State of the art studio equipment

Oh yes, I've got it all! (That was an oblique reference to a Tracey Emin photo, for those of you that might've been wondering...)


I realise I'm going to have to explain the above photo for those with no technical know-how; forgive me if I have to resort to jargon - some things are just too technical to have words in common parlance... What you see is the most sophisticated bit of kit in my studio, it's brand new and an absolute dream to use. It has a highly specialised use: the very shiny double pot construction on top ('bain-marie' for the initiated) holds water in the bottom part and wax in the top. I have to admit I was a bit confused by the packaging for this piece of equipment - it suggested I might want to melt chocolate in it. Er, no...any chocolate that's going to be melted will be done by the old fashioned method: in my mouth thank you very much.

The sleek black section you see underneath is the real powerhouse of the machine. When you turn that futuristic-looking white knob, which, incidentally, gives you infinite control, the 'hob', as we artists like to call it, heats up. It does this at an alarmingly quick rate - much faster than getting a traditional fire going for instance. Soon, the water in the bottom pot begins to boil and bubble, which in turn causes any blocks of wax you may have put in the top pot to melt. You can then use that fantastic white button to turn down the heat so that the wax doesn't explode unexpectedly in your face, when you finally remember to go and inspect how liquid it has become.

I'm really excited to have got this piece of equipment - you won't believe how much time it's already saving me. It's also taken away all the anxiety I had about using such dangerous substances, because now I don't have to run up and down stairs with a pot full of boiling, smoking wax, which I always managed to spill on my hands by one means or another... Now, I can just sit in my studio, turn that big bold knob and wait for the magic to begin. I think I also read that you can use this 'hob' to heat up a can of beans - now why would I want to do that when I've got a perfectly usable kitchen downstairs?