 17 copies to get right) to print it onto PNP paper. And then I came back and put the cut out of the picture over the copper onto the PNP metal plate at just below 250 degrees and I used a wooden block to rub the ink onto the metal. SO REALLY… It’s like temporary tattoos for metal. And then you have the heart. I first colored the metal with durkem resist (blue liquid) and I used a scribe to etch/scratch out the heart. And then I leave it in acid for 2 hours, and clean off the durkem with acetone. I was surprised by how awesome it turned out, because last time I etched, it was TERRIBLE. Next is the rest of the head minus the brain, also a product of PNP on nickel. And then you have the holey face. I etched the facial features just like the heart (just much less intricate). I left it plan so that I can sandblast it (which I did, but it came after the picture) which made the whole thing SUPER sparkly.

Picture B is the PNP paper next to the product.

Picture C is my pride and joy. I find it stunning. 

Earlier, Zack asked me how I got the metals to look like that (face shaped). It is the product of tedious labor. My metals came in rectangular shapes. I traced the shape onto the metal and saw it out. Then I filed all three faces at the same time so they’re equal in size and proportion.

Hopefully, I won’t have too much difficulty putting it all together tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated on the progress. I’m definitely excited for the critique on Wednesday, because I’m so proud of my progress!

Moving on…

Saturday I went to Columbus, OH … about 2 hours away from Kent to see Jimmy Eat World. THEY WERE MINDBLOWINGLY AWESOME! I was 50 people deep on line, but I still ended up behind some tall people. So I decided to go watch on the balcony instead, and I loved it! I was able to see every part of the stage, the hundreds of heads, all facing uniformly in one direction. The whole concert felt like a religious experience. Crowdsurfers served as sacrifices to our music gods. (I’m so happy I avoided all those crowdsurfers though, because I would hate to have someone(s) kick the back of my head 20+ times when I’m watching my favorite band. My favorite part of the show was Jim Adkins, the lead singer, doing his dance. Ok, there is no specific dance, it’s just the way he moves when he sings. I can’t describe it. Kind of dorky but mesmerizing. It brought to mind Radiohead’s performance of 15 Steps at the Grammy’s. Not as erratic, but equally brilliant. 

I’m going to be in NYC from Thursday till early Monday. Not going home, but I will be with my home ;) (So Lin Chen, please don’t post obnoxious comments about this on my wall, like you always do. For real.)

I haven’t seen him in over a month! I can’t say its been smooth sailing through out. I had one emotional breakdown, but … he’s Zack. He’s supportive and caring and patient (I’ve tested his patience MANY times. He’s the reincarnation of Buddha.) and just simply my love. With him, I’m all sides of me. It’s more than I can ever ask for.