The Celebration Day at Gwalia Mynydd Mawr, 5 November 2014
A perfect , clear blue day for the un-veiling of the Sculpture and a celebration of the whole Project and all the lovely, dedicated people who were involved from Arts Care Gofal Celf, Gwalia, the Primary schools in the area and the extraordinary Staff and Residents at Gwalia Mynydd Mawr.
The video here describes the whole project:
Mynydd Mawr Courtyard Sculpture, 2m h x 190cm w, 2014.
From the outset the many people from Arts Care Gofal Celf, Gwalia and Mynydd Marw involved in this 2 year , multi-fasceted, Baring Foundation ‘Yma a Nawr’ project have put in their all to make it out-standing. After the excellent Installation of the Sirhowy Wyvern I knew that Andrew Preece and his team at Smartfix Property Maintenance would also do whatever it takes to make this Sculpture look fantastic. They are incredibly picky and fastidious, it’s marvellous. Best materials,committed craftsmanship, and they always stick to the Budget no matter how much extra time they have to put in.
Smartfix Property Maintenance at Mynydd Mawr, Tumble
Moving the heavy sections around meant 4 men had to be on site.
The 2 bottom sections are lowered over rebars set into the solid plinth and foundations.
It was critical to get the position of these first sections correct.
The sections are filled with concrete and left overnight to set.
Once everything has set the supports can be removed and the joints pointed.
The charming tiles, made by pupils at Llannon Primary School and residents at Mynydd Mawr are laid out in a measured pattern.
Andrew and Phil set the tiles.
I did the glass with Andrew.
The Wyvern and the Osprey, 2014.
The story is coming together. My policy of don’t ask too many questions, let the work flow, put in the hours,review completed forms, is working well.
Porth Yr Ogof Cave, Brecon Beacons, by Steve Foote.This image and the memory of being down there is still key.
Balarat Pit Marker, 6m L x 2m H, Blaengarw, Wales.
The idea of the Wyvern, guardian within the land ,started with the Balarat Pit Marker although I didn’t know the name. The Wyvern is a force and can take many forms. The Harbingers I’ve made are similar figures.
River Harbinger,2012
The Wyvern III, 2014
These busts are developing slowly as my portrait skills heat up and I can work more freely.
Busts in progress, Aug 2014.
Lots of changes, lots of layers.This is the main photo I am focussing on; The sky, the land and the ocean and man’s presence – everything is integrated.
Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea, by Stephen Foote, 2014.
These 2 pictures and the experience of being in both these places is never far from my mind these days.
Porth Yr Ogof Cave, Brecon Beacons, by Stephen Foote.2014
A narrative is emerging that involves the passage of water from the Beacons’ sky to the ocean at the bottom of the Swansea Valley. The Tawe River passes the Studio and the ground beneath us is full of tunnels from the rivers and from mining. The Wyvern, a dragon with a wonderful mythology about guarding the treasures of the subterranean world entered the picture when I was heavily involved with the history of local Coal Mining and the Pit Marker Sculptures and it is re-emerging here. 
The next clay-armature is more specific now that I have a clearer idea of where I’m going.
3rd Bust armature in progress, Aug 2014.
in progress, Aug 2014.
Theatr Brycheiniog’s Kid’s Zone at Brecon Jazz 2014
A Join-In Sculpture, with Zimele UK in Abergavenny Castle. 2015
Theatr Brycheiniog’s Kid’s Zone at Brecon Jazz 2014
Sharing skills and encouraging creativity is what makes the world go round. I have a great deal of experience in guiding people of all ages and abilities towards their own style.
Groups or individuals are welcome to come here – seeing the Studio lay-out and work-in-progress is part of the event. Or I can bring everything we need to you. The Workshop will be custom made to suit your needs.
For Example;
-I particularly encourage Teacher’s to do a fun, very straightforward 2 hour Workshop on Using Clay Modelling in School. We’ll cover firing/ self-hardening clays,recycling clay,decorating and controlling costs, everything to help you keep clay in the class room because it matters!
-A Portfolio Review will clarify the way you see your work in preparation for college applications or a change of direction.
-‘How To ‘classes with technical solutions for challenging projects,especially working on a large scale.
Join-In Sculptures are great fun and full of learning opportunities. It is a wonderful way to get Groups to explore ideas and themes. I have done these with adults and children at Schools, Events and Parties; Everyone adds their bit until we have a fabulous sculpture. Photos are taken and then we re-cycle the clay.
A Join-In Sculpture with The Big Skill at Archaeology For All in Merthyr.
This fantastic 3 metre x 2.5 metre painting was done with many kids at the Penrhos Youth Centre over 6 weeks.
Fees;
£25 per hour + 44p/per/mile Travel + materials .On average Individuals will use around £2.00 worth of clay. On many projects , like the Join In Sculptures,all the material is re-clycled so there is no charge for it.
You learn a lot about your own work from watching a skilled Photographer taking pictures of it. You get a more objective view. The lights are certainly a merciless test of your planes and edges. Stephen Foote’s top quality lenses will pick up every flaw.
I went over the whole piece with fine portrait tools and his perfect pictures reward that. I’m very inspired by the excellent craftsmanship of stone or glass artists like Sally Fawkes (http://www.sallyfawkes.com ) her process is incredibly harsh and difficult yet she doesn’t back off until her stunning sculptures are flawless. Clay is way easier but avoiding marks when you are handling the piece is a constant battle
Sally Fawkes ‘Perceiving Significance II’ photo ;Richard Jackson
After a spell of controlled drying it’s time cut the sections. Luckily I have a fantastic Assistant, Michael Preece. I spent a lot of time planning the cuts; we have opted for large sections and I needed to ensure they would fit in the kiln and be handleable. Mike used a variety of tools to make the cuts and he and my son Daniel lifted the sections to thick memory foam where they will stay for at least a month.
Working in clay you always have an eye on the Drying and Firing -Plan; accommodating these long drying periods where the atmosphere needs to be controlled and having the right sized pieces ready to pack nice full kilns that will distribute the heat evenly.
I went round all the edges of the cuts and tidied them and repaired any dings. I will cover the sections with sheets to ward off drafts and turn them regularly. Most cracks form at this stage although they may not show up until after the Firing.
The Sculpture for Mynydd Mawr, Tumble, is in the early drying stage, wrapped in plastic. Once I’m sure the upper sections are firm enough (including the internal supports) I’ll get my Assistants in and we will cut the sections and lift them onto memory-foam for a long , slow, dry.
This is a lovely stage; the clay is still full of water and it holds the light beautifully. I have been over the whole piece with a fine modelling tools.
Photographs by Stephen Foote.
Almost there- it’s down to finishing touches now. I’ve re-done the head about 90 times and I’m still not happy with it. The Sculpture is wrapped in plastic to rest and settle.I will un-wrap it with fresh eyes and be better able to see what’s needed. In theory. Once the top feels firm I will remove those internal supports- a scary moment ; it could collapse which is why you need to have a ‘sensibly'(pessimistically ) long build time! The supports have to come out because they are restricting the shrinkage and soon they will start causing damage. That broom will never be the same. The outside supports will stay to the end and those sections will get their finishing touches during dismantling.
Andrew Preece of Smart-fix, my expert Installer came over and we plotted the sections. It’s great having his early input. I never compromise on the form but Andrew can advise on structural issues so that the Installation goes smoothly and we get the best result.
That hole in the top left is the last bit to go in. The fired colour will be a stony pale yellow.
The shape looks crazy at this point.
The first draft of the details can go on; the most important thing right now is to get good joins for the clay.
When the clay has hardened these can be touched up by carving with a delicate tool. These images were taken from archive pictures of 2 mines and the Railway local to Tumble. Apparently the Train that ran from Great Mountain Colliery was the first ever passenger line.
I’m using smaller coils and each stage is taking longer.It is just approaching the point where the central hole will form and the top edges start to meet- lets hope my measurements were right! If it doesn’t meet properly I’ll cut out large sections and re-do them.
The props are getting more inventive!
Those out-side supports will stay in place until after the upper parts are cut and lifted off. In theory it would be self-supporting….but if it collapsed it would do it fast! The final, fired and installed Sculpture will have cement and steel rods inside so it will be strong enough to climb on.
The Photography Shoot was even better than I had expected; stunning weather, lovely people exchanging ideas, a great lunch and Stephen Foote working with grace and charm, taking time with each person to be sure he got what they hoped for.
The Studio had been scrubbed down and tidied so Steve’s kit didn’t get dusty and the Commission wrapped in plastic to rest and let the water in the clay settle. It was great to have a few days break then un-wrap the piece in a clean room and review the progress with fresh eyes.
The build method is the same as for the Monumental Sculptures but scaled down. The walls are thinner , the coils smaller , but the same sort of supports are used. The final sections will be much bigger so where the cuts will be needs to be pre-planned and internal structure put in to support the sections through the fire.
Because the form shrinks as it dries, internal supports are clay and shrink with the form and external ones need to allow shrinkage or only be used for short periods. Quality memory foam is ideal because it lets the clay shrink yet will hold up surprising amounts of weight.The finger marks also support the walls and are left on the inside and only smoothed away on the outside after the section has gone firm.
The clay is Scarva’s Earthstone Crank Material, ES50, and it is awesome. Their previous Crank had fantastic build quality but it was a minging colour wet and fired unless you put something made in Black Chunky in the kiln with it – then it took on a lovely gold shade. This new Crank is even better to use and will fire to very nice pale gold ideal for the setting.
The lower section will stay wrapped most of the time to slow the drying and allow the water time to drop. I believe this makes the walls stronger but that might be nonsence. Each Clay-person develops their own relationship with their clay and techniques that are a breeze for one might be chaos for another. I started as Coil-builder 34 years ago and over time I’ve added a lot of side-shoots to my method.
It is 3/4 built, 225kgs of clay, 95cm high. I have definatly done the easy bits – from here on up it will be very slow; smaller coils added in small doses. In-between I’ll work on the surface images and the edges. This initial stage is building the basic form. A lot of clay will be added to bring out the curves and images. That will be left to harden and then the whole piece will be re-fined with subtractive methods. 3 steps forward , 2 steps back, slow and steady.
Rebecca Buck 