Face Casting

My cast face

During the week of classes after the encaustic conference at Castle Center for the Arts in Truro, I was pleased to take Kim Bernard's post-conference workshop on casting wax from plaster molds. I intend to write a post on that workshop showing how the plaster molds were made, but I neglected to take photos of the cast wax objects that were produced. I'm hoping that I will be able to get those photos to make the posts complete, but in the meantime, I thought I would show you my experience with having my face cast in plaster during the class.

These photos were all taken by April Nomellini with my iphone. She did a great job documenting the process, as you will see. (Here's a link to a site showing April's work and I also showed April with the work she made in my Mixed Media and Encaustic class.)

I was feeling a bit leary as Kim placed towels around my neck

I had never had my face cast before and thought I would like to give it a try when Kim asked for a volunteer. Whether I would be able to stay still enough and not laugh or speak during the process was questionable, but I decided to go for it.

Applying vaseline - especially to eyebrows and eyelashes

The first step is to coat the face well with vaseline as a release agent so that the plaster can be removed from skin and hair more easily.

Plaster gauze cut in strips

This process uses the material from which casts for broken bones were previously made before new processes were developed. Small strips of plaster-coated gauze are cut and soaked in water just before applying.

Kim was very good about keeping the plaster out of my hair

Notice the neat edge she put on the mask

The application took maybe 10 minutes and then I had to wait for another 5 minutes or so -- and all that time I had to stay still and not smile, frown or otherwise move my facial muscles. And I had the worst itch on my upper lip!

I like this image with the large mural of a face in the background.

Can you see that the casting has gotten stiffer?

I was a little worried that this might feel claustrophobic, but it didn't. The plaster just felt cool and wet, a good feeling because it was hot in the shed and the sun was beating down.

Now I am deliberately moving individual facial muscles and I can feel
the cast releasing from them. The cast did not feel hard
on my face. I only knew it had hardened when I felt it with my fingers.
It was an odd sensation to feel it pop off as I moved parts of my face.

And there it is!

Kim is explaining that the outside of the cast has to be built up with more
plaster before it can be used as  a mold.  It should be about an inch thick.

Here is the inside of the cast - complete
with a few real eyelashes and some makeup.

This was quite an experience, and I'd like to complete the process by adding plaster so that I could cast it in wax to see it as a positive image. It does feel kind of strange to be looking at myself this way with no animation and closed eyes. It's actually a little chilling and reminds me of the death masks that used to be cast on corpses. Maybe it will look different in wax. Let's hope so.

A big THANK YOU to Kim for doing such a great job and to April for taking such good photos!

More About the Encaustic Conference

Surface and below

I've been home for four days and I'm still not here. I wake up at night and don't know where I am. Do you think I have a problem, doctor?

It's not only that I don't travel much, but that my brain and all my senses were so thoroughly taken up with wax and its adherents that it's taking me a while to settle back into my life. Perhaps after I've spent a couple of days in the studio, I'll feel relocated into normalcy.

Note: click on pix to enlarge

Saturday at the Conference
My blog posts have joined me in being discombobulated because I've already posted images from the vendor room that I took on Saturday. But surely we could stand more surprise pix.

I just love the I'll-get-you-for-this expression on Joanne's face

Never too many diamonds!

A stunning example of bricolage sculpture, if I do say so myself.
I understand that Pippa has put my phone number into her rolodex.

After participating in the Managing Media panel Saturday morning and pulling off the great Thank-You-Joanne Surprise, I spent the day in the vendor room trying to blog and just hanging out. Matter of fact, I spent most of the actual conference hanging out in the vendor room, and I understand from the Conference Director that the Bureau of Encaustic Affairs will be conducting an investigation into my overly-social behavior.

Sunday at the Conference
So before They catch up with me, let's move right over to Sunday when we all had such fun at the Art Fair. Debra Ramsay did an excellent long-distance job of organizing this event, and next year I hope she will appear in person. I took way too many pictures, but here are a few that I liked.

Binnie's and my cards outside our room

Binnie's work

My work

David Clark and Laura Moriarty visiting our room

Kimberly Kent's work

Bascha Mon's prints of her head paintings

A page from Kay Hartung's book

Jane Longman's work

Kathleen Lemoine

Dottie Furlong-Gardner's monotypes

Karen Frazer's beehive

Corina Alvarez Delugo

A stack by Marybeth Rothman and Lisa Pressman
 (including the red one of Lisa's that I bought)

Work on the bed by Peggy Epner and on the table by Deanna Wood

Good sign for four painters

Good sign and a good promo poster

Amazing trompe l'oeil work by Christine Kyle

Jane Nodine's work

Jane looking like the cat who swallowed the canary (many sold pieces)

Michelle Belto's work

Karen Freeman and her work

Jessica Greene's work (my only studio student - note those "sold" signs)

Elena DeLaVille

One of Elena's works

Cherie Mittenthal and her work

Joanne Mattera's work (and on the left note the conference trophy)

David Clark's installation

Pamela Blum's bathroom exhibition

Part of Laura Moriarty's bathroom installation

Charyl Weissbach's two-panel work (this work turned yellow/green
in the camera but was actually a more neutral color)

Detail of above 

This was a lot of fun. Next year I hope we can get a list of participants and their room numbers so we will be sure not to miss those we want to see. This year, without such a list, it was always a surprise to find out who was behind the next door. I did like that discovery aspect of it, so maybe we should just leave it the way it was.

The Art Trade
Lisa Pressman and I organized this participatory event and I counted 60 people there. I don't think all of them were trading, but the vast majority were. This last event of the conference was also a lot of fun, but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures except some really blurry ones of Lisa and me.

We look like we're right off the bingo lineup at the local VFW.

Next year we need to plan an earlier event because we were all dragging by the time the last ticket was drawn and package chosen. I think just about everyone was very pleased with the work they received in exchange. People were very generous and really gave nice pieces. And we did have a few laughs - always an important component.

Addendum: How could I forget Jackie Battenfeld's talk Saturday night? It was informative and inspiring. Now I'll have to read the book that's been in my studio since last year's conference.

Keynote Speaker Jackie Battenfeld in the Mayflower Room

Next post: Kim Bernard's post-con workshop in mold making and casting.