We had the most unusual artistic experience the other night by attending an aluminum pouring with Truette Stubbs and Andrew Ander Marlatt with Jardin Foundry at Pensacola’s First City Art Center in downtown Pensacola, Florida.
Truette explained to me of this unique and uncommon process he and his team has made available to the public and anyone can create their own piece of metal art. Starting off with a tightly packed sand cast mold and a sharp pointed tool. It begins with a quick chalk sketching and then digging a design into the bottom of a flat, plate like looking mold. While carving into the mold, Truette and Ander were melting bars of aluminum in a kiln to nearly 1400°. They gathered other patron’s molds and then began their magic as they adorned their “leathers,” a thick layer of protective clothing to prevent injury from any splashing of molten metal. With their face shields in place, they took an old, bet up iron ladle and dipped into the pot of shinny liquid metal. Suddenly the flat black iron dipper flushed red with extreme heat and with great haste and teamwork, they poured the fluid metal into the sand molds. Only after a short period of time, the aluminum solidifies enough that Ander picked it up with a pitchfork and then drops it on the ground to break the mold. Flipping it over to show everyone the image and then tossing it into a bath of cold water. It doesn’t take long before he is able to reach down into the murky water with his bare hands, retrieving the newly formed piece of art and presents it to its creator.
A most rare and exciting form of artwork that visitors of ARTmore can experience for themselves. ARTmore is a unique gallery event that is being held for the first time in Atmore, Alabama Saturday May 18th from 4 until 8. A Wind Creek Casino sponsored event.
republished from iReport