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This piece will be placed on a bronze-colored semitransparent acrylic sheet. Underneath it, I plan to paint words as if they are floating. Some have already sunk outside of her reach, and some others are still on the surface. The words represent our memory.
Photos sometimes show defects that I missed, and I had cut off her blankets a few times already. I may do that more after leaving it aside for a few days.
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I'm continuing to produce new work under the theme of dementia. The boat represents a life's passage, and I plan to incorporate it in a few of my pieces in this series. In this piece, questions from a person with dementia to her doctor are inscribed in her words on the canoe:
The blanket behind her holds what are important to her. They are "family, friends, smile, reaching out, and compassion." The finished piece will be placed on a bronze-colored acrylic sheet. Hopefully it will give an illusion of still water. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have started to make new pieces for a joint exhibit with Kit Watson. The theme will be dementia, aging, death, and beyond. This figure was supposed to be on a boat, but I miscalculated the size, and it became too big for it. This is my solution. The thumb and the little finger will be re-attached after firings.
Unresolved issues often continue to haunt people with memory loss. They may have forgotten so many things, but sadness or anger aroused from the bitter experience lingers. Sometimes, the person concerned has been long gone, and the reconciliation is no longer possible. The figure reflects such unfading sorrow. After firings I intend to paint a silhouette of angle on the back. How you present your artwork matters. That is why painters spend fortunes on frames; and sculptors, on sculpture stands. I had been avoiding this extra work, as I did not believe in spending hundreds of dollars for the cosmetic improvement. However, I am at the point I have to make my work more presentable. Here are my first attempts. You will see before and after photos. What do you think?
My friend thinks I should delegate the carpentry work to a professional. When I know exactly what I want, I hope to hire someone. For now, I am getting by with trial and error. Some bronze sculptors use a single-source lighting when they photograph their art. In this technique, the shadows play a major role dramatizing the images. I also played with the space around the sculptures and the camera angles. What do you think?
Managed to finish all the 7 new Little Buddhas in time to include them in my inventory list for an upcoming group show. I'm still pondering on the titles of some of the buddhas. I don't want to "explain" the figures with the titles. How could they be used to guide the viewer's imagination? Each image is captioned with its tentative title. Your input is appreciated.
The colors of water are blues, greens, and browns though the blues do not show on the photos well. This is the first time I used clear gloss acrylic medium. I like the contrast between the matte colors of the figure and the satiny surface of the water that the gloss medium brought forth. She will be glued on a black base board.
More thoughts were given in the creations of these new pieces. I like the results despite areas that still need to be improved. Initially I intended to make 10 Little Buddhas this month, but I only made 7. Cranking up the production did not work for me. I hated what I made in haste. I have to be able to satisfy myself with my own creations before anyone else. Sales cannot be the deciding factor of my creative direction. We artists know that, but we struggle weighing what is important v.s. how to make a living.
I pushed myself as I wanted to bring all new pieces to a show in August. Some old work will have to included now, but it will be fine. Thank you all for your support. An unforgetable experience viewing the migration of sandhill cranes inspired this piece. Fossil of the bird discovered along the Platte River was considered 10 million years old. Watching their rituals that might have been repeated annually for millions of years, I felt as if time were stretching from the prehistoric era to the present and beyond.
The original concept of this figure was modest with the clothing covering the front and the feathers around the neck. It looked constricting. This is the best I could do with this particular piece. I may try the same theme with an old woman next time. My Little Buddha grew a bit, moving from a toddler to a school-age child. It still maintains its signature delightfulness, while my new surface decoration technique was added. Comparing to my larger sculptures, the hands and face were simplified. I even gave thoughts to how to make the packing of pieces like this easier. At this stage, I would like to welcome your input. Do the simplified hands and ears bother you? Is this style unique enough? What do you think of the title DANCE OF DELIGHT? Is LITTLE BUDDHA OF DELIGHT better?
Your feedbacks will be reflected upon a new series I plan to make in June. Thank you in advance. |
About This BlogThis page is an window for you to see my creative process. I would like to encourage you to leave your comments here. What kind of thoughts did my art provoke you? What viewpoint do you agree/disagree to? Your feedback will feed my art going forward. Thank you.
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Copyright © Yoko "Tenyoh" Sugawara Email: tenyohcreations@gmail.com Phone: (605) 787 - 1099
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