Sculpture and a wise man

It was time for a starring role for this warrior, to prove he's more than beefcake.

But who is he going to play?

These holiday flowers came individually wrapped in this cool expandable mesh.

HMMMMMM, too cool to throw away....

The idea was he'd be a wise man. 

A king, yes.
But alas, tis a tragic king he plays.

Othello.

 The plastic mesh wanted to become Elizabethan lace and ruffs to hide my lack of sewing skills.

I'm fine with that.
So is he.....

Observation on sexism in toys: Toys for boys have hands that can actually hold things. They're sold with weapons, but I like a chunk of frankincense and green sushi plastic.
Barbies can't hold anything. What lesson is that?...

It's a wise man who knows how to play.

Sculpture and Christmas

 If you asked them if they had a sculpture collection, most folks would say "No."

But if you ask them if they have Christmas ornaments, most will say "Yes."

Ask them why they love the ornaments and you'll soon be having a discussion about sculpture.

Here are some of the ornaments sculpture on our tree.

 The carved articulated Christmas angel goes at the top of the tree.

Wood, carving, craft, tradition...

 The cold business man....and the library lion from the same series.

Scale, humor, allusions

 a delicate glass whale with spout from a trip to Provincetown brings back memories.

craft, traditions, scale and contrasts

 This new addition was our 10 year old's contribution. On her own, she had an idea, searched out all the necessary materials of glue, string, scissors, paper and made her own angel for the top of the tree. I'm so proud of her. Creativity is its own gift that keeps on giving.

Each year I assemble a creche scene of sculpture I've collected or made.

 Sculptures of old women and goddesses surround the Marys.

Small sculptures of animals make up both the manger and much of the procession.

Who is this dude?

A naked warrior being prepped for his role as a wise man.

Sculpture and Snow Saws

My friend Ben Yang doesn't mind the winter cold because Ben makes snow caves and igloos.
He's created unique snowsaws that make it fun and fast.

Survivalism aside, the caves are beautiful with a unique quality of light inside.
The arc of the saw creates a series of niches, large enough to sit in or small enough for a candle.
And what other sculpture material is 100% biodegradeable, leaving no trace of itself a season later?

Sculpture and Manniquins "Because Who is Perfect? Get Closer."

My first job was sculpting realistic high fashion mannequins for Wolf and Vine Greneker.

Realism in fashion is a slippery slope as the bodies are stylized to fit the clothes.
Padded shoulders = longer necks, short skirts = longer legs.

Pro Infirmis, an organisation for the disabled, commissioned a series of realistic mannequins.
The purpose is to raise awareness for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.




This video gives you an idea of the processes involved in creating a mannequin: drawings, measurements and most important - working with the models. Because of the uniqueness of each person's disability, each mannequin is also a portrait.

There are many emotions involved when sculpting from life. There is vulnerability, the work of modeling, waiting for the artist to take more measurements and pride in being seen and represented.

Sculpture and NeoLucida

I saw this video in November, and help fund the NeoLucida.

It arrived this week!

Here's my first drawing, of our girl as she plays a zombie video game.

I've drawn for years, so learning to use the Lucida is harder than just drawing her.

But I'm determined to really learn how to use this tool as I can see how it will make technical drawing faster and more accurate. And since any new tool has a bit of magic in it, I'll see if I can hook the little one on the life long pleasures of drawing and really seeing the world.

For more information on the NeoLucida, click here.

Sculpture and Liu Xue

His work speaks for itself, (It does!) because I can't find any bio information on Liu Xue.

 

Here is Liu Xue working on the plasticine original of the walrus man. 

Nice to know the scale of these figures, and that he has a sense of humor.

 

And my favorite, the diving sea horse man!

Sculpture and Dance

Sculpture becomes a kinetic costume in this dance, F.L.O.W by Moses Pendleton.

Diana Vishneva is the performer

Sculpture and Photography

Being a goddess is hard work.
Creating a goddess is even more work. 

This video by Kirsty Mitchell, of a series called Wonderland, hints at the countless hours involved.



Wonderland - 'Gaia, The Birth Of An End' - Kirsty Mitchell 

The death of her mother began a process that became all consuming. 

Wonderland is a tribute to her mother's love of books and education. It draws on Kirsty's background in fashion as she and a few supportive friends created all the sets and costumes from scratch.

The photographs become a story book of images, allowing each viewer to create his or her own fairy tale.

Sculpture and Engineering

Most artists are so used to doing everything themselves that delegating a task never occurs to them.

Well, it finally occurred to me, and I am glad it did!

Here's my CAD engineering drawing, showing the metal structure that houses the wood carving.

I explained what information was needed and showed Tom Houha the full scale cardboard model.

He listened to me, took measurements and photos, and sent me the PDF a few days later.

What a relief!

It's my idea, my art, my model. I made them all, BUT doing this kind of technical illustration would have taken me forever and not looked as good.  It's a big relief to have a professional drawing with all the correct information to present to TriMet and my metal fabricator.

Sculpture and Paper

As a working artist myself, I love seeing art that is engaging and pays the bills.

Japanese artist, Yuki Ariga, created these origami animals from tissue paper for the Japanese paper manufacturer Nepia.  Kleenex is NOT an easy paper to work with!



Yuki Ariga gets the credit, but see how many people are involved in making the video.

Sculpture and Architectural Ornament

There's so much possibility with the new technologies of scanning and computer milling,
and yet there's nothing like the beautiful hand carved ornament.

Why is this?

Because machine made work is perfect. Perfection quickly becomes visually boring.
Everything is identical, whereas objects made by hand have subtle variations that keep things alive.

 Detail below

These panels are so beautiful in how they play with light and shadows.

 

Architectural ornament from the Jefferson Market Courthouse in New York City.

Seen on a recent trip to New York City.

Sculpture and Illusion

In making art, having a strong point of view is everything.
Combine that with anamorphic illusions, where there IS only one viewing angle and you have this.



and a look behind the scenes for how they made it:


The illusions are wonderful.
Even more impressive is the thought and work that created them.

Sculpture and Fairy Tales

It looks like a modern fairy tale, a still enchanted figure under a canopy.

But am I dreaming her into being? 

Or is she dreaming of me setting her free from the log.

After 75 years as a tree, I counted the rings, she emerges not as a young beauty, but as an old woman.

It's funny, the thoughts you think when you work outside on a beautiful day

Sculpture and Time

 A good quote to find this morning:

"Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; 
only when the clock stops does time come to life."           - William Faulkner  

All the work on this sculpture so far has been getting rid of the l2 foot log.
Now it feels like I can actually begin carving.

I've been working with the log horizontal.
Tipping it upright let me actually see what I'm doing.

She's larger than I expected.......

Sculpture and the Bronx Zoo

Are you tired of reflective glass buildings?

I love when architecture has something to say.

Jennifer Cook took these photos of architectural sculpture at the Bronx Zoo.

See previous post with her work in Pumpkin Sculpt USA.

An almost flying rhinoceros.