Making a Beautiful Impression
Rachel Dein's method of plaster casting captures flowers and foliage in a unique and delicate way. She creates her original casts by making an impression in wet clay and then pouring plaster directly over it. The clay captures the most intricate details, subtly accenting the plaster as it sets. Each clay mould can only be used once, making every piece unique. Casts are then finished and refined by hand; some finished tiles are also hand painted.
For editions, casts are made by producing a silicon mould of an an original tile and then multiples are created from it. Although taken from the same cast, the tiles have individual treatments and subtle variations that make each one different.
“About a year ago I had been in to Moyses Stevens, the very elegant long-established flower shop that had recently opened a branch at the bottom of our road. I wanted to buy the same type of flowers that I’d had in my wedding bouquet 10 years earlier.
At the counter I told the manager that I was an artist, and I planned to cast the flowers. She was intrigued, and asked if I could come in once I’d made the tile, to show her senior manager. Once completed, I went back with the tile, and mentioned that I’d love to be able to cast the bouquets for brides. They both said there had been many times when brides-to-be had asked about preserving their wedding bouquet. Since then, largely through word of mouth, I’ve been commissioned to make wedding flower tiles....
I enjoy the magic of plaster casting to create fossils from everyday life — whether it’s a shell found on holiday, your grandmother’s treasured lace, a Christening gown, or the flowers from your wedding” —Rachel Dein
Rachel Dein's work will be exhibiting at Chelsea Flower Show in London, May 20th-24th, 2014
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2014
http://www.tactilestudio.co.uk/
London, England