I was working on a mule deer the other day and realized I have a definite method of working in clay that I had not realized after all these years.
I find that I work based on angles, and silhouettes. I began thinking as I worked what it is I look for in identifying an animal whether in the mountains during good light or at dusk only suggesting a form in the distance. Bingo - exactly! Outline or silhouette is what you instantly search out for identification. You are looking for familiarity of form, length of ears, shape of body, curve of horn even stance.
That is where knowing your subject backwards and forwards comes into play and why if you walk into your working studio and something just does not look right it is because you are looking for that familiar outline or profile in your clay piece in progress. Always remember that the longer you work on a problem area the more your mind and eye get used to seeing it that way so in essence it looks normal to you when it really isn't. This is the point where you know something is not right so you either cover it up for a week or so then go back and by then it will be obvious to you or you place it in front of your corner mirrors (remember I mentioned that I have my pedestal in the corner with each wall having a mirror so that I see it from all angles) or another thing would be to slowly rotate it each day to the angle you see the minute you walk into the room and the minute you walk in and say "hey that is all wrong" you will know that the profile is not right in your minds eye from the vantage point you are looking at it so that will be where you need to make the corrections...(my English teacher would freak out looking at all my run on sentences).
One last thing I want to leave you with (you know my love of quotes!)
"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you". Henry Ward Beecher
If it does not look right to you, keep at it until you are happy because you know what you are trying to depict and what you want to convey to a patron. Don't get in a hurry, don't compromise because you are on a schedule and have deadlines or the kids need picking up from school or the phone is ringing (turn it off while sculpting), if you don't have time to do it the best you can be then DON'T. Don't ever let something leave your hands with regret on your mind...GET ER DONE!
As always I love feedback or comments................
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Refuge in the Wetlands
This piece was created after a volunteer job for the Division of Wildlife. This was not a pleasant job but it gave me the closeup, hands on feel for a duck.
My son and I teamed up with a DOW office and two gentleman from Ducks Unlimited to pick up dead or dieing ducks of botulism. This occurs with certain weather conditions and is not preventable but everyone on lakes all over hurry to remove the infected ducks before they are eaten by predators or spread to other birds. (We did find a few crane dead also). We carried them out by the hundreds as we walked in chest waders dragging a contractors trash bag behind in our wake.
This is exact measurements of a mallard (life size) drake and I depicted him banded to honor those dedicated to preserving and tracking waterfowl. Our DOW volunteers work hard to assist the Division of Wildlife in anyway possible and when it comes to ducks, work right alongside state biologist and groups such as DU. I have been busy lately and need to get back into volunteering with DOW in order to give something back.
The cattails were difficult in this piece considering the weight they had to support of the incoming mallard. Hopefully it gives the illusion of flying into the cattails. As in a lot of my pieces these two forms were never married in clay but welded together only after casting in bronze.
I used tiny balsa wood pieces and wood dowels to cover with clay before molding and by surrounding an upside down paper cup it maintained its shape and formed great support in the circle of cattails depicted. This was constructed so that it could be placed in a pond outside on a metal plate or on the base shown in an entryway. The stray reed arching over in front broke up the upward motion nicely. It sits on dark green stone to portray water.
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| Refuge In The Wetlands |
My son and I teamed up with a DOW office and two gentleman from Ducks Unlimited to pick up dead or dieing ducks of botulism. This occurs with certain weather conditions and is not preventable but everyone on lakes all over hurry to remove the infected ducks before they are eaten by predators or spread to other birds. (We did find a few crane dead also). We carried them out by the hundreds as we walked in chest waders dragging a contractors trash bag behind in our wake.
This is exact measurements of a mallard (life size) drake and I depicted him banded to honor those dedicated to preserving and tracking waterfowl. Our DOW volunteers work hard to assist the Division of Wildlife in anyway possible and when it comes to ducks, work right alongside state biologist and groups such as DU. I have been busy lately and need to get back into volunteering with DOW in order to give something back.
The cattails were difficult in this piece considering the weight they had to support of the incoming mallard. Hopefully it gives the illusion of flying into the cattails. As in a lot of my pieces these two forms were never married in clay but welded together only after casting in bronze.
I used tiny balsa wood pieces and wood dowels to cover with clay before molding and by surrounding an upside down paper cup it maintained its shape and formed great support in the circle of cattails depicted. This was constructed so that it could be placed in a pond outside on a metal plate or on the base shown in an entryway. The stray reed arching over in front broke up the upward motion nicely. It sits on dark green stone to portray water.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wildlife, wildlife, wildlife!
I so enjoyed this trip into the mountains of Colorado this Fall. We saw all kinds of wildlife and in all types of situations. This was a sculptors dream, to be able to capture these animals in their true surroundings and watch them interact normally.
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| Was excited to see this big guy but I stayed my distance as he was moving quite fast. |
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| Just goes to show you that you have to have your camera ready at all times. |
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| This beautiful guy was bugling to his challenger. |
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| There is a rule of thumb I always try to remember and that is never go around with no film in camera or down to the last shot...this was actually taken on my walk to the bathroom. You just never know! If you are an artist trips like this add to your inner pool...if you are a patron, you often wish you could duplicate what you saw in a piece of art. Either way enjoy outdoors and all it has to offer and try to keep it the same or better for the generations who come behind you. Pack it in, Pack it out. So many leave more than just footprints to clutter our outdoors, choke a chipmunk or turn a bear into a looter. |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Otters the clowns of wildlife
This was a fun piece to put together. It involved two of my favorite things, animals and wood.
At the time I was helping the Division of Wildlife here in Colorado research river otters along the Platte. My partner on that first particular trip ended up not showing so I covered the area alone. I became aware of the danger in that when I fell through the top of a cave along the bank created by a beaver. It thankfully did not break anything but I realized I was miles from a vehicle if I had needed it. To an observer I probably looked pretty comical because my main fear was a rattler down there so I came out as fast as I fell in the hole.
From then on we partnered that responsibility and my son often joined me to scare off snakes and collect all the ticks first.
Otters are playful, fun animals and I tried to catch that attitude plus the grace and movement of these wonderful creatures in this work. (Ocean otters are totally different)
Old wood, what can I say, I have wandered shorelines for years picking up drift wood and love what time and weather do to give it character. I tried to capture that look in the tree that the otters chase the trout around. Often trees damaged when young have distorted root systems and create a playground for fish and otters alike.
This work went fast as does anything you are passionate about. The patina lends itself to a look of underwater reflections on the tree and the otters. This is an older piece with only one edition remaining. It has also always been a difficult piece to photograph but then photography of sculpture is another long post in itself. A good piece that can be viewed in the round also showing the movement and flow easily.
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| Underwater Playground |
From then on we partnered that responsibility and my son often joined me to scare off snakes and collect all the ticks first.
Otters are playful, fun animals and I tried to catch that attitude plus the grace and movement of these wonderful creatures in this work. (Ocean otters are totally different)
Old wood, what can I say, I have wandered shorelines for years picking up drift wood and love what time and weather do to give it character. I tried to capture that look in the tree that the otters chase the trout around. Often trees damaged when young have distorted root systems and create a playground for fish and otters alike.
This work went fast as does anything you are passionate about. The patina lends itself to a look of underwater reflections on the tree and the otters. This is an older piece with only one edition remaining. It has also always been a difficult piece to photograph but then photography of sculpture is another long post in itself. A good piece that can be viewed in the round also showing the movement and flow easily.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Admiration for Kirsty Hall
I know that like all artist you probably research constantly for good advice or critic. I would love to quote Kirsty Hall with some of the best I have heard.
"I've seen far too many people, particularly at art school, endlessly struggling with a medium or form that they just don't enjoy. Why? Art is hard enough without handicapping yourself with a process that doesn't excite you. You need a certain amount of joy to get through all the bits that you don't like, so don't lumber yourself with a form that just doesn't do it for you - it's not noble, it's just masochistic!"
"Anyone who tells you that art is a wonderful, creative thing that always makes you happy is an idiot! Annoyance, small bursts of depression and large doses of frustration are a normal part of the artistic process. It doesn't mean that you're no good, that you're not cut out to be an artist or that you're doing the wrong thing, it just means that you're engaged with your work. Just make sure that you do have a deep core of love for your process - if you're annoyed all the time then you probably need to reconsider your medium. In my experience, anger and frustration usually happen right before a breakthrough and it's a sign that I need to stick with a piece - although if I'm throwing things around the studio and yelling, I tend to take a day off! Feeling low usually happens when I've just completed something big - I call it The Exhibition Blues - and it's always a sign that I need to step away from art for a while to recharge my batteries, assess what I've just finished and get ready for the next piece."
Kirsty Hall is one of the best artist I know for giving other artist advice...including myself. Thank you Kirsty for the kick in the butt that we all need on occasion. We all need that moment to step back...follow her at http://kirstyhall.co.uk/blog
"I've seen far too many people, particularly at art school, endlessly struggling with a medium or form that they just don't enjoy. Why? Art is hard enough without handicapping yourself with a process that doesn't excite you. You need a certain amount of joy to get through all the bits that you don't like, so don't lumber yourself with a form that just doesn't do it for you - it's not noble, it's just masochistic!"
"Anyone who tells you that art is a wonderful, creative thing that always makes you happy is an idiot! Annoyance, small bursts of depression and large doses of frustration are a normal part of the artistic process. It doesn't mean that you're no good, that you're not cut out to be an artist or that you're doing the wrong thing, it just means that you're engaged with your work. Just make sure that you do have a deep core of love for your process - if you're annoyed all the time then you probably need to reconsider your medium. In my experience, anger and frustration usually happen right before a breakthrough and it's a sign that I need to stick with a piece - although if I'm throwing things around the studio and yelling, I tend to take a day off! Feeling low usually happens when I've just completed something big - I call it The Exhibition Blues - and it's always a sign that I need to step away from art for a while to recharge my batteries, assess what I've just finished and get ready for the next piece."
Kirsty Hall is one of the best artist I know for giving other artist advice...including myself. Thank you Kirsty for the kick in the butt that we all need on occasion. We all need that moment to step back...follow her at http://kirstyhall.co.uk/blog
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Lessons learned
When my son was really young he was talking to me one day and I was busy doing other things and listening as I worked (typical mother, multi-tasking). All of a sudden I realized he was upset with me and I turned to look at him, he said "whenever I am talking to you, you look at me"! I was dumbfounded of course because you know you heard every word he said but I was not valuing him enough to take the time from my day to really look him in the eye and let him know that what he was saying was important.
Again the other day I noticed that my grandson would do something and then turn to everyone that is near and look them in the eye to see that they are paying attention and giving him the eye contact that means so much to humans.
Artists are very sensitive I find in needing validation and it could be that way with everyone I can only draw from my experience. It is the same way with criticism, artist need feedback on work in progress but only if it is good feedback not just criticism. My son is my best feedback and I can always trust him to be right on the money and know exactly what does not look right. Often I can see that something is not right but I just can not put my finger on how to fix it. On the other hand I also need the emotional support that only my daughter can give me, she gets to hear the whining and complaining and patiently turns me around to head off in the correct direction. With both I can keep the optimism going to keep producing when negativity is so common now days.
Encouragement is such a small gift to give someone whether it be a child or an adult it is like water to a flower, encouragement is only part of the gift, validation is the rest.
Again the other day I noticed that my grandson would do something and then turn to everyone that is near and look them in the eye to see that they are paying attention and giving him the eye contact that means so much to humans.
Artists are very sensitive I find in needing validation and it could be that way with everyone I can only draw from my experience. It is the same way with criticism, artist need feedback on work in progress but only if it is good feedback not just criticism. My son is my best feedback and I can always trust him to be right on the money and know exactly what does not look right. Often I can see that something is not right but I just can not put my finger on how to fix it. On the other hand I also need the emotional support that only my daughter can give me, she gets to hear the whining and complaining and patiently turns me around to head off in the correct direction. With both I can keep the optimism going to keep producing when negativity is so common now days.
Encouragement is such a small gift to give someone whether it be a child or an adult it is like water to a flower, encouragement is only part of the gift, validation is the rest.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Busy, Busy
I know it must not seem like it viewing the blog but I have been busy. Once you have a piece done in clay things seem to start to really demand time and energy that pull you away from everything else.
This month I have had to locate a new mold maker and test the waters, I have explained in earlier posts that if the mold is complicated I tend to hand it over to a professional instead of adding to my frustration. I feel that I do as much on a piece as possible the rest I leave to a knowledgeable artist in their own right.
I am only about 35 miles from the foundry I use and each piece I create means driving to each entity several times to either discuss, process or pick up my work. I am always a bit apprehensive when dropping a piece off but I also have learned to trust the people that do a great job for me. The new mold maker will just be a new family member to the entire process.
This month I have had to locate a new mold maker and test the waters, I have explained in earlier posts that if the mold is complicated I tend to hand it over to a professional instead of adding to my frustration. I feel that I do as much on a piece as possible the rest I leave to a knowledgeable artist in their own right.
I am only about 35 miles from the foundry I use and each piece I create means driving to each entity several times to either discuss, process or pick up my work. I am always a bit apprehensive when dropping a piece off but I also have learned to trust the people that do a great job for me. The new mold maker will just be a new family member to the entire process.
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