Number one: Having never attempted clay sculpting on this scale before, I was apprehensive about the outcome. For my initial sculpture I opted for the ‘maybe not’. My mind was quite empty and I just let my hands run riot. I knew I had to explore internal and external form so I needed to put a hole somewhere and maybe a few indentations. Semi pleased with the result. On reflection, that bit on the top looks like some kind of handle. Perhaps a handle on a surreal teapot. A many spouted chocolate teapot straight out of your worst nightmare. Never eat cheese just before bedtime.
Number two: My second attempt was a little more adventurous. This face gradually took on the form of a member of my table tennis club, a pinch of Winston Churchill and soupcon of Satan. I have no idea how or why these features materialised. Half way through I began to think of Churchill. He was staring back at me. I knew I had to destroy my efforts in order to make my next piece. I got my home made cheese wire and sliced the face. The face now became two halves. A split face, a split personality. Like my sculpture, there were two sides to Churchill. The celebrated heroic wartime leader on the one hand and someone with very dubious views on race, eugenics and women’s rights on the other. I thought I’d playfully slay the beast with my axe.
Number three: I really wasn’t sure where I was going with this one. I had an overwhelming desire to recreate some kind of ethnic artefact. It could be something that’s lain dormant in the crevices of my psyche. Part of me thinks it’s an oil lamp and a part of me thinks it’s a figure on a camel. It might be easier to decipher a Rorschach psychological inkblot test.
Number four: I think I’ll call her Julie. Extending upwards and outwards proved to be difficult when it came to her arms. I had to use wire to support the weight of the clay. The holes were just a means to fulfil the criteria of the exercise and have no specific meaning. One might argue that the larger hole is symbolic of all heartless parents. Over five decades they have forced innocent children to watch ‘The Sound of Music’. I’m still speculating. These days I can take or leave Julie Andrews. I don’t know why my efforts seemed to have morphed into Julie. Perhaps I have subconsciously channelled my own tortured childhood memories on to the clay via my hands?
Number five: With an express desire to be bold, take risks and have fun, I elected to make a diving helmet besieged by an octopus. I took the clay from the last sculpture and reformed it into a sphere. I think I was influenced by a recent trip to my local Sealife Centre. Before I got started I thought I’d take a brief diversion into the world of Auguste Rodin. The main body of the piece was quite straight forward but the tentacles proved to be awkward. They fell off a couple of times. It was frustrating. I had to rework the clay and use wire to fix in place. I accept that this might not be an option if the work were to be fired in a kiln.
Bonus: For this piece, I wanted to create a geometric Celtic cross. This looked like it might easier to achieve than the diving helmet, however, this was not the case. Trying to keep things symmetrical proved difficult. The cut outs in the cross weakened its structure. I think the weight in combination with my choice of pattern and size added to my problem of stability. I persevered but not a great success. At this stage I feel I should mention how difficult it is to take photographs at various stages. Obviously, this is a messy job and you have to wash your hands between each shot unless you want to ruin your expensive camera. Far better if you can, is to enlist the help of a capable person to take those images whilst you continue your work. Sadly, I live in a village full of incapable people.
BA Hons Creative Arts: Starting out in 3D: Sculpture 1 