In the metal workshop I primarily weld with an oxy-actetylene torch. Currently my materials for welding are cold-rolled and hot-rolled steel rods of widths a half and a seven sixteenth of an inch in diameter.

I heat these rods with the torch until I am able to bend them with the force of my own body. When I am adding rods to the emerging structure, I weld rods together. Gravity becomes the most demanding factor when welding a life-size figure, as in the case of Ginga. I must be careful to support the weight of the new rods I add the figure and of the existing form when heating lengths of the steel that hold a majority of the total weight.

Moments of this process can be viewed at the At Work section of this site.

In the studio I sculpt and draw with my hands. Currently my materials are sculpting wax, Fimo clay and natural red clay, an assortment of pencils and pens and paper. As I work, I often listen to music. Music can be at times essential and at other times a nuisance to my thought process, hand sculpting and drawing. Musical rhythms can inspire my rhythm of sculpting, boosting my energy and directly affect which way I push, twist and bend the material within the control of my hands.

Music, dance and sculpture are intricately laced together in my existence as a sculptress.

I attend life-drawing sessions at the AS220 Gallery of Providence, Rhode Island to exercise my coordination of the eyes with the hands.

My most recent experience in a foundry was in the Metcalf Foundry of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, R.I. In this early 2008 course, I learned the entire process of casting sculptures in Bronze. From sculpting an original form in red wax, to gating the form in preparation for its dipping in ceramic shell, to burning out the wax and pouring molten bronze into the remaining cavity, the process was complex and required much detail to attention as well as a rough and forceful approach to heavy metal tools. Benazir is a successful product of this experience. I now have the knowledge to be involved in each step of the casting process of my sculptures.

Before learning to cast in Bronze, I approached two foundries within Rhode Island in order to cast Striding and Steady into Iron and Bronze respectively. For Striding, I used the casting services of the Cumberland Foundry of Cumberland, R.I. This foundry requires a prepared mold to be given to them for the pouring of the Iron. As I researched for a way to make a mold, I made my first contact with the Metcalf Foundry of RISD. With the help of RISD staff I had a ready-to-pour ceramic shell mold in a week, and the process of pouring the Iron took less than a day. It is important to note that Iron is a cheaper metal to pour than Bronze, yet the practice of casting sculptures into Iron is currently less desired by the common art market.

For Steady, I used the casting services of the Paul King Foundry of Johnston, R.I. This service, including the making of the mold, the pouring and the removal and chasing of extra bronze from the head took approximately one month.

My first experience with a foundry was in July 2007. I was awarded a bursary to attend the Cast Iron Sculpture Workshop at the Ironbridge Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture in Telford, England. For a week I learned the entire process of casting in Iron. Using green sand molds instead of ceramic shell molds and pouring the molten Iron in the open air, the experience was a very hands-on, practical and exciting approach to casting in metal. My first cast sculpture to be sold in England, Quiet Trouble, was a successful product of this pour.

The sculptures that I cast in the Workshop can be viewed at the Ironbridge Iron Casts section of this site.