Sunday, June 26, 2011

HYPERTUFA 2

Ah, sweet summer in eastern Kansas, windy, stormy pouring rain one minute then cool, muggy, humid... unberable but still...fun!  It was a steamy weekend and this group rose to the challenge having a great time.


Stepping stone display for this week


You don't know livin' until you experience a tuffa studio!


Sue watches how to make nice big nostrils on her grot.

Her placement of the different varieties of leaves created a beautiful desgin ready for casting.

Thea carefully arranged anise hyssop leaves to create her platter.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

ADVANCED HYPERTUFA- COOL STUFF!


The Advancerd Tufa studio provides the opportunity for you to make exactly what you want.  All three of these pros came with an idea in mind and went home with some exciting pieces.

Dorothy wanted some interesting larger-scaled planters.  She made these awesome cone planters in various sizes.  They can be placed in mettal stands or placed in the ground for a dramtaic display.  

They are even cool lying on their sides, seeming to 
spill their contents into the garden.

Elaine created an egg-shaped sculpture as the centerpiece for her fountain.   The pipe for the water runs up through the center of the egg.

She also made a circular basin to showcase the sculpture and to serve as the water reservoir.

Judy made a multiple piece sculpture to rest on a 
wedge base featuring mosaic glass gems.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

FIRST HYPERTUFA STUDIO OF THE SUMMER!

The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for the first Hypertufa Studio of the summer.  Here the group is packing fresh hypertufa into molds that will become thier gnome heads.



Handmade and very unique garden stepping stones.


Jean puts a layer of hypertufa onto her leaf platter.  This layer will add support to the thinner conrete layer which captures the patterns in the leaves she used in her mold.


Kitty removes leaf material from her concrete casting.



 Mary's stepping stone featured three billiard balls. This was fitting since her last name is "Billiard".



Packinbg box molds with Hypertufa.


Our innovation this summer is to cut mouth and eye forms from foam.  These are placed in the pail when casting the gnome or grot head.  When the head form is removed from the mold, the foam pieces pop out forming the megative spaces for the eyes and mouth of the sculpture.  Much easier than carving these holes from a solid block of tufa!