Jane Pettit
In The Studio
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This section gives you a glimpse into the steps involved in creating the art. From time to time I’ll add new images, so check back to see what’s going on in the studio. If you’d like to receive the email about new works, please go to the contact page and let me know via email.
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Frogs Three and Me started out as an eight foot piece of insulation abandoned on the side of the road.
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Step 1
To round her out a bit and give her some stability, I added some
additional polystyrene pieces. She’s cut and shaped with hot wire, metal
brushes, various files and other re-purposed tools and kitchen
utensils. The octopus with tentacles front under her left arm and back didn’t make it in the final version.
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Step 2
To stabilize for an outdoor location, the form is cut in two and a PVC
tube is glued in and she’s put back together. This allows a steel rod
that’s anchored in a footing to be inserted.
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Step 3 and 4
She then gets a layer of fiberglass mesh which then is covered with
concrete. After she enjoys the plastic bag sauna and cures for a couple
of weeks or more, she’s ready for her wardrobe fitting.
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Step 5
I laid out her pattern before adhering it.
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Step 6
The pieces are then adhered. She had to have shells and sea glass. Her fork is Polish pottery. Her hair is a golden measuring cup set and orange cups and saucers. Her anemone flowers are recycled brass fence details. The three frogs are hidden around. Lots of recycled pieces complete the ensemble. The tiny millefiori gets added last.
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Step 7 and 8
The next step is to grout everything. After letting that cure, the last step is to use a grout sealer to protect the piece. Then She’s ready for the pool!
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Within
Within was initially intended as a fountain, but once the carving was done, the form seemed complete without a water feature. The top is flat enough to hold a glass table top, but that, too, diminished the form’s statement. Like a geode, the outer face is neutral slate, the form is not quite symmetrical and the inside is alive with color and sparkle. Cutting and adhering the mirror pieces took forever because of the tight spaces. It’s worth it when you see the rainbow colors reflected on them and the play of light they create as the breeze blows and the light shifts. See Within in the Sculpture Gallery.
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Joy
Joy was posing as “Winged Victory” here. Same as the mermaid, she is carved and covered with fiberglass and concrete. She also has the interior pipe sleeve for stabilization. I then covered her with another coat of dyed purple concrete. On top of that, I added dichroic and vitreous glass and colored mirror elements and grouted with dyed purple grout. See her in the Sculpture Gallery.
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Flower Power
Flower Power Revisited is a three-part totem with the two-sided flower and two leaves. The three pieces fit over a steel rod with painted metal conduit as stem. Each side of the flower has a face. This is a picture of the mellow yellow side of the flower with the concrete exposed. Under the concrete is fiberglass mesh over carved polystyrene. You can see PVC pipe sticking out in the foreground. This is where the piece fits over the steel rod that is anchored in the ground. The face is mostly done and tiling of the petals is starting. Each piece of tile is cut and then all edges are ground smooth. The red side was completed first and shows around the edges. See Flower Power Revisited in the Sculpture Gallery.
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Red Earring
This is Red Earring in the making. The background is stained glass scraps, glass rods and tiles. The woman is recycled dishes and figurines. The next step is to grout the piece. The last step is to paint. Look at the finished piece in the Wall Art Gallery to see the impact of the grout and paint and then to seal the grout. The paint greatly shifts the composition.
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Blue Nude
This work is primarily recycled glass - stained and tempered - except for the dish hair & hip & ceramic breasts, one the bottom of a coffee cup and one a Shafir coiled sphere. No paint was used. The finished piece is in a private collection.
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Ukelele
Ukulele's mosaic is made of vitreous glass, millefiore, stained glass and a porcelain flower. The mosaic is attached and waiting for the grout.
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Under the Sea
Under the Sea is a Bat Mitzvah mermaid carved of polystyrene, painted and ornamented with fresh flowers. She is waiting her turn to be covered with fiberglass, concrete and mosaic.
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