Stone Sculpture

Historical research project: I was to research a modernist stone sculptor from the 1850 to 1960 era and create a sculpture based on this artist's work.
I am inspired by Jean Arp. I am intrigued by his Human Concretion sculpture series in which he formed hard substances like marble and bronze into smooth, biomorphic shapes. I attempted to imitate some of these shapes using Agata Alabaster with some smaller pieces of soapstone.




"Art is a fruit that grows in man, like a fruit on a plant or a child in its mother's womb." -Jean Arp


















I began by forming a "mockette" out of clay of what shape I intended to create with the stone. After drawing the intended shape on the side of the stone I began sawing off around the lines I has drawn. Using various files and rasp tools I continued to shape the stone. Once the general shape was achieved, I continued to refine the surface with a Dremel tool. I finished by polishing the surface with sandpaper and water and rubbed oil to the surface as a final touch.

One major setback in this project was time. First, I had to wait on my stone to arrive in the mail before I could begin carving. During this time I spent plenty of time in research, planning and drawing. Once my stone arrived I had to made adjustments to my design based on the shape of the stone. The snowy weather also took some work time away. So I had to alter my design once more. Rather than including another shapely stone attached to the first I simply made the one stone a little more visually interesting so it could stand alone as a strong piece. For display purposes, I decided to include a large rock for the sculpture to sit on as the base. I thought the size of the pedestal would be too overwhelming for such a small sculpture so the large rock acts as a “mini-pedestal”.

Artist Trading Cards

Project objective: I was to create a series of artist trading cards based on the theme "Rites of Passage". The given guidelines were to create 16 cards- one for each student in the class. I was to include gesso, tea as a dye, photo transfer, and maps.
One form of rite of passage is marriage. I chose to focus on the lives and marriage of my grandparents. I collected many old photographs, love letters, etc.
I began with 16 playing cards and started by covering the surface with gesso. I then lightly sanded the surface to create a more textured surface for other objects to be applied. On the backside of each card I used lace and spray paint to create a pattern. I added tea-stained lace and a photo of a vintage key for embellishment.
I painted the front side of each card to create a green background then glued and transferred various images. To transfer an image I used a Xeroxed image and covered the front with packing tape. I then soaked the image in warm water until the paper softened enough to peel from the tape. The image was left on the tape to transfer onto the cards.
For some images I printed photos on translucent vellum paper. Using glue caused the ink to bleed so I used my sewing machine to attach the vellum to the cards.

Deconstruct/Reconstruct

Project Objective: Deconstruct, dismantle, take to pieces a piece of furniture Then reconstruct, build or form after it has been damaged or destroyed; reorganize. But the reconstruction must be based on a person I know.



I based this project on my grandma and my childhood memories of growing up around her house.
When I was young, her large, trinket-filled, tree-surrounded house seemed mysterious and full of secrets.
Every room was an adventure, full of things to be discovered.
The house would often be filled with the sounds of my grandma playing piano.
A few years ago my grandma surprised me with an old Wurlitzer piano paired with a creaky, crooked piano bench.
I chose to deconstruct this old, broken piano bench to create an aged door opening to reveal a glimpse into my childhood imagination.
Birds made from storybook pages burst from a skeleton-key forest.
Childhood memories are so easily forgotten.
My intention is for this piece to portray and preserve that sense of mystery, adventure, and childlike imagination.

Historical Vessel- ceramics

I was to find a photograph of a historical clay vessel and replicate it.













Stirrup vase with octopus decor, Rhodes, Late Helladic III, ca 1200-1100 BC (Louvre).
height: 8.1", diameter: 7.7" This type of vessel takes its name from the stirrup-shaped handles at the top. These type of jars were made to be easy to carry and designed not to spill.

I used extruded clay coils to build the vessel. I starting in the middle of the vessel and worked upside down toward the bottom. Then I turned it right-side-up and worked from the middle to the top.








Unfortunately, there were some air pockets trapped within the clay, so the finished vessel exploded in the kiln.
The End.

Wood and Metal- Sculpture

Project Objective: Create a sculpture using wood and metal using the assigned theme "twins".

I am inspired by the work of Louise Nevelson, who created wood assemblages from found objects or everyday discarded things. She said, “When I’m working with wood, it’s very alive. It has a life of its own. If this wood wasn’t alive, it would be dust. The fact that it’s wood means it has another life.”




When the theme “twins” was assigned, I thought of the idea of symmetry. My brainstorming began with sketches resembling the silhouette of a ballet dancer then evolved into a more abstract shape. My intention was to portray feminine curves and soft movement.



















It was challenging to create softness with rigid materials like wood and metal. I chose flexible aluminum metal for the leaves and a thin wood so each layer would remain visually delicate.
I assembled the piece with threaded rods and nuts to allow more precision in the placement of each layer of wood.

I didn’t want the wood to look like wood or the metal to look like metal. So I chose a metallic bronze paint for the wood. For the metal leaves I used brown, red, and green spray paint topped with a textured surface paint.

I was also inspired by autumn leaves and their movement in the wind. I wanted to portray that movement along with a shape reminiscent of a ballet dancer. The shape and composition of the piece was made with intention of being viewed from all angles. As the viewer moves around the piece, the spiraling leaves appear to move as well.

Tile Project- Ceramics

Starting with a 10" x 10" clay slab, I was to design and create a tile mural using myself and my life as inspiration. I chose to create my interpretation of my Grandma's backyard- a place that holds many of my childhood memories.



I first sketched out and added color to my idea on a 10" x 10" paper.












I experimented with the clay to create a variety of flat, carved-into, and built-up textural surfaces.

I created several different test tiles to experiment with different glazing effects so i could achieve the right colors and textures.