|
I decided to make one more variation of mother-and-calf-bison in order to use up the clay. Also, a bird was added to the back of each young bull. As I was not happy with how they looked in the photos, I went to check the actual pieces. They are about 4 inches in length. Because they are tiny, I think the imperfection and the inaccuracy are part of their charm. I can't wait firing them....
0 Comments
After a long break in Japan, making these bison rattles seems a nice project to get me back into the swing. I am hoping to sell them individually or as a herd. As the mother and baby buffalos turned out cute, I am hoping to design a few more in this series.
Belated Happy New Year to everyone! I tried to exaggerate "life's imbalance" with the way the figure sits, with its facial expression and body language, and with cold metallic tones. Even though it looks as if he will topple down soon, he is still holding onto it. He is hanging on to it. In that, I placed my hope in resilience. Someday a balance will be found.
Sorry this is not a happy holiday image. I sculpted this before my August show, but I finally had a chance to color it. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! My summer projects (carpentry work and gardening) were finally squared away. I am happily back working with clay. This Little Buddha was started at the Suzie Cappa as a public demonstration piece.
This herd of buffalos is coming to the Sculpture in the Park Show with me as well. They were sagger-fired with sawdust and dry leaves. In the oxygen-deprived atmosphere, red iron oxide did the magic together with the smoke from the combustible materials. Most of them rattle well, too. The show will be held at the Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland, CO next weekend. Please come to see them.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted.  The missing half of the boat can represent a person, an ability, or even the past. Such yearning for a loss is part of our life as well as joyful or serene images expressed with my other Little Buddhas. All the new pieces, together with the sculptures from my dementia series, will be displayed at the Sculpture in the Park Show next weekend (Aug. 13 & 14). It will be held at the Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland, CO. Please come to see it if you have time!
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted.  This figure is the smallest I have ever tried. The face is about 1 inch long. The Little Buddha is deliberately changing the direction. Sometimes we have to do it in our life as well.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted.  In this piece, I experimented with sand instead of grog (fired clay grounds). Sand contains impurities. Mine looked some iron in it, and I liked the size variation of the grain. It will be interesting to capture earth's elements (like water, dune, fire, and even lava) in my sculptures. It is obvious many more experiments are needed, but that is what is great about this medium. What else can I fire with clay to make the piece look more organic?
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. I think rocks made the pieces more interesting than plain bases. After constructing a rock shape, I textured the surface with a thin slab with a bunch of grog (fired clay grounds in various sizes). I even made my own, as I wanted larger grog than what are available in stores. Coloring was done in thinned mason stain and iron-based mixtures. A small amount of mica grounds were brushed on with the stains. (The photos do not show them well, but mica shines here and there just like on real rocks.) After a ∆2 stain firing, I did final touchups in acrylic paint. I am happy with the results. I will definitely repeat this technique.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. A boat is a metaphor of life in my sculpture, and this piece represents a moment when one finds peace deep within herself.
Click here to receive an email notification each time a new blog is posted. |
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.
|
RSS Feed
|
Copyright © Yoko "Tenyoh" Sugawara Email: tenyohcreations@gmail.com Phone: (605) 787 - 1099
|