Experiments in Ferro Cement

In an earlier post I spoke about working with Martha Ferris on a commission in Jackson at the Museum of Art. As Martha finalizes designs for the works I have been doing some experiments in a process called ferro-cement. We think this may be the process we are going to use for building the outdoor structure for the commission and to make sure I know everything I can about it I decided to go ahead and do some experiments. The process is fairly easy; I have done it before. What makes this project different are the colors and surfaces needed for this project are for more refined that I have done in the past. Bright colors and smooth, almost shiny surfaces are needed for what we are constructing. I have found many examples of this on the Internet, so I know it can be done and done well. I just have to learn how to do it myself. The funny thing about this whole process is that I had been making some plans and drawings for my own designs using this method and now it's kind of like killing two birds with one stone.

Below is a step-by-step description of the first part of the project. The second part will entail descriptions of final surface treatments and coloring. Click on images to make them larger.