The Beekeeper is a large sculptural work-in-progress, to be exhibited as part of Pollination in September 2015. It is comprised of seven or eight chakras. Here, I am building the throat chakra out of brass. In the center (4th image) is a low RPM / high-torque motor that turns the throat, pineal and heart chakras. The pineal and heart chakras are not shown in these images, but will be featured in later posts.
brazing
open studio: brass skep /
Finishing the brass skep with an oxy-acetylene torch and bronze brazing rods. Surface color was controlled with torch work and a lemon-salt solution; detail was re-introduced with a die grinder. The last image shows a system for hanging the 100 pound sculpture, which will premier at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in September 2015
open studio: welding brass skep /
Top row, left to right: making of the traditional bee skep (from Wikipedia); a stack of welded brass rings; brass rings with a ground surface to create straw-like texture; shaping the segments of the brass rings with a peening hammer and wooden cradle
Bottom row, left to right: welding the brass rings together with an oxyacetylene torch and brazing rods; two welded rings with clamps to attach a third; measuring the uppermost ring, which has been hammered to reduce its diameter, in order to create a tapered top for the skep; a bee skep from a french fairytale
open studio: brazing steel torus /
Brazing a custom connector to the center of a steel torus. Kelly Heaton, work-in-progress, September 2014
open studio: brass worker bee /
Making brass honeycomb for a work in progress, 2014
open studio: brazing hot comb /
Using a Smith's Little Torch to braze brass for a work in progress, 2014