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NightWing Fine Art Studio Gallery


Work in progress: Pawn Cocktail
-- Images from November 2001 --

Completed in November 2001, was a new sculpted feature vessel (comprising 19 pieces!) which is entitled "Pawn Cocktail".

Despite the word-play in the title, there is a serious side to this piece. The game of chess represents a conventional war where the game board represents the battlefield and the pieces are analogous to the traditional roles of people at war, with the pawns representing the ordinary foot soldier.

Taking up this idea, the sculpture is an expression of sympathy for the way in which the lives of ordinary folk are swept up in situations of conflict (such as those currently occurring in the world).

The 'chess board' in this piece has been extrapolated into three dimensions, with the 'terrain' rising up like the sea into dangerous rifts and waves and to spout upwards into a 'vortex' resembling the form of a cocktail glass. In this the hapless pawns are tossed while emblems of the opposing forces (depicting the moon and stars - issues quite remote from the rank and file...) are represented as incised motifs on the 'swizzle sticks'.
SOME OF THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS

There are several hundred stages involved in producing a work of this type. Here is a peak at a small selection of them!

Preparations
Some preparations
- the assembly of
blocks for the
'chess board'.


Clamping
The long process
of clamping up cubes
of walnut and beech
for the 'vessel'.
Turning
The lathe work
giving form to the
'cocktail glass'
and its stem.
Sanding
Fine-sanding of the
turned vessel before
the next stage of
lamination.
Blocking
Fitting together the
profile of the base
block by block before
beginning the carving.
Carving
An early stage in
the process of carving
the 'wave' forms onto
the base.
Pawn Making
Turning one of the
sixteen pawns (this one
is from Australian-
grown Holly).
Detailing
Getting the fine
detail and the flow
of curves in the
finishing stages.



A PICTURE OF THE FINISHED WORK
as it was being prepared for packaging and exhibition:

Temple Sunrise - Pre-Assembly

The finished work was among a number of pieces included in an
exhibition at Art Affairs Gallery (21 November - 2 December 2001).


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