My latest body of work is one that is going to hold my attention for a long time to come as it threads so beautifully with the rest of my life and practices. While the art at my deepest core will remain large scale and installation in nature I really wanted to hold on to an object practice as well. Not only to provide potential sales to support the larger work but to keep my hands in the fine details of making. its a skill that needs stretched and focused regularly.
I started with Smashan Tara, goddess of the charnel grounds, because she governs burning away of karma and so seemed perfect for the beginning of a new body of work. Plus, its something that is always happening in my life and so felt familiar as well as powerful.
I opted for a solid build on these since I wanted to be able to control the form tightly as well as keep the fine detail that is a critical part of these figures. Here is a video of roughing in the basic shape.
Once this process is complete and the figure is left to dry for a time to make it durable for sculpting and handling I begin to carve out the finer shape of the figure.
Also the early stages require making any additions the piece will require before the clay is too dry to accept the attachment. Here her tools and parts are in place.
Once this is complete it is a matter of looking and responding to the form as it unfolds. A correction in one area often requires the rest of the figure be reexamined as proportion is of primary importance in making this type of work.
Here is the First one finished and ready to dry and below is a video of me destroying it.
Such a difficult decision to edit a piece yet its nearly always the correct choice. The second one came together far better and was a much more successful piece. Here it is finished
