PAINTING!

Still painting like crazy for my M Modern show
My good friend Don Asher took this "Action Shot"
See you in April!

HIGH OCTANE ENDORPHIN!

HIGH OCTANE ENDORPHIN SCULPTURE! Part of the Gallery 1988 Toys! Show. A Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary Tribute. April 1st. I hope to see you there!

ACM ON VINYL PULSE!

Vinyl Pulse has done a wonderful write up on my first wide release vinyl toy, the Angry Clobber Monkey. Thanks Jack!





Here's a pic of the hand painted prototype. Also Munky King is releasing the ACM, and doing these excellent "So Very Angry" T-Shirts. Just like the Monkey wears! Thanks to Pat, Plex, Derek, Zury and the whole MK crew.

STRETCHING CANVAS!

Check out the latest issue of Stretching Canvas. A new quarterly art magazine.
On news stands and at books stores now. This issue has a great page featuring my limited edition hand made resin characters. Plus a great article on Kathie Olivas & Brandt Peters, And many others.

BABY SQUIRREL!

Lisa and I were out on a bike ride on Sunday. I noticed on the curb two crows were attacking a baby squirrel. We stopped, the crows fled and we decided to take the little guy home and try getting him back in shape. I scooped him up in my hat. He was feisty and trying to attack me, and had a great defensive posture. Then he was much happier to crawl right into the dark smelly confines of my hat. We went on a couple of “Squirrel Rescue” Websites, (I never knew they had such a thing) lots of good info. He seems to be energetic yet exhausted. He’s been drinking pedialite and puppy milk formula, then crashing. We will keep our fingers crossed and I’ll keep everyone posted.

GALLERY 1988 "TOYS" PREVIEW!

Here's a sneak peek of my "High Octane Endorphin, Old #5" for G1988 TOYS show opening April 1st. Should be fun!

ACM HERE IT COMES!

ART SHOW COMING SOON!

I think the entries may be sporadic for the next month. Aside from other projects I'm furiously painting for an April show at M Modern Gallery. Also there's going to be a special limited edition resin piece that I will reveal when the show is up. Working day and night until it's done!

MORE MOLD MAKING!

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things this week. I'll start by continuing where I left off molding the angry clobber monkey. Last post the clay divider was finished for the mold, and the walls of the form were built. Now it's time to pour silicone. Most silicones have the same mixture: 10: 1. I like to use a Vacuum Chamber to de-gas the silicone. This is very important when doing a big mold. I rent time at a local shop. If you don’t have access to a vacuum chamber there are very good brush on methods. Brush up can be done several ways, brushing on several coats of regular RTV Silicone getting rid of all air bubbles. Then finishing with a thicker mixture tobuild up strength in the mold. Check out any supply shop that deals in these materials and they will have info on the different grades of silicone. Carefully mix the silicone according to directions. De-gas if you can.



When I pour it into the mold never pour it directly on the sculpt. Tilt the mold and fill from the side at an angle. Let it fill up gradually at an angle to chase out any air pockets. With all of the holes in the clay that will eventually become the keys of one half of the mold, we want the air to be pushed out.



This is a big piece! Silicone is expensive, so I like to be as economical as possible when making molds. When I have a piece that has a lot of volume I add scraps from old molds. I always save old burnt out molds, cut them up into small chunks and add them as I’m filling the new mold. The old silicone will bond with the new, and it won’t register if it touches the sculpt. IMPORTANT! Only add the filler scraps after you pour new silicone, if you ad it before it will lead to air bubbles and all sorts of trouble.



These are two sided molds I’m working on. The head is a good example:


The Head ready to go


First the layout for the divider.


Keys added.



After the first layer of silicone sets up, carefully remove the clay, and ad a new piece of foam-core for the new form. Next carefully brush a thin coat of Vaseline on the silicone to prevent the new half from bonding. Don’t forget this step, it will make you sad if you do.

Jim Henson Honors

I received a few emails while I was away about the Jim Henson Honors Award.
Back in o5 I had the challenge and pleasure of sculpting the character for the award.
The character was a 3-D interpretation of a 2-D Jim Henson doodle of a running fur ball character. Unfortunately the sculpting process was not documented, so I can't really share too much on the creation. The challenge was to get the feeling of motion, and the furry sculpted in a way that it could have the hairy texture, and still be mold friendly when it was turned into a bronze piece.

The end result was very cool, and I'm proud to have been a part of making this unique trophy.





Neil Gaiman was one of this years proud recipients.



I found this picture of the finished prototype on my work table.

Jerry Pressler 1934 - 2008

I’m putting together a blog for my Dad. I want there to be a place to show his art, and a little bit about his life. Besides being just an all around neat guy, and loved dearly by his family and friends he was a prolific painter. He did some shows in Indianan, but his work for the most part was not seen by many. So I will be posting lots of pictures of his paintings and illustrations, I’ll post a link for his new blog soon.