Plastered!

     In communication with artist Bob Worthy of Virginia, I learned he was interested in a special body cast. I agreed, and on a trip to NC he did the deed.   Above, I am finishing application of Vaseline to keep the plaster from sticking.  To the right, I am on the table, ready for the plaster (the same strips of plaster used for broken bones) to be applied.


     Melissa was a grad student at UNC-G I had met in classes there, and she agreed to assist. This was especially important since Bob had not done exactly this sort of thing before. His notion was to end up with a concrete cast that would suggest a body on a battlefield, tying into his deep interest in the Civil War. 


     I set up a table in our foyer on Spring Garden St, and I got plastered. Bob took the photos; this shows how digital photography has progressed, doesn't it? This was done somewhere between 2000 and 2002, I believe. All the photos he shared with me fit on a 3.5 in floppy disk!  Drying did not take long; the stuff heats up as it dries. It's hard to imagine doing a full-body cast, though I would definitely be open to that someday. I was surprised at how small a problem body hair was; only a couple stuck in the plaster, and there was minimal pain during the removal of the cast. Thanks, Bob & Melissa, for an interesting experience!