Studio: Starting Work on Steel Final Piece

Rob helped with the following to create the 'canvas' for my image:

• Getting the mild steel tubes cut down to side of the mild steel sheet (aprox 2m x 1m)
• Welding the frame together, and then the sheet on top, and grinding it back to be consistent. 

The 'canvas' before my welding process: 

• I decided to leave the edges rough like this, exposing the welding details fully, as on my sample piece I noticed that grinding the edge back would create an uneven curvature around the edge of the frame which I didn't like. 
• The welding process this time when applying the metal tubing to the back of the canvas worked really well to create this colour distortion which bleeds further into the surface of the metal canvas. 

Starting Welding Process

Reflection:

• Using the same painterly process that I have conducted on all my other paintings, I used the welding tool to create the discolouration on the back of the canvas. 
• Some parts that I left on for too long (the slightly raised bumps) work quite well for a textural effect and link in with my textural painted surfaces. 
• The variations of the blue hues with the darker outlines are working really well, and i'm limiting the amount of orange that is produced by keeping the area heated for longer.
• The intention for this process is to cover the entire surface area, and if I have any spaces in the metal that are not covered by this process, then I will cut out these areas using the plasma cutter  as I have experimented with before. 
• The process I have developed through working is that a surfaces texture has to be balanced, for example if there is a large area of colour or texture on one side then this should be mirrored on the other half of the image. If I am not happy with how the image is developing (if it's not blue enough) then I will heat it for longer, and go over it again and again until I am satisfied.