Reflections: Luminated

So this is another piece that I enjoy quite a bit (most of them I don't really like and there's only a handful that I'm actually happy about). And if you can't tell by now, I like throwing bottles; I find them fun to throw and the form is aesthetically pleasing i.e. I think it's sexy.

In terms of timeline, it's also relatively recent (somewhere between 2008 and 2010). As you can see, I'm still very much into the handcarving. I've also been playing with the idea of giving the piece an old and tattered look. Like it's gone through a lot of wear and tear - something that showed endurance. I think the idea here, with the holes, was to make it look like a tin can that's been shot at. And the bullets have ripped through its being and yet it stands with character and beauty intact. I was also playing around with a lot of staining. The body of the piece is painted with red iron oxide and then wiped off, which complements the carving and gives it that texture and leathery look. There are other types of glazes that would bring out the texture and accentuate the breaks but I was doing a lot of staining at the time for two reasons: 1) I hate glazing - I find it the most difficult part and yet it is what can make or break the aesthetic of a piece. Sometimes the fire gods are good and sometimes they're not so kind. I found that staining was reliable and I didn't have to worry about the little variables from glazing; did I mix the glaze enough? is it on evenly? did I wipe the bottom properly? is there enough wax? blah. It becomes a hassle. So staining, although your hands get a nice coat of red iron oxide and have to wash them like crazy - even then you'll still have a spotty hand. But I don't mind this. And 2) I like the effect of stains.

When I made this piece, there was another person playing around with lamps. So I figured hey, why not? I decided to make some kind of luminary. The holes were supposed to help with the effect of the light - kind of make it look like something is bursting from the inside out. 

 In order to put a light bulb in I had to make an opening. I didn't want to make a conventional lamp, which wouldn't require any opening just making sure that the wire went to the top of the bottle. At the same time, I wanted the opening to bring out the form of the bottom... but what do you know, I made a vagina. It gave an entirely different twist to the piece with the light bulb in the middle, which I will simply leave to your imagination. I also splashed some red iron oxide on the inside. But, I regret doing this and it was too late to wash it off. I think it would have looked better without the staining on the inside. I also had the idea of lacing the middle together with some hemp rope - like shoe laces. I thought it would have a pretty cool effect and give a sense of binding something together, which would add to the theme of suffering. Never got around to trying it though. Maybe when I go back to my parents house one day I'll do it and see what it looks like. 

I glazed the tip of the bottle cherry red, which gave it a nice purplish magenta color. No particular meaning at the time other than wanting something reddish to complement the staining. But, like I just said, there is an interpretation to be had in a symbolic sense.

In retrospect, I wish the fire gods had graced me with a bit more running (the drip effect) from the glaze but I'll take it. I'm a bit divided on the glaze. Part of me wishes that I hadn't done it and part of me kind of likes it. I'm not sure.

So it was time to try it out. What did it look like with the red light bulb? From the back:

 

And in the dark, from the front:

To the side:

And again the front

 

It wasn't quite the magnificent effect that I had envisioned. I guess I thought the holes and produce a greater refraction of light - perhaps I needed a brighter light bulb. I tried it again with a white light but I didn't like it. So I played with the camera effects a bit and:

 

SuperSaiyan!! lol.

So I really enjoyed making this piece and there are a few things that I would definitely do differently now if I were to make something similar again. This definitely served as a "draft" or a kind of prototype for something in the future (whenever I get a chance to jump back into a studio that is). At any rate, I like the ambiguity and there's enough symbolism to give space for various interpretations (i.e. room for meaning).