Three triangular forms, in different stages of completion, have been on my
desk for nearly a decade. A heavy glass dome on a marble base (I call it
a cheese house that I got at a tag sale), keeps them safe from harm in my
studio. I take them out from time to time and try to pull them along but up
until this year I always become stalled in the process.
Triangles are hard.
Although the live edge does add to
the design, it can also cause construction problems in a symmetrical triangle. Its
organic quality makes it more difficult to see and harder to measure. Add
in piercings, which remove surface area that you might well need in placing
your hinge and catch, and they become that much more of a challenge.
During the past
several years I have been working to develop a simple PMC hinge making
technique for people who want to employ them in their work, but have trouble
with the precise placement of the knuckles in a standard hinge. This difficulty
is understandable, as making a hinge tube, cutting it into knuckle segments and
placing them precisely, are challenging techniques.
The triangular
pendant uses a hinge design that is both easier to mount on the piece, and
decorative. It is not a commonly used
hinge, and this series is the first time I’ve employed it. This technique also
offers an opportunity to use a different colored metal for the hinge pin, which
adds some contrast. Here I am using patinated copper.
I like to be able to
see my work laid out and the beginning and end of each day. This allows me to plan
out my day’s strategy and seed the pieces in my imagination. Often I wake up in
the morning having worked out construction or design problems during the night.
Making a triangular form
requires precision, the three walls must
be exactly sized, and true. Adding a live edge makes this even more
challenging, but worth it. A simple shape template aids in this process.
The hinge assembly and name tag
Double-stick tape helps the
three walls balance during construction.
Alternatively you can use sand paper taped to your surface.
The tight roll of paper keeps
the top and bottom oriented while I’m working out the details of the fit.
On this triangle, the live edge makes it more difficult to measure
for the center, which is where the hinge needs to be. The piece sits on the tear
away texture I used.
Here again the asymmetry of the spiral
adds to the design of the piece but can also make placement more difficult. It needs to compliment the form and allow the
pendant to hang well.
I wanted to incorporate both
movement and sound into this pendant; I made the cone, the triangle, and the
lentil to hang from the bottom of the piece, hoping for some jangle and swing.
This is 960 sterling, made from
mixing equal parts of PMC3 (fine silver) and PMC Sterling. I fired this piece upright, not assembled, in
a little vermiculite. It’s patinated
with liver of sulfur and there’s a gold scroll inside.
My next post will show the
finishing touches: The beads at the bottom, the finished hinge and the finished
side catches.
Please see “Schedule” on my
website for more information about my upcoming classes for 2016:
http://www.celiefago.com/schedule.html
- Celie
