The
With the first 3 figures finished except for detailing and polishing, we
can briefly look at the other elements on this side before beginning the second
half. I’ve replaced the Eros figure with a dove, recognised in modern society
as a sign of peace and/or love and is far more plausible than an ‘angel’. It’s
posed a bit like the Anhauser Bush eagle logo and was straightforward to do.
It’s not terribly big so if it hadn’t worked out, I could have engraved Eros
over it as per the original vase.
You’ll see from the images that I have done some preliminary work on the
handles. The mock-up image gives an idea of how they will appear; there’s a lot
of figuring out to do on them - exactly how and where they attach has a bearing
on the 2 faces that appear just below them. The handles aren’t exact replicas
of the original and will not be attached to the neck of the vase – they are
going from the shoulder of the vase to the rim. They won’t have a 90 degree
bend either, as I’ve opted for a more subtle curved design.
As part of the plan to modernise the Vase and date it to 2014, the 2
faces under the handles provide an opportunity to engrave a ‘likeness’ of some
individuals – we’re not talking portraits here, more of a resemblance to
someone from popular culture. The original figures have long hair and beards
(that are fashionable now) and are staring at the viewer. Anyone who knows me
would be aware I’m a road racing fan, you know, the Isle of Mann TT etc. etc.
so the first guy was an easy choice.........Guy Martin. He is a professional
road racer, has long hair and ‘sideburns’; he has several TV series behind him
(one called ‘How Britain Worked’ that focused on traditional hand crafts) that
gives him a public profile so he fits the criteria. Remember, this ‘likeness’ is
the result of about 2 or 3 hours work, is not a proper portrait and needs a
little more ‘tweaking’ to finish. You’ll have to wait to find out who the other
guy is!
Looking at the other side now, there are 3 more figures and a lot of
background items to do. The theory is that they were Achilles, Helen and
Aphrodite, who had all passed into the afterlife and so appear on stone
islands. On this vase they’ll appear to be ‘hanging-out’, just doing the stuff
young adults do. We’ll work them exactly the same as the first side - draw the
figures onto the glass, mark out the outlines with a diamond point and then
stone out basic depths. Once you’ve done that it’s back to the copper wheels to
get the detail, adding some modern clothing, hairstyles and technology in
keeping with the updating.
I got sidetracked with some
other projects in the last few weeks and had hoped to have this piece finished
today to coincide with the beginning my 30th year engraving; the
revised date is Thursday next in order to make the exhibition deadline so, no
pressure!
No comments:
Post a Comment