'Wild Meadow' 36 x 24cm.
Unique concrete cast using grey Ciment Fondu.  
 
These flowers and grasses are collected from a local wild garden inspired by Salisbury Plain.  The process of botanical bas-relief is an ancient method used by botanists to record the finest details of plant species. Real flowers are carefully arranged onto a piece of flat, wet clay, and pressed in. When these are removed the flowers leave behing their unique impression.
 
These handmade concrete botanical casts, made with ‘ciment fondu’, have been cast using a groundbreaking technique developed by the artist. Ciment fondu is a strong, high alumina casting cement used by sculptors such as Henry Moore, Gerda Rubinstein and Ng Eng Teng. The process involves three separate methodologies: - Firstly the ‘master’ is produced in plaster from flowers pressed into clay and transposed into plaster once the plants have been removed. The second stage is making a silicone mould from the plaster master after it has completely dried, using RTV silicone. Thirdly the ciment fondu and sand mixture is mixed and added into the mould, allowed to set for 24 hours and cured for a further four weeks. The original plaster cast is irrevocably discoloured during the process and the silicone mould can only be used to make a maximum of two concrete casts in two different cements.
These casts are made with grey/brown Ciment Fondu and kiln dried sand and polished with Renaissance Wax. Concrete casts are supplied with an aluminium hook for hanging and can be displayed indoor or outside, embedded into walls or wet areas such as showers and splashback decoration.
Outdoor concrete casts will develop a unique patina over time, changing from almost black, through grey/bronze to a dark grey.