In between all the usual lock down stuff like gardening, housework and competitive backgammon with the hubs I have discovered a new obsession - casting plants in plaster!
Sitting here on my desk are my first attempts - it's been a steep learning curve but hopefully I've learned from most of the numerous mistakes I made!
I'll start with my favourite (and most successful so far!) The brambles are from my front garden and I think they look quite beautiful here although in the garden they promote swearing and frustration on a regular basis.
Baby ferns on the right - had to be chiselled out of the mould as I forgot to use mould release!
Pyracanthus buds
A rose with Lavender and dried grasses - I enthusiastically sanded off some of the stalks!
It's quite a long process, letting the plaster set then letting it dry out for days on end, but I did remember to take a desk shot earlier in the proceedings!
I'm linking up Julia over at WOYWW this week.
Wow what amazing pieces Diana, well worth all the trial and error. Stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah #7
ReplyDeleteThey look like Greek friezes! What a beautiful result, I could live with those quite happily. You do have way more patience than me though Diana!! Glad you and the hubs are keeping ok and doing well.
ReplyDeleteHugs LLJ 2 xxx
Oh My Goodness. They are just so nice and delicate in their shape. WOW
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing!
Happy WOYWW
Mariane #20
http://art.cordes.re
Wow! They are amazing! I would never have thought of using plants, they are beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing such amazing work.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week
Christine #24
Absolutely amazing! Valerie
ReplyDeleteWell you never cease to amaze me with your creations. I initially thought it was embroidery and once I read the post zoomed in on those images. Absolutely beautiful and you must have the patience of a saint to wait for it to dry. I would be poking and touching with disastrous results. Stay safe as you create. Sandra de @15
ReplyDeleteI thought it was white stump work to start with, they are fab!! I guess the plants need to be dried first so they have enough strength to take the pushing into the clay. Have a great week . Soojay#27
ReplyDeleteThe magician at work again!! Stunning plaster casts - so clever and beautiful. xx Jo
ReplyDeleteHi Diana. Wow! What more is there to say? Stunning.
ReplyDeleteTake care. Stay safe. God bless.
Margaret #5
Lovely pieces, Diana! What do you plan to do with them when they're dry? will you leave them natural or add color in some way? Frame? Inquiring minds? LOL Thank you for your visit last week. Time just got away from me. No desk this week. Dealing with a personal security issue. Creative Blessings! Kelly
ReplyDeleteHI Diana, what a fascinating process. It's produced some beautiful results, will be interesting to see what else you do, and how you use these. Have a great week, Stay safe, Hugs, Shaz #17 X
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful and what a wonderful way to remember the flowers ad seeds in your garden or walks. I am thinking you are going to make these into plaques of some kind. Diana, is there no end to your many talents? These are the most beautiful craft pieces I have seen in a while. Wow amazing!
ReplyDeleteHugs (in awe)
Net 9 xx
Cannot find your email address - I can only assume it is since I changed computers but I looked this up and saw the work of this artist and followed her Etsy shop link - wow, you should start selling.https://www.boredpanda.com/plaster-cast-flower-fossils-rachel-dein/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
ReplyDeleteHugs Neet x
Hi Diana, these are gorgeous remember doing this with children at school and the effect is so gorgeous with the plants. Well done for noticing the Andy Goldsworthy stamps. My hubby spent some time with him when he did a course with school children at Anglesey, he's a very interesting artist. Wishing you a lovely creative week and a happy woyww, Angela x19x
ReplyDeleteDiana they are absolutely wonderful, your blog always leaves me feeling so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the competitive backgammon, wish my hubby played "something" with me. I love backgammon, he even bought me a new cribbage board for my birthday but alas he just doesn't "get" games! He doesn't dance either. sigh. He does fix things though and drive miles to get some vintage chairs for our garden to match the set I bought from Homebase over 20 years ago! Thanks for the visit. BJ#11
Well, my jaw actually dropped a bit looking at those. What a fab idea, and how well they turned out. Just gorgeous!! Happy belated WOYWW, Stay well, Stay safe, Cindy #14
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit and lovely comment
ReplyDeleteWOW they are stunning, love them all, wondered what you are going ot do with them when finished,
Lilian B #10
Diana, they are really stunning - and I could believe they were very old ones, now on museum- they looks like belonging to an ancient panel - and they are sooo beautiful .The idea of using plants and flowers is creating such lovely, lovely results. Hugs, Dorthe xx
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Diana, is there no end to your talent? These are absolutely stunning - I wish I had a better word to describe them! They have such an ethereal quality. What did you use to make the moulds? I bought a bag of plaster of Paris several years ago and I've never used it - I can't actually remember why I bought it now!
ReplyDeleteI could see these being incorporated into a wall, like the plaster castings of old - beautiful ceiling roses and cornices.
Thank you for visiting and for such a lovely encouraging comment! I'm so glad you liked everything you saw! I designed and made my wedding dress myself, and had to persuade my hubby to allow me a 6 month engagement or I'd never have finished... I would also have liked to make Mum's outfit and my going away dress but I would have needed another 6 months probably! I'm so glad you liked my 2 cards. I wasn't happy with my hubby's one really, and much preferred the kitties' card, but there you are! I think it's so sweet that you give your guineas presents and wonder what you give them - something extra tasty to eat, perhaps? They are such delightful little creatures. My sister had one when we were little, and she lived to be 6 years old. Mum had a mohair jumper and there as nothing she liked better than to nuzzle into the crook of her elbow in all that softness.
Glad you approve of my altering my knitting ribbing. You are right, a niggle once started remains a niggle for ever and really has to be dealt with! I am much happier with the result now. I'm really fired up with this particular UFO and am keen to get it finished - I feel so inspired to do more now - I seem to have got the knitting bug again!
Happy belated WOYWW,
Shoshi x #22
Holy WOW Diana, I have never seen or heard of this and I love what you have done :) ~Stacy #32
ReplyDeleteI don’t know how many more superlatives there are.. but these are jaw droppingly clever. Don’t they look ethereal in white, how amazing. Perfectly recognisable but ..not quite there. I love them, even the ones you say aren’t perfect. The chives that have a broken edge...looks like a piece of ‘found’ pottery. Gorgeous. And an exercise in why patience is a virtue. I think even I can see the good in waiting for these!
ReplyDeleteHi Diana! Your plaster casts are gorgeous! I can see them hanging on a wall just the way they are. Are you going to do anything else to them? I think my favourite one is the chives one that fell on the floor! Have a great week, stay safe! Lindart #33
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing! So pretty... I look forward to seeing more experiments. Sorry for running late this week, stay safe. with love & God Bless, Caro xx (#4)
ReplyDeleteBreathtaking. It's something I plan to try once I've moved and have more space and time, but for now I'm more than content to enjoy your beautiful creations, with a deep sigh of pure pleasure.
ReplyDeleteAlison x
I missed your post for some reason Diana. These are amazing, I don’t think I’ve seen this process before. It’s so affective. I like the whiteness, beautiful. Well done.
ReplyDeleteLynn xxx
Love these I have never seen someones garden brambles look so good. I too am plagued with these devils Hope you are copeing with the lockdown gardening and creating are my two supports xox
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why I hadn't seen this (came from this week's woyww ) but then saw the date - it was my week I missed visiting from being in hospital! glad my mind hasn't completely gone with lockdown!!
ReplyDeleteI really want to try this - what kind of plaster do you use and what kind of mould release ? I'm a potter/ gardener and want to make some plaster casts of plants I'm growing to decorate my dining room . Thanks for your help :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, I can't reply to you by email as you are a no-reply blogger so I hope you get this answer. I use Plaster of Paris directly into the wood moulds - I don't use mould release as I made each mould so that is unscrews along all sides and can be gently taken apart a bit at a time. I haven't had much luck with mould release on tin or other wood moulds so stick to what works for me. You can find other harder Plaster of Paris mixes if you look on line but they are more expensive and I only use them for pieces I sell, as for my own use I know to be careful as it can scratch easily. I hope you find this helpful and have fun with your castings.
DeleteOh my word. Just beautiful. I have seen this media a couple of times but never as lovely as this. You have answered a couple of my questions above but do you put clay on the bottom then the flowers then the plaster ? I understand if you don’t want to tell me 😊. Ps can I ask what’s WOYWW ? My very best. Moya
ReplyDeleteHi Moya, I can't reply to your email as you are a no-reply blogger so I hope you find this message! I roll the clay out, place the flowers onto the clay remembering that the last to go on will be at the front of the plaque (so the first ones you lay on the clay will be the background foliage), then I lift them off, add the frame (or build a wall of clay around it) and them pour the plaster in. Once dry the wall/frame can be removed and the plaque can be washed, sanded and even painted if you like. I would suggest checking out the internet at there are a lot of videos out there to help with useful hints and tips.
DeleteThanks so much for leaving a comment, I hope this helps and I hope you have fun making your own - it's a very addictive hobby!
Hi again Moya, I forgot to answer your other question! WOYWW stands for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday - we post pictures of our work desks and our craft projects on our blog every Wednesday and then visit each other each week, leaving comments and sharing the love! Do click on the link (the darker grey WOYWW at the end of the post) and have a look, we are a very friendly group and it's great getting to have a nosey around other people's work spaces!
DeleteWhat kind of clay do you use?
ReplyDeleteIt shouldn't matter what type of clay - I find the coloured clays such as blue or red stain the white plaster but sometimes that can create a nice effect. I have used Fimo for small pieces and that can be reused again and again. Other types of clay dry out more easily. Hope that helps.
DeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! How do I follow your blog, please?
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn,
DeleteThank you! About half way down the right hand side of the blog is a small blue button you can click to follow. It's just above the blog archive list. All my work is on Pinterest too - also on the right hand side of this blog.