Sculpture Assignment 3 and 4

The nature of these assignments was to create a replica of

item in clay and then duplicate it by making a mold.

Inspiration:

My inspiration came from a series I’m doing for illustration about flowers and trees that have held special meaning from my life. The realization that these flowers would not be on earth without the pollination process of bees drove this project.

Process:

My initial replication was more precise in form. It was created based upon my initial sketches. I created it out of polymer clay and another with air dry clay. Each bee had a head, thorax, and abdomen. I was able to fit a set of legs but they were unsuccessful when I tried to use the mold for replication. Therefore, my bees in the final depiction have the three body parts and wings.

I used two separate methods to build the mold. The first was where you measure equal portions of blue and pink liquids then combine to create the silicone used for the mold. I placed my clay bee into the bottom of a paper cup and covered it with the purple silicone. The waiting period to dry took several hours so time management was key to completing the project on time. The next class period I removed the clay bee and had the imprinted hole to fill with plater. While I waited for the plaster to dry I created a second mold from silicone caulk using the same paper cup. The next class I repeated the process using each mold several times. In total, I created five bees from my molds. To finish the project I sanded down the extra plaster and painted the bees. I was afraid they would look to kitsch but in the end felt it was necessary to make them look as realistic as possible. Since bees from the same hive have similar color patterns, so the bees I created look alike.

Importance:

Bees are important to our survival. Without them flowers and crops wouldn’t get pollenated. In one day a single bee pollenates over 5,000 flowers. I wanted this project to represent and remind us of the importance of what bees mean to us as humans and our survival.

Initial sketch

Sculpted bee with molds

Molds filled with plaster

Five bees in process of being painted

Completed bees

Up close for details

Lone bee pollenating flower

Five bees with one single flower

Comments

* A Few of My Favorite Things

1. Willow Tree Angel - this angel honors fallen soldiers and the wives they leave behind. 2. The last picture my husband took with my daughter before he died. 3. The last picture of a happy moment at Disney between my son and husband. 4. Angel wings Christmas Ornament - a special ornament I have displayed on a shelving unit. 5. An art project I did in 2D Design, the angels signify the sadness of the past and the hope of the future.

Intertwined - Grief and Hope

2D Project - create an image using 2 objects in various sizes to simulate foreground and background fading out of view. For this project I used two Willow Tree sculptures created by artist Susan Lordi to compose my project. As a military widow these two sculptures hold significant meaning. The foreground is composed of more Hero statues as it signifies more of the immediate grief after suffering loss. As you move toward the middle there is hope and grief mixed together. The background contains more hope then grief as you begin to find yourself again and move forward in your journey. Willow Tree Sculptures Hero and Soar Hero sculpture shadowed from various angles

Project 1 The Box

Project 1 – Boxed Mind The box remains a central part of my art work, so I decided to look further into its meaning. The definition of a box is a container, which is an object that can be used to hold or transport something. Synonyms of a container are a vessel, a casket, and pottery. In this sense, one could consider the human mind a vessel that stores memories. This concept was intriguing and worthy of further development. Focusing on this concept, the human mind became a space comprised of various compartments. Each compartment ranged from a single level to multiple levels. The multi-level compartment were for the more complex thoughts and feelings; places that needed more space to breathe. As I planned the sculpture, I envisioned a mandala, made with various shaped boxes instead of circles. Originally thinking about using paper to sculpt, my vision began to change as I cut out each individual area. The piece needed to be more solid and sturdy, so I brought in the natural elem...

Susan Williams

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