Swirl-O-Rama IS Done!!!

The swirl bowl is done, I took it out of the vibra-ora-tori-um this morning. It is amazing!

I did send (another) email to NMC asking about how to finish the inside surface. I thought I would texture it similar to the outside, and she responded that it would be a good idea. BUT once I sat down to do it, I changed my mind. You see, while I was working on the bowl, I came to the realization I that I am intrigued by positive and negative space and I figured the texture on the inside – on the actual bowl surface, not the swirl, would complement the outside which I had textured.

I did decide to planish the bowl surface but not planish the swirl. This, I hoped, would make the bowl surface shinny on the inside, but ‘matt’ on the outside (since it had been textured). Then the swirl on the outside, having been planished would also be shinny – thus illustrating the positive and negative space. (i should have textured the swirl on the inside but did not.)

I am now going to let the bowl develop a natural patina, which will take time and while this happens I am hoping to keep the outside swirl and the bowl surface on the inside shinny to emphasize the positive and negative space

In linear time, it took three weeks to do this – Of course there was the day job, sleeping, eating, and the actual repousse in there as well, it just illustrates that doing repousse takes time.

As for actual time here I estimate that I put in almost 30 hours of ‘tapping time’. This does not include the 3 hours it took to make the bowl nor does it include the time for the pitch to cool and it does not include the time the bowl was in the pickle pot.

Below is a picture of the swirl bowl, all polished and pretty. Once again head over to Kernology to see the final pictures.

For reference, the bowl is 2.25″ in diameter and 1″ deep and it is in a 4″ square tile, on our kitchen counter – so you can see how small the bowl is!

Swirl Bowl