{work in progress}

{step 1} refine the idea

last month i received a commission for a very special piece from a customer that i met at one of my holiday shows.  i'm really excited about the project and decided it presented the perfect opportunity to start a new blog series that will follow the creation of pieces from start to finish.  for this piece the customer asked for a {model series} necklace with an elderly woman in a hat sitting on a park bench with a small bird and possibly a tree in the background.  i immediately saw an entire park scene, with a bird bath, a grouping of birds and some shrubbery.  after discussing the idea with the customer and find that she was on board it was time to get started.  i was able to track down the figures that i need and once they arrived it was time to get started.  {step 1} refining the idea/ design.  sometimes i do this with a sketch (see above) sometimes i just picture the finished piece in my mind.  {step 2} is gathering the raw materials that will be needed for the project.  for this project, there are several figures that i liked, so i decided to fabricate the necklace first and try the various figures once its finished to see which ones work best.  {step 3} begin fabrication, by cutting and forming the basic pieces to create the various elements.  {step 4} solder pieces together to construct the three dimensional form.  {step 5} file and sand to clean up joints and edges after each solder job.

---

{step 2} gather raw materials

{step 4} solder the elements

{step 3} cut and form the various pieces

{step 5} clean up joints and edges

_repeat {steps 4 and 5} until construction is complete and make adjustments where necessary.  in this case the bench fell apart when soldering it onto the base.  i tried a few times without success so i took a break for the day and will approach it with fresh eyes tomorrow and either rebuild or redesign the element.  often a short break is all that is needed, its amazing how much easier a task can be when you are not tired.

original elements are complete. (the tall post sticking out of the bench will be cut down and used to mount the figure in the final step)

all soldered together, minus the bench

i will continue to post updates and photos as this project moves along.