Sculpture

Sculpture project-sea urchins

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This work shows sea urchins assembled in a subset of the Fibonacci number sequence (0,0,1,2,3,5…). This mathematical sequence forms the basis of the golden ratio, and also represents the distribution of patterns in nature, for example the pattern of leaves on a stem, or the branching of trees. Whilst it is not clear if the patterns on the sea urchin itself are based on the Fibonacci sequence, the objects have been assembled in such a pattern (1,2,3) to highlight the complexity of the sea urchin, and also to emphasise its abstract appearance.

The objects are made from plaster. The sea urchin was cast in a silicon mold. The objects have been painted with a sepia acrylic and varnished with a wood varnish.

Sculpture project-Natural forms in conversation

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This work consists of 12 objects cast from natural forms (2 sizes of lotus seed heads and a small nautilus shell). Originally conceived as a work based on Ai Wei Wei’s Circle of Friends/Zodiac Heads (showing the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar), it evolved into a conversation between 3 sets of natural forms once the similarity of a lotus seed head to a hearing trumpet was noticed. The large lotus seed heads are exuberant and loud, the medium sized seed heads are chattering softly, and the downcast nautilus shells are silent. Together the objects form a conversation.

These objects (natural forms and bases) are made from plaster. The lotus seed heads and nautilus shells are cast from silicon molds, made from the original objects. The objects have been painted with a sepia acrylic and varnished with a wood varnish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal sculptures

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Art school is ending for the year, and assessment is in a few weeks. Hence I have been busy finishing work for sculpture class. One project has been based on the theme of animals. To select my animals I used the criteria of habitat  (land/sea/air), protective coating (feathers/fur/scale) and typical fate from interaction with humans (encage/entrap/mount). Three animals meet these criteria: sea dragons, owls and deer. Each is presented differently, subject to its own circumstances.

Sea dragons

In some cultures sea horses are eaten, either for culinary or medicinal purposes. This fate may yet befall the sea dragon, as the sea horse population diminishes.Hence I am presenting the sea dragon in a Chinese apothecary context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Owls

Owls represent wisdom and learning in many cultures. For this work I am using owls to represent a reported episode in Chinese history where attempts were allegedly made to kill all the birds (due to concerns they ate the grain in fields) by making a ruckus and driving them into the sky. Unable to land due to the noise, many birds died. The work shows relief tiles embedded with bird skeletons, a jar of owl fragments, and a set of 4 birds rising from the tile, as a parliament of owls in ghostly white (are they real or are they spirits?). Two flesh coloured bird stand sentry duty.

 

Deer

Deer are either cute (think Bambi) or wall mounted. My work suggests a ‘deer in the head lights’ .

Latex moulding to create a Cambodian Buddha Head & gas mask

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As I am learning, there are many ways to create a mould. Using latex is one option, typically in brush on format. The approach is simple: find an object (without too much under cut), mount the object to a board using plasticine or modelling clay, and coat the lot with vaseline. Then apply layers of brush on latex, letting each layer dry between applications. After 4-5 layers, then decide whether to create a support using ‘mod rock’ (plaster coated bandages) or  Chux. The choice comes down to whether your object needs a two part mould or whether a one part mould will suffice (ie, limited under cut). After the support is created (as the final ‘layer’) and dried, peel off the support and then peel off the latex. The plaster can then be poured into the latex mould (surrounded by the support) to recreate the original object.

Sounds fairly straightforward… however latex can easily split when being pulled from the object. On the other hand, it can pick up an amazing degree of fine detail, as the following images show.

1. Casting a Cambodian Buddha head

The photos show the process from the final state of the latex mould with the mod rock support layer, through to pulling off the latex (which split first time and needed to be redone), to the results of the plaster cast to the final coloured version. The head was stained with sepia acrylic, which was brushed back to create a distressed patina.

 

2. Using the ‘chux’ method for a plasticine original (of a gas mask)

A similar process to the mod rock approach, except that Chux is used to create one integrated support layer.

Relief tiles and the inspiration of Ishtar’s Gate

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One of our sculpting projects was to create a set of relief tiles, using clay to create the mould, and then cast the image in plaster. It was an interesting exercise, with the results shown below. The subtlety of all marks emerged in the tiles, from the buds on the tree branches to the most delicate shell image.

However I was even more interested when I came across a reference to the Ishtar Gate (the 8th gate of the inner city wall of Babylon). The facade of the Ishtar Gate featured huge relief tiles, in the shape of animals. Photos taken in the 1930s show the shapes clearly evident in the earth encrusted walls. The brilliant blue gate now resides in Berlin, at the Pergamon Museum. Segments of the relief tiles reside in many other museums.

So I have something inspirational to consider on my relief tile journey.

Update on plaster casting

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Further to my last post on creating a set of ‘heads’ using plaster with marble chips (25%), the heads have now dried and I have sanded them back. Here they are now, ready for painting!

 

Lotus Leaf mobile

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My challenge was to create a 3D object using flat materials.

I selected lotus leaves as my flat material. This plant is significant to me due to its relevance to Central Asia and the Silk Road. For example the Tibetan  manta ‘om mani padme hum’ is loosely translated as ‘jewel in the heart of the lotus’. I have used the lotus image in multiple prints and paintings. It seemed a natural extension to work the lotus into a sculpture.

I harvested the lotus leaves from my own lotus plants, and dried them flat under pressure. I then encased each leaf in polypropylene, and sealed the layers with glue from a hot glue gun. Version 1 of the mobile used a circle of metal found on the road and plastic caps to create a swivel point. Version 2 was developed after consideration of other sculptures I made using ply-board, a versatile material when  shaped by a jigsaw. The multiple horizontal layers of the plyboard echo the vertical planes of the lotus leaves, creating a symmetry.

This work was recently on display at the RMIT Tafe open day on 14th August 2011.

 

Plaster casting fantastical animal heads

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Wow, today I had a blast making plaster casts of fantastical animal heads.

In sculpture class over the last few weeks we have been making plaster casts from clay moulds. It has been a great experience. A bit like the process of print making but in 3D. It is so much fun that I couldn’t wait to try out some more experiments.

So yesterday I got some materials from Barnes in Richmond (plaster powder, marble chips, latex and a silicon moulding kit). Today I made plaster casts at home, using plaster containing 25% marble chips. I was inspired by Ai Wei Wei’s Zodiac Head animal sculptures. It is challenging to think in reverse 3D. The initial examples are per the attached photos. These photos show the works fresh from the mould. I’m looking forward to the next stage in the process!