Baby Days!

I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve been asked to participate in the upcoming Sears Baby Days Baby Shower, this Saturday, June 26^th. This event will be taking place at the Avalon Mall location in St. John's. I’ll be giving a short presentation at the beginning of the shower at 10am, after which I’ll be available to answer any questions you may have. I’ll have products on display throughout the shower, until 12pm. Special discounts will be offered to those in attendance and also to anyone that opens a Baby Registry with Sears within the next year!

The Sears Baby Shower looks like it’s going to be lots of fun. There will be a coloring station and snacks available for children so bring the whole family along, I’ll be bringing mine.

I’m really excited about working with Sears and I hope to see you there!

Baby Bummy…*one month later*

After a month of disarray in our house, I finally had time to finish and mount Sarah’s baby bum sculpture. I’m in the process of finishing a studio space in our basement to keep little hands out of buckets of plaster and away from my tools. It has turned into a bigger project than I had originally thought…sorting, packing, shifting, selling…the list goes on. Seriously, if I post the “before” pictures I could be in the running for an episode of Hoarders. It will likely be another month or so before the space is usable, but it’ll happen eventually.

I managed to find quite a few useful things floating around downstairs that I had long forgotten about. Art supplies have a way of losing themselves, especially when you need them most. I found some great latex for building molds, paints, brushes, clay tools, and all sorts of other useful treasures. But I think I’m most excited to have come across some nostalgic items… pictures of my husband when he was in elementary school, plus poems and artwork that he had created around that time. Now I’ve got even more projects on my hands...documenting all these fabulous things and finding somewhere to put it all!

In addition to all this fun, I’m continuing to get word out about Get Plastered! and I thank all of you wonderful people of visiting my blog and becoming fans on Facebook. It’s great to have so many people interested in and supporting what I do. Please continue to check back for updates and invite all your friends.

Without further ado here is Sarah’s finished Baby Bummy, mounted in a shadow box.

There are many ways to decorate and display this type of sculpture. This is just one example and I’ll likely add to this box as Sarah grows. Daughter #1, Amelia, picked out the background colours and helped me put it all together. This is a great family activity, especially if you’ve got older children.

Jon’s going to kill me, but I just couldn’t keep these to myself…

In case you're having trouble viewing the pic above, it's a limerick titled The Silly Old Dog.

There once was a silly old dog,

who swallowed a little green frog,

he got sick at night,

and got right uptight,

and now he's a croaking green dog.

Below he has written..."I wrote this limerick because I thought that it would be a humorous poem." How cute is that?!

These are the best of my basement finds thus far. My mother is doing a clear out at her place as well, so there will be plenty of opportunities for me to post my own embarrassing childhood artwork and writing in the near future...good times.

Love you, Jon ;)

Portfolio

I’ve been creating sculpture for a long time…since childhood really. I’ve always enjoyed building things and deconstructing objects. Below are some images of my past work that relate to body casting and mold making in particular.

After a serious back injury a few years ago I became extremely interested in how the skeletal system works as a support structure for the human body. Based on the idea of injury and recovery I created a series that displayed the human form at its best and at its worst. I was allowed into the cadaver lab at Dalhousie University to cast a human spine and that experience inspired me to create these pieces.

Atlas Struggle (resin and fiberglass):

The Fall (plaster, wax, steel):

(Detail)

Growth (plaster and wax):

(Detail)

Having two children changed how I see myself and made me less self-indulgent when it comes to my work. It’s hard to be self-involved when you’re in the process of creating another life. Rather than focusing on physical deformities I now focus on the beauty of changes in the physical form. No two pregnant women look the same or go through the same changes and yet they are all unified and beautiful. Looking at a new life is a moving, life changing experience that words cannot describe. Using art, sculpture, and casting to capture these moments is significant to me and I’m lucky to be able to share in that experience with new and expecting parents.

Pregnant Tummies!

As promised, here are sample images of casts I have created for previous clients. My work is not limited to the designs seen here, if you can dream it up I can sculpt it.

Torso Cast:

Torso with hands and forearms:

Belly Cast:

The price of each individual cast varies. The base price for a Baby Bummy cast is $50 and Pregnant Tummies start at $75 (see Belly Cast above). Please e-mail me with your design ideas and to book a casting session. I will give you a price quote based on the type of cast you are interested in having created. Gift certificates are also available and make great shower gifts!

I Made That!

The plaster cast and the baby bum J

This is my baby Sarah. She’s four months old and generally good tempered and calm. Prior to creating Sarah's cast I fed her and gave her a quick snuggle so that she was happy as a lark. For squirmy babies I recommend casting during naptime, though it is possible to get a good cast while they’re awake it just takes a little patience and a few distractions.

Here are some pictures of our casting experience. More photos to come...

The first layer of plaster gauze:

Smoothing out the plaster:

Afterwards she modeled her fancy new Berry Plush diaper from Storks & Berries in AB and Nummy Clip by Mushy Peas here in St. John's:
Get Plastered! Baby Bummy cast:
Many people like to keep this type of cast, as is, in a shadow box or on a miniature easel. I chose to use this as a mold for a positive, solid version of Sarah's sweet little tush. As soon as the plaster sets I'll work a little magic (finishing) and then show off the finish product.

Getting Started

A little about me....

I received my BFA (focus in sculpture) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2003. During my time at NSCAD I worked with many different materials but I always returned to plaster as my medium of choice. When I became pregnant with my first daughter I sought out the materials needed to cast my growing belly, but I was unable to find anything locally that was suitable. Since then I have managed to dig my way into the wonderful world of medical supplies and for my second pregnancy I created a (massive) gorgeous tummy cast. I am extremely glad that I didn't miss the opportunity to capture that moment the second time around. I even had pictures of our newborn baby girl taken in the cast!

I've arranged to have photos taken of my work this week and I'll get them posted as soon as they're available. I'm excited to show everyone the beautiful pregnant bellies casts that I've created and the sweet little baby bums. I have quite a few samples ready to display, all of which will give you a great overview of the products we can create together.

If you're expecting, or have a pregnant friend, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you!

Get Plastered!

Welcome to Get Plastered!

I am an artist and mother of two in St. John's, Newfoundland. I specialize in casting pregnant tummies and baby bummies! I offer belly and torso casts for women who are in their 7th-9th month of pregnancy and bum casts of young infants (up to 6mths).

Get Plastered! services St. John's and surrounding area. I will come to your home with all the necessary, medical grade, materials and when I leave you'll have a specialty cast of your beautiful belly or baby bum! No mess, no fuss. As an added bonus I offer free consultation services for finishing and decorating your cast. Make it personal by painting your cast, mount it in a shadow box, create a mosaic, anything is possible with these amazing keepsakes!

In the coming weeks I will post images of sample casts, mini bellies, and baby bums. Be sure to check back frequently for updates. In the meantime, if you'd like a price list or have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime at plastered.casting@gmail.com.

Cheers,

Alexandra Baird Locke BFA