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Martin Cheek 3-D Works
Giraffe
Fibre Glass
8ft (240 cm) high
I’ve just ‘acquired’ this 8 ft giraffe. Guess what happens next?! Of course it is my intention to mosaic him - but that’s sooner said than done. It’s a lot of work but I think it will be worth it. You may remember that I mosaiced a cow for ‘Cow Parade’ back in 2001. This is a similar proposition. The surface area is always much more than you imagine and once in situ the finished mosaic looks very much smaller. I’m not so sure that that is true in this case though - are you? Keep watching and I’ll post up pictures of his progress - it’s a shame that winter is approaching - really this is a summer project. I’m hoping that I may be able to sell him to a zoo, wildlife park, children’s park or playground when he’s finished. You see there IS method in my madness!
I asked for possible names for my giraffe and got many suggestions – so thank you for that. My favourite was ‘Ralph’ - after the actor Ralph Fiennes, though any resemblance is of course purely coincidental!
Although I have written 3 books with step by step mosaic projects, it occurs to me that for some reason none of them have included an 8 ft giraffe. So for those of you who are feeling short changed, I thought I would talk you through this project, step by step, as it develops. You’ll have to be VERY patient though - it will take weeks to complete. It’s a bit like watching paint dry - only slower!
Peter Digby, (above) is the area manager, South East for Ardex UK Ltd. Peter has kindly agreed to get involved with the project and offer technical advice. “So what glue do you use Peter?” asks the artist.
The first step was to draw the giraffe’s markings with an indelible marker. This took a mere two days. Paper templates could then be made and used to make these areas as clay plates. The picture top right shows the plates placed on the giraffe, so that they can dry in situ. Once fully dried they can be bisque fired and then glaze fired. I hope it doesn’t rain tonight.
Ginger Cat Fountain
Glazed Ceramic
Jellical Cat Fountain
Glazed Ceramic
These fountains are so new that I haven’t even installed them yet! My son Tom went ahead and dug a huge hole in the garden for a pond with that ‘job done - sorted!’ attitude that only teenagers possess. They are of course maquettes intended for much larger works which I will then mosaic.
Watch this space! I will work them up soon. I want to make them about 5 foot high. They would look lovely on a school, playground or children’s hospital. Any takers?
Yes the Giraffe is finally finished! thank you to all of you who wrote asking after Ralph - named after the actor Ralph Fiennes because of his amazing similarity to him!
Flint House, 21 Harbour Street, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1ET, UK.
Phone: +44 (0)1843 861958
Mobile: +44 (0)7949 884620
martin@martincheekmosaics.com
