It has been slow going in the studio, the recent south westerly weather has brought flurries of snow to the frog ponds rock household and it has been cold, very cold. I don’t have any heating in my studio and you can imagine how cold it gets inside a tin shed in the middle of a Tasmanian winter.
The clay is icy cold and my hands start to ache after a while but I crank the music up and throw the clay around the room to the beat of an eclectic mix of classical violin concertos, old punk and newer rock. My current style of vigorous hand building where I throw the slabs of clay onto the floor and punch them into shape is a combination of my artistic expression as well as an attempt to warm myself up.
I am halfway through a sculpture class and we have just finished making a traditional clay bust from a life model. The level of finesse and patience needed to put in the delicate details like an eyelid were incredibly challenging for me to maintain, as my current working method is not delicate at all. I enjoyed getting the bones of the sculpture in place, the plane of the cheek bones and the angle of the jaw were satisfyingly easy to achieve. I can see some angular figurative sculptures in my near future.
There is balance in all things and I was completely at a loss as to know how to even begin to make the lips and as for the eyelids, wow what fiddly little fuckers they are. Surprisingly though, I thoroughly enjoyed making the ears, I think that is because even though the ears are very complex they are not quite as delicate as the eyes. I will make some more ears in the future. I don’t know what I will do with them or how they will work but I will make some.
Next week we move onto contemporary sculpture and we will be given the task of creating a site specific installation in a public space using only reclaimed cardboard. Did you see those four little words, “in a public space” It will be fun but it will also be nervewracking. I know that I am going to be pushed out of my comfort zone again because we will be making a model of the site and our work before we do the installation.
I HATE making models, I seriously dislike fiddling about with little fiddly fucking bits of paper. I dislike measuring stuff so it all fits together and I really dislike having to pay attention to small details.
So it will be good for me.
I will get the moaning and whining and the don’t wannas out of my head here and then next week I will knuckle down and glue little fiddly bits of paper together to make a scale model *shudder* of the site. I will pay attention to the small details and I will take notice of those extra millimetres on the ruler instead of going she’ll be right and just trying to bang it together haphazardly.
And it will be good for me.
And only you and I, my dear internet, will know how difficult it will be for me.
It has nearly warmed up enough for me to go up to the studio and do some more work.
Just to be completely perverse after I have been moaning about not wanting to have to fiddle about with tiny details, here are some photos of my newest works in progress.
And yes, this work is incredibly fiddly.
Comments on this entry are closed.
The bust certainly has a lot of character 🙂
Not so good with the finer details of anything either, which tends to be an issue as measurement is importnat in paper craft. Straight lines can be a help too. *sigh*
Love the unpainted shells, the more subtle texturing is more my thing 🙂 The other one I think Miss 4 would like, but she would probably name it hedgey hog.
Once the “unpainted” shell is fired those dribbles that you can see should be bright blue and green. I have used slips coloured with copper and cobalt to deface the shells again. The small half shell is still white but I will probably try and graffiti-ise it, once it has been bisque fired and isn’t so fragile.
I try and do subtle but then something else takes over and BAM out comes the spraygun
I think subtle is like the teeny tiny details, yes? Not your style 😛
Love to see the finished products, blue and green are favourite colours in this house 🙂
The shells look so lifelike! It is almost as though the one in the middle is sporting a new ‘do because he’s a punk rocker. 🙂
hehe Thanks Christine, The shell is slipcast. I made a mould from a real shell so that I could have multiple copies of the same form. I am doing another “plastic focused” exhibition soon and the shell is a reperesentation of a mutated sea form overloaded with plastic. That is why the colours are so vibrant, they are the colour of plastic toys.
Oh wow… faces are *so* bloody hard to do, regardless of the medium, I think. The sculpture is wonderful!
I *adore* the shells to! And the vase. Hell, I love all of your work, sweety!
Well done you on taking a class to push your boundaries! *hugs* and love xxx
I am really resistant to change Marylin and I need to do things to make me move out of my comfort zone otherwise I would just stagnate. I am quite nervous about the public sculpture project but I am also excited by the idea of examining how I see a space.
Love the bust, especially the profile shot. I hate the fiddly side of things too. Since I’ve been ill I’ve gotten back into painting but am finding that spasming hands flinging paint brushes across canvas or onto unsuspecting dogs is not conducive to fine work. Plus I’m not sure that frequent swearing, and threatening the paint brush’s mother, is always the best way to get creative! Can’t wait to see your piece for the public space, I’m sure it’ll be amazing.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. The public sculpture will only be up for an hour or so but I will take photos and post them here. I like the profile of the bust as well. It was a good learning experience. Maybe you should try an abstract painting style and use large brushes on large canvases?
I’ve never done an abstract before, but I think I might have a go following your suggestion. I’m a bit beyond colouring in the lines these days. 🙂
I seem to remember in a comment a while back how lovely it would be to have a comfy old armchair and a wood burner in the studio. Perhaps I was anticipating snowy days. I am so naive and frankly ignorant of the ambient temperatures and conditions required for all things clay that I have an image of you laughing at my ignorance at that suggestion not so long ago. So bugger it, I will say it again, and then you can tutor me in the working conditions required for clay and all things arty and say again, oh wouldn’t it be lovely to have a wood burner to keep you warm and a cosy armchair to view your work when you needed to curl up and think of how much your mum would have loved that you finally have a proper working/creative space all to yourself. I don’t know if you use a laptop or computer or even if you have wireless but I also think this armchair would be a useful place to blog of your creative masterpieces.lBut thats me going right off topic as ever, just from not wanting you to be cold or get chilbains. Although in saying that I imagine the working of the clay as you say, is good for both the soul and banishing chilbains and arthritis. For some reason I have an image of Amy sitting in this chair also. Finding peace amongst the world of creativity. Her remembering as well doing so when she is grown. I don’t often have visual images but this is one. Just thought I would say.
I am so impressed with the bust, wow, wow. I feel silly using that wow word but its how I feel. I am annoying in galleries as I always want to touch such things and this one made me want to do just that. I can’t write a critique of any calibre as I am a layperson in the world which you are now so professional. I can only write of my personal reaction and I love it. Your description of eyelids, lashes was superb, engaging me in the process. I found myself touching my own and I agree, such a delicate area would require finesse. So it seems to me you are much less slapdash than you think. More talented than you give yourself credit for.
On the feeling that you need to make more ears for some reason this made me laugh. Perhaps its a Freudian thing about people really listening …… I had an image in my mind for some reason of elephants ears, childrens ears, I have always hated my ears, they are small but they stick out I think and the cartlidage on the edge is very crinkly something apparently to do with EDS. But then I scrolled down and saw the shells, remembering listening to the sound of the sea through shells like these with my grandmother….. she would ask me what I heard and said if I listened hard enough I would hear the stories of the sea, making up elaborate stories always involving sea horses which were a particular fascination I had. So perhaps in some odd way, the shells, the scuptures, the ears, eyes are all related, the rich tapestry of your art weaving their own story. The pot? vase? please excuse my ignorance is simply beautiful for some reason a little sad I don’t know why. Its simplicity I think an example of how your work is developing as I can’t see to the naked eye the intricacy required in the making. A sign I think of a true artist.
I admire your self discipline in following the course as you are, the thought of cardboard just sends me, perhaps its because it reminds me of when the children were young and the house was strewn with all things card bloody board. Different I know as yours is an art discipline in itself, so therefore a completely different scenario. I find myself hoping that the public space will be inside as snow is cold! Me I would be an utter coward and find myself having a pressing engagment meaning I couldn’t attend. So the following through is something this post has triggered some thoughts of my own about sticking at things and not giving up…..
Kim, I know I go on but this post was a much appreciated glimpse into your world when mine seems so bland in comparison right now. Thank you so very very much. Especially with the addition of photos which you know I love as its just the icing on the cake for me. Good luck with the public piece. I will think of you.
Gentle warm virtual hug internet friend. Tonight I find myself grateful for the blogosphere because without it I would not have been taken out of my world and found some peace. Thank you.
Aaah it warms my heart to have friends such as you Achelois 🙂 I would love a wood heater and an armchair in the studio but we have two woodheaters and the woodstove in the house and I can tell you that “The Spouse” and I are heartily sick of cutting, chopping and carting wood. So I just put on a hat and scarf and brave the cold. when it is too cold, I sloth about inside the house and faff about on the computer.
Amy has a crinkly EDSy bit on the top of one of her ears and I think it is very cute. I was examining The Spouses ears last night, they are very nice ears and he has agreed to sit for me and be my model, I am rapt. My husband, my best friend and now my muse 🙂
I am not looking forward to cardboard at all. I really loathe the rotten stuff. And as for having to deal with all those fiddly details, the thought of that is doing my head in as I do not manage small details very well, that is what I have the spouse for, he looks after the details for me.
xx
Brave, brave, brave pushing of the boundaries. I was in awe of the bust, but I LOVED your current work. My fingers itched to pick all of them up (I am much more tactile than visual).
Good luck with the boundary challenge.
It really is my teacher, Glen making me push the boundaries. It feels like I am just along for the ride. I too am a tactile person I like to pick up work and see how it feels in my hands and when am sitting in the gallery I encourage people to pick up my work and see how it feels.
Ooooh Kim, I don’t think I could stand the cold in the studio in the middle of Winter, I’m really not used to it! I loved the white shells better than the colored one, but now that I’ve read ( I read the comments and your reply to them, something I always seem to do, I’m so curious!) what you mean by it, I can see the point. Can’t wait to see what it ‘ll look like once it’s been fired. I love that bust, it’s different to your usual work, but I guess slipping out of your comfort zone is good for you, isn’t it?
Our Tasmanian winters are quite a bit milder than your Belgium winters my friend. I am going to make some pure white shells, or try to at least, plain white makes me a bit twitchy. So we will have to see how I go with that. The joy of still being a student is that my teachers push me out of my comfort zone and make me do things I don’t really want to do.
I love the face! You did a fantastic job with the ears.
I used to make faces instead of castles in the sand at the beach.
maybe it is time for you to start making some faces again River?
Oh WOW. After struggling to model a basic bird shape in clay with a bunch of preschoolers (they were far better at it than me) I Am Very Impressed with that bust.
Awesome.
We worked on the bust for about 12 hours over a four week period. Glen our teacher helped us in a very hands on way, he did the eye on the right and half of the lips as I was completely stumped by them. I have a lot of trouble with proportion and perspective and I needed a LOT of help Amanda. But I reckon that I will have another go at making a bust and i do want to make some ears.
The shells are amazing. I can’t wait to see them finished. Will you post them?
To England?
I meant photos on the blog! Postage to me would probably be a bit pricey 🙁
I knew what you meant I was just being obtuse lol. The postage to you probably wouldn’t be to bad, though I reckon they would probably get damaged in transit. And yes my lovely I will post photos.
God, I love that bust and those shells!
Just found a recipe for a polymer clay which I’m going to have a go at but I’m nowhere near your league!
The shells were really really fiddly, all those spiky little pieces needing to be stuck on. Sometimes I wonder what on earth I am thinking 🙂
Kim, the bust is fabulous! And the shells are very realistic. Please put a photo up of them after they are fired.
I still have that face in my mind, although it has faded somewhat. I still have the clay. And I still have my shell collage concept, which was revived in a discussion in the car last night with the GOFA. Ironically it was revived by a discussion related to his work. I so have to make this thing, it’s been in my head for a year and keeps coming back to harass me … Can I come play in your studio for a while?!
Thanks Anne, yes I will post photos of them, The bust isn’t a keeper, it was just an exercise and they will be broken up by next years sculpture students.
Yes come down and play with me, you are more than welcome :)x
Ooooohhhhh! I’m loving those puffer fish shells!
As for the eyelids, yes, fiddly little fuckers fits quite nicely. Those always give me grief. I usually go haywire with them and create “expressive” eyes. Having the genetic shakes that I do, small details are the bitch in the headache for me.
I’m trying to get my local store to wrangle up some outdoor friendly clay for a few basic projects. I also want decent sculpting clay. I’m getting restless for some clay slinging. Time to set the kids and life aside and go vanish for a bit.
(I could use the fiddly fucker term here as well …)
Despite it being Summer here we’ve been overcast and cold for the last week. I would send you some sun, but its gone a wandering.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with. 😉