Visual Research: Sugar Series

"Statement pieces" if you will, runway fashion jewelry... In terms of form, the more the merrier seems to be a trend with the individual element, but over all the shape of everything is rather streamlined and simple. I like the organic shapes a lot more than the geometric, I also seem to be more drawn to the ones with subtle shift in color.

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I like these solely because of the bulk of material. Also the idea that it's something other than a big gaudy set stone.

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The transparency, slight gradients due to layers, softness... I love it.

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The awareness of this necklace is nice, i like how it's simple but very dynamic at the same time, because of it's size and color.

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I really like the colors in this one, it looks like she just walked out of the ocean and has sea plants stuck to her neck.

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More interesting structures... I think I'm seeing a trend in the size of these pieces... they're not shy.

Alright, I'm thinking neon colors and the illusion of sparkle. Shiny and Seductive.

Sugar Sculpture 1

Pulled sugar

Once the sugar has been cooked, the now-liquid sugar is poured onto a silicone rubber mat (e.g., Silpat). Any coloring is now added. The sugar is then folded repeatedly into itself, until the sugar is, while still flexible, cool enough to handle. The sugar is then stretched out and then folded on itself repeatedly. This process incorporates air into the sugar, and gives it a bright lustery sheen. The sugar can then be sculpted by hand into various shapes, made into ribbons, or blown.

Blown sugar

In blown sugar, a portion of pulled sugar is placed on a rubber pump which is tipped with either wood or metal. Pumps are most commonly hand pumps. While being blown, the sugar can be shaped, often into animals or flowers. Blown sugar cannot be quickly cooled by dipping it in water, so chefs must use fans to cool the sugar, all the while rotating it, so that it does not come out of shape.

Cast sugar

In this technique, sugar is poured into molds. This technique produces more sturdy pieces than pulled and blown sugar, and is almost always used for the base and structural elements of showpieces.

Pastillage

A thick sugar paste, similar to gum paste, is molded into shapes. When dried, it is hard and brittle. Made with gelatin, water and confectioner's sugar, it hardens quickly and can be shaped for a short while by hand, and after hardening, with electric grinders, cutters, sandpaper and assorted files.

Pressed Sugar

Granulated sugar is mixed with a minimum amount of water, and is put under pressure. It hardens into a solid piece. Though this is used for showpiece bases, it is less often used because of the time required to produce it, and its lesser aesthetic value.

Rock Sugar

The liquid sugar is blended with a small amount of royal icing. The heat from the sugar causes the air incorporated in the icing to rapidly expand, causing the mixture to grow to several times its original volume. The mixture is quickly poured into a lined dish, and placed into a blast chiller to set. This process produces a sugar mass with the texture of volcanic pumice, the color of which is determined by the color of the sugar syrup.

Spun Sugar

Sugar syrup is made into long extremely thin strands which can be shaped to make things like birds nests. The sugar is gathered on a fork or a special tool designed for spinning sugar and is flicked in long strokes over succeeding pipes.

-Wikipedia

A little Wikipedia search gave me the different types of sugar sculpture. I'm assuming for this project I'm going to attempt to pull, cast, pastille and perhaps spin to get different textures and shapes in my pieces. I just have to figure out how to make a silicone mold......

Mctega

In pursuit of finding information on candy jewelry, (who's doing it and what's been done) I stumbled across Mctega. This work doesn't consist of anything that is actually made out of sugar or, anything edible for that matter, but the style is definitely something that I could attain in my persuit of candy coating jewelry. I really like the color studies that are happening in the majority of the pieces that are on the website. Here's a little hint at what the stuff looks like:
Link to Mctega: http://www.mctega.com/

"Door Furnature" By Philip Watt Design

Found this today on some random google search and thought to myself "Hey, that's not what I'm looking for, but it applies to the idea of Bespoke!" So, I'm sharing. I looked a little bit at Philip Watt's website, very cool stuff especially the sinks...

10 things that are inspiring...

To start simple: The color purple.

Nike of Samothrace

Sleeping... Dreaming...

Alexander McQueen's 2010 line.

Knowing that there is only so much time before I go crazy.

People who live life simple.

Unexpected findings... like these shiny fungus cup thingies.

Music duo, Boards of Canada. Textures, so many textures...

Humbling experiences that put you in your place and make you think.

Fractal Patterns, especially the naturally occurring ones...

Anodizing Aluminum

samples, samples, samples

Bringing Outside, In.

This is a living moss bathroom rug by designer, Nguyen La Chanh.
The idea is that the humidity, as well as the drips of water off the body keep the plant alive, while being a soft foot rest simultaneously.

The beauty in this piece is the dependency between living things. Most people keep house plants, but a lot of them don't have huge connections to them, aside from aesthetic pleasure and occasional watering sessions. I love the idea of something surviving off of peoples waste of water. The thought that something other than mold on your bathroom ceiling is going to grow because of the humidity produced from a hot, steamy shower.

I originally stumbled across these photos a couple months ago when I was fascinated by the idea of growing my own moss. The thing about moss that intrigues me is the texture and tiny scale in which it grows. Moss is complex, patterned, and it feels great when you just barely run your hand across it. I spent a couple weekends over the summer in a northern Wisconsin cabin, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do but absorb nature and in that i found moss.

Introduction

My name is Caitlin Driver. I was born and raised in Janesville, Wisconsin and hadn't lived elsewhere until I transferred to UW Milwaukee last year. Now, I've figured out that I was made to have adventures, meet new people, travel, and will probably never return to live in Janesville again. I've recently come to another conclusion, and that is I love to bake. I'm sure it comes from the "maker" in me, but there's something so satisfying in the feeling of making something that tastes SO delicious, that everybody you give some to LOVES, and that takes as much time as you want it to take to look good, that makes me really like baking. I also really enjoy taking care of my house plants... It may sound weird, but I think it's the motherly instinct to have something survive under your control that makes it fun for me.


In the next five years I plan on graduating from UW Milwaukee with my bachelors degree in Jewelry and Metalsmithing as well as a degree in Art History. After I get those degrees my plan has two branches, depending on whether or not I feel the way I do now, I'm going to work towards my Masters, otherwise I'm planning to exile myself from the country to free my finances of student loans. So either way, I'll be in a good spot, learning or drinking tiki drinks on a island in a hammock. I've slowly realized in the last 3 years that it takes a lot to call yourself proficient in any subject, there is so much to learn, and at this point in time, I feel very novice in every aspect of my life... This is why I'm in school.