Bethan Hemus Art

Blog

  • holy relic

  • Horn casts all ready to fire
    I’ve 3 complete horns and one with the tip broken off, all ready for firing. I feel confident that at least 1 or 2 will survive the bisque firing process next week. Can’t wait to glaze them.

  • Rock wrapping



    Rock wrapping tutorial:
    https://hhperkins.com/blogs/news/master-the-art-of-rock-wrapping-creating-zen-stones-spiritual-benefits-and-creative-ideas
    Knot tying instructional videos:
    https://youtube.com/@TyingItAllTogether?si=NDJ69dRGl2Aa7W7U

  • Framing using reclaimed wood

    I worked with Don to make some frames from new wood and then stapled the felt edges of my pieces over the edges like a canvas. I then used reclaimed wood, cutting it to the right shape and depth to frame the pieces. I finished them off by gluing reclaimed ply to the back.

  • Smashed mold
    My horn slipcast mold was knocked over and sadly smashed. Luckily it has a clean break and the cast inside it at the time remained mostly in tact; the tip snapped off but I will fire both pieces anyway.

    I have stabilised the mold using gaffa and a ratchett strap under James’s advice, and poured another cast.

    Fingers crossed that the cast and the mold survive.

  • First photo studio session with ceramic test pieces















  • Textured horn cast with rune
    I experimented adding texture to my second cast using loads of different tools.
    The end effect is quite organic, almost like bark. I let my hands move freely over the piece, tracing desire lines in a gestural way. It’s given the piece an artefact quality which I like and I think will catch the glaze in interesting ways. So I’m pleased.
    I have been making sigils again recently and because the piece looks tree like, I added an ogham tree symbol.

  • Reinforcing the kneeling stool

    The stool is sound in structure, but I am going to replace some of the wood parts and reinforce it with braces to err on the side of caution. The top boards and padding need totally replacing as are worn with age/ use.

    After stripping the frame,  I cleaned and sanded it lightly. I also removed all the nails I could and knocked in the ones that I couldn’t.
    I’ve used thick MDF to replace the top boards and 2 x 4 to brace the corners and nail in a lip around the top edge for the kneeling board to rest on. I screwed and glued them in place and then weighted and clamped the whole unit. I will fill all the nail holes around the edges with wood filler to try and reinforce the areas where I will attach the new cross stitch. And I will use high density foam I’ve reclaimed from a friend’s re-upholstery project in their van as the new padding.

  • Glaze experiment results

    I’m really pleased with how these have come up.








    The ceramic studio are having technical issues with multiple kilns not working, so unfortunately my pieces from last term haven’t been fired yet. 

    I have been told that it will likely be 3 weeks until they can all be fired twice. I am going to chat with Tom about how this affects my submission timeline.

  • Wimple research and patterning

    A friend who LARPs invited me to tea to show me a head piece they wear that is similar to the above picture. I was so grateful because I had struggled to find a suitable pattern online or in books before now, but after my visit I realised that this kind of garment is actually super simple to make; it’s made up of 3 separate simple hemmed parts.





    There is a band that ties around the head seen above and below.




    A smaller square piece of fabric that is pinned to this headband and the back, looping to cover the front of the neck.





    Lastly, a large piece of fabric is pinned on the top of the head to cover the hair and head.

    I worked with the fashion studio technician Carmella to create a paper pattern and then used this to replicate the wimple in both linen and calico.


    Measurements:
    Big piece – 94cm width x 49cm height
    Small piece – 64cm width x 34cm height
    Headband piece – 40.5cm width x 3.5cm height
    * Plus 2cm seam allowance to be added to all 3 pieces.



    I traced the pattern on using pencil and cut them out in both fabrics.











    After hemming all 6 pieces, I marked the fabric so I know how it all fits together/ which way up ot needs to be when on display. 





    Then I wrote sections of the Serenity Prayer verse across the fabric using a water soluble pen. 









    I then machine embroidered over this text. I backed the embroidered areas with batting to make it a more robust.







    I am glad of the dummy head that I invested in because it’s helping me to get a better feel for the placement and composition of the writing. This will be more and more useful as the pieces progress.