The aim of this piece was to explore the potential of wax and clay as sculptural mediums. Through experimentation, I discovered that wax, which is commonly used in candle-making, coatings, paper, and crayons, could be moulded and shaped into a variety of forms. I collected the wax by melting down old candles, which took some time to accumulate. However, I quickly learned that heating the wax too high could cause it to evaporate or burn, which would make it difficult to remove the clay from the wax. To prevent this, I heated the wax to a temperature below its boiling point (above 45 degrees Celsius), which allowed it to melt gradually from a solid to a liquid state.
To create this series, I used pallet wood to make a mould (31cm x 29cm) with a piece of wood down the middle splitting the mould in half. I placed the individual pieces of clay randomly and poured the first layer of wax (orange, black, and green), layering as each colour dried, keeping them separated so as not to mix the colours too much. Once the wax had dried, I removed the divider, turned the mould over, and removed the clay, leaving a negative space in the pieces. I then melted each side of the wax and held them together to weld them in place. The height of each panel is 27cm x 13cm.
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