Fashion + Function

 A new body of work titled Fashion + Function by Bridget Chérie Harper

Finial look in a series of colors 2012

The work posted above feature a series of feet or Function, which are basic tools of humanity; the surface or Fashion, is an extension of ourselves in a contemporary skin.

These pieces were originally constructed by hand out of clay. It took many attempts to get it just right and at times looked quite frightening. Wanting several for a series, I  produced a mold out of plaster. From that mold, I used slip to “pull” a cast. Each piece was cleaned, sanded and fired in a kiln.

For the surface, I wanted to try a different approach.  I have been china painting for years and while researching a project about cars on the side, I decided to try automotive paint. Fortunately, I had a contact who works for the Porche collision repair shop in town.  I learned the exact process applied onto automobiles and it was a learning process. Each sculpture has multiple levels of primers, colors, pearls, clears and many layers of wax. I am extremely please with the final appearance of  the series and there’s more to come.

Hand-building the original sculpture out of clay

Application of paints