Getting Ready for Idea Furnace! Molds 1 & 2 of 4

Getting ready for December's Idea Furnace at Pittsburgh Glass Center! Glass Artist Jason Forck will be creating a Radium Girl, which will glow by way of a bulb inside the Radium Girl's skull, which will be green. Below is an image of the original project concept. We've moved the opening for the light into the neck area, as we'll pass a bulb up into the center of the skull.

In anticipation of Idea Furnace, we're in heavy mold-making mode here. This morning, we poured the plaster for the skull. Next, I will be sculpting the face and hair, as the Radium Girl--let's call her Doreen--will be three dimensional. Here's what our basement looked like this morning:



Michael made adjustable mold boxes that we secure with clamps

Savannah fixed the clay neck to the front of the skull. This wide neck
will create a channel through which a light bulb will be able to pass.

The back of the skull is in a separate mold box. Saran wrap still covers
the clay, since we don't want it to dry out. I'll need to dig the clay out
of the plaster mold once it dries completely.  

Fussing with the front of the skull. Fuss, fuss, fuss....

Creating a crisper neck line...it's super long on purpose.

...and we had a whoopsie here. Savannah is fixing it.

Michael adjusts the molds after we measure so that we get each head half
exactly centered.

We 'bunged up' the inside corners with clay so they won't leak plaster once
it's poured.



Savannah wrestling with the plaster bag to open it.



And the poured molds....we'll take them apart tonight and
Savannah will start digging the clay out.

 

We'll be pouring the molds for the Radium Girl face and back of her head soon. Stay tuned!