Sculpture and Seed - "Form vs Texture"

Another beautiful book. Seeds Time Capsules Of Life by Rob Kessler and Wolfgang Stupy.

The plant magazines often talk about a plant being "sculptural". Agave, some cactus, and this Euphorbia Obesa, that I couldn't resist. It's a round sphere of eight segments with each segment having a tiny bumpy ridge. The entire thing covered with stripes and chevron patterns of two shades of green



What we don't notice is how sculptural seeds are. The Seeds book uses highly magnified images of individual seeds to show how well structured seeds. Different forms adapted for dispersal by wind, animal, water, or propulsion.

Looking at the book, I realized it's also a primer on the difference between form and texture. I often notice sculptures where the artist got carried away, creating such detail that it starts consuming the form. Photos below from the Seeds book.

Here are three clear forms with texture.





Here are three examples where the surface texture has become so strong that it has become form. Each in turn has a new surface texture. Each zoom in changes the texture to form. It's something to be mindful of when modeling anything. Just know that the more elaborate the texture becomes the more likely it is to be seen as form. Just stay very clear on what story you are trying to tell and make sure your sculpture isn't eaten by it's texture.