DS4 - FASCU 234: WEEK 15
Semester Recap
I had a fantastic time this semester! Water-based clay was an entirely new medium for me, and while it has offered a lot of challenges and frustrations along the way, I can report that it's one that I will happily continue to utilize. I think my torso project definitely was the most successful piece I completed. Most importantly though, what a huge difference between my reclining figure and the final torso! Getting a handle on the various working properties of the medium was part of the improvement for sure. But what made the most difference to the improvements I began to see in my work was modeling methodology -- plane definitions, approaches to form building, attention to structure and gesture, and (huge for me) tools. So for me, this semester was jam-packed!
And now I'm excited to start learning more about casting and ceramics firing. Figuring out how to turn turn this fragile and ephemeral material into something permanent and potentially show it in a gallery is my next grand adventure!
Final Portfolio
Here is my final portfolio assemblage. I'm pretty happy with the progress, though of course never satisfied with the final results! Still, I'm excited to continue sculpting and studying the human form in clay.
Thanks for all the tips, tricks and advice along the way. I viewed the 'waste' casting video with shock... destroy BOTH the original AND the mold???? There MUST be a better way! Still, I have ordered metal shims and am looking for a local supplier of Hydrocal plaster (which I understand is the best and hardest plaster for this process.) I did find another video from the Brick In the Mold company (great source of casting and molding supplies; they also produce VERY helpful videos for all their products,) that shows a similar process inclusive of adding the hemp/burlap structural support:
Once I find the Hydrocal and get the shims in, the torso is going to be my first test case for this process.
In truth, I REALLY wish I could 'switch majors' to Fine Art Sculpture. When I started my MFA journey in 2011, I was bored at work and looking for a creative outlet that would potentially further / bolster my existing portfolio which is digital / 3D modeling. Also, I have been extremely fortunate in that most of my tuition costs have been covered by employers; however, in shelling out the tens of thousands of dollars involved in an AAU MFA degree, they generally want the subject matter to relevant and applicable to one's job description! So here we are, just 3 classes and a thesis short of a degree, but alas, I would rather be sculpting (or even painting) than slaving away in front of a computer monitor! I am committed to finishing what I started though, even if it means putting my clay on the back burner for a bit.
In the interim, my plan for these pieces is to fire the portrait head (and the cups!) and do a 'waste' cast of the torso. The standing figure would be great for a firing too, but I don't think I can leave any portion of the armature in there without catastrophic results. Trying to remove the armature looks too onerous a task and I doubt the sculpture would survive my attempt. If you have any suggestions on that process, let me know.
BTW, I was looking into the work of Philippe Faraut (https://philippefaraut.com/) who also fires his work routinely, and in reading through his Figure Sculpting book discovered that he uses clay with NO GROG. I do really like the smooth finish of his pieces, so there's another thing on my list to experiment with! Also, he uses course rope for many portions of his armature which burns out during firing.
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