Antikythera Mother Dragon is a fantasy project, that I built using straight flat metal fabrication, sand casting, glass cutting and grinding and gem cutting processes.
The idea is a female dragon guarding a Treasure Vault that is in turn guarded by her three babies.
The lid is removable and inside the Treasure Vault is a precious object that belongs to the owner of this art piece.
I start this sculpture as a concept, a thought creation. From there, I mold my vision into physical shape. The basic idea of a vague sort of serpentine shape. I build the body by adding more and more shell shapes.
Now that the body is taking shape, it's time to develop the head and the legs.
….. and of course the tail section which is carved out of wax and then cast into brass just like the head and legs were carved.
Now, it's time for the wings. As usual, I start with cardboard stock to get a feel of the shape and size. The wings will be made out of 0.7 mm copper sheet and the ribs out of brass stock. The tricky part is to make the mirror image.
I had to make some brass art work to join the wings to the body.
When I make a project like this, I start with the basic body soldered together.
Then as the project progresses, I use screws and rivets to join the added components.
This was the case with the wings.
I attached the fins with silver horns.
At this stage I cut the cabochon garnets for the eyes and pave set all the various garnets into the dragon.
I also made two 'tendrils' out of copper and screwed them into the neck with silver garnet screws that I made.
The whole back of the neck is textured with raised scales. Laborious, but it is the exact look I was after.
The display base as rock formation is clad with heated and hammered copper. The brass forms the leafy grass around the rock.
Conceptualization starts on the treasure vault. I made many different designs, each iteration incrementally a bit better. I wanted to have a treasure crystal. I didn't want to cut or facet the crystal.
I just wanted it to be in its natural state.
Working on the vault with my placer ring aka 'treasure' inside.
Then, I decided that the baby dragons were to small.
I have taught myself the discipline to abruptly end a direction and discard any work done before without guilt in my goal of bringing balance to my creation.
Various wax and brass castings that I did ( and discarded) in my journey to where I was happy with the result.
Correction: Sort of.
These are all the components of the treasure chest.
In the home stretch baring some final touches.
I cut some red 'fangs' for the treasure chest at the bottom. To go with the red everything of dragons and things.
Putting a lid on this project, literally and figuratively speaking.
