Mutation and alteration of materials

Looking at transmutation of raw materials to colour

1. change in form, nature, or substance.

   
   

   "the raw material of his experience was transmuted into stories"

   • subject (base metals) to alchemical transmutation.

     
     

     "the quest to transmute lead into gold"

I started with a small piece of soft wood, some thin copper sheet and copper wire, I was hoping to change the wood and copper into light and colour. Partly it is the colour of the copper that I love so much and the light produced by flame has similar rich warmth and movement. Also the colour that the burning copper makes is green/ blue and is the complimentary colour to the flames of fire.

This is the same piece coming out of the coals and cooling, the copper now spotlessly clean, all residue and impurities burned away, leaving just copper and burnt wood, if left longer of course the wood would burn away completely but the metal would still keep its shape.

It's difficult to show the blue greens in photographs, you can see it much easier in video

This also shows the transformation between burning the wood and copper and putting it out with water. The end result quite different from the starting point.

Interpretation of and from Artist's Book into final pieces for project

 Interpretation of and from Artist's Book into final pieces for project

I have been looking at how to move on from the initial experience of metal armour into creating a whole new body of work from the Artist's book and all the research (to be found in my sketchbooks) rather than reverting back to the armour and moving in a different direction from there, to create more of a linear  timeline than a spider diagram of work.
As the artists book formed from an abstraction of metal armour and protective rib cage / breastplate, the next stage of this project must move on from there.

My love of materials always draws be toward wood and copper, however in an effort to please both my stretch toward true artwork and a pull toward making craft I have attempted to make artwork from an initial craft base.

I have made a construct of wood (oak) pieces held together with a copper over structure based on the ribcage composition of my artist's book.

Thin copper plate nailed to oak planks

I love the feel movement and gleam of copper, the reflection, warmth and malleability of what is essentially cold hard metal.










 My intention is to change the nature of the project by changing the nature of the materials. I have looked at ways to get past armour, ways to change and transmute materials. And of course make artwork from either the process or the end result.

I often find it difficult to move on from a piece so a big part of this project for me is to maintain momentum, whilst looking thoroughly at what presents, be prepared to step into the next phase and make new work or to abstract work from the research.

Artist's book of Armour - Sarah Patterson

Making an Artist's Book

And completed

 I liked the way this came to be so carnal, visceral and raw, I made the stitching look like sutures to emphasise the crude, organic, gory quality of the book

Final pieces for Fire and Armour project 2015

 Fire and Armour

I started this project by looking at Medieval armour, the structures and the protective quality it affords.

In turn this lead me to look at breastplates and the internal skeletal form the protects our most vital organs.

Breast plates from the Fitz William museum Cambridge

Chest X-Ray photograph

Print after folded paper, monoprint on copper plate

I started making many prints, some monoprints, some overlaying woodcuts

Original photograph

Photograph printed on acetate, spayed and printed direct to paper

Some cut outs from woodcut and mono prints attached by concetina

This bookmaking process allows 3 dimensionality from a 2-dimensional starting point.

These prints start to look quite visceral