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Well here’s what 54 “tuna” look like. They still need to be painted, have their spines sewn in and attached to the piece, but this is a large step of the process. Also, all the spines on the cactus pads have been sewn in and painted. So let’s see, 324 pieces cut and sewn together for the tuna – check. 120 nodes melted and painted on the cactus pads – check. 240 spines sewn into the cactus pads and painted – check. After the “tuna” are painted the only bit left is assembly…and, oh yeah, the 1000 spines that need to be sewn into the tuna. Well, I’m closer anyway. Take a look at my new mini-vid demonstrating the technique used for making the cactus spines. Enjoy:)

54 tunas

I decided that I’m going to try mini-vids to document the progress of the artistic process. I’m all for photos when they work, but to demonstrate how something is done…well there’s nothing like a video. Besides, I don’t need three hands for a demonstration video and I would need three hands for demonstration photos:-) So, here’s my first mini-vid on making nodes (the areas on a cactus pad where the spine protrude). You’ll need a non-flammable form (I used a piece of aluminum foil wadded up into a shape that kind of resembles a chocolate kiss), synthetic fabric (no natural fibers…the idea is to melt the fabric over a shape not set it on fire), and an easily manageable flame source (I use the same lighter used to light a gas stove). BIG TIP: Keep the flame moving so you don’t melt through the fabric. BIGGER TIP: Obviously the flame is hot, but so is the fabric once it starts to melt. So be careful not to burn yourself. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. I’ve tried this technique using larger forms as well. Larger forms require more patience and a lot more butane, but the process works just the same. I’ll post another mini-vid when I get to the next process after I burn the 120 nodes into the cacti:)

I finally got the pieces of the background cut, sewn and painted. Now the really fun will begin. I miscalculated in my last post how many “tuna” (prickly pears) are in the piece. There are not 46 there are 54. There are also 7 cactus pads. So let’s do the math…that’s 324 pieces that need to be cut and sewn for the tuna (of which 54 are sewn in by hand), 1000 spines that need to be hand-sewn on to the tunas, and then the 54 tunas get attached to the piece. But before that 120 nodes need to be melted into the fabric of the cacti pads and 240 cactus spines need to be hand-sewn and painted for stiffness. The thought makes me tired:) You know I probably should do the counts after I’m finished and not think about all the work until it’s done. Hasta la próxima vez …

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