Some people have asked me about my work process when I sculpt a figure. I took this opportunity to capture a few photos along the way as I was working on a figure sculpture, showing the various steps.
Full of Empty Leaves
Our pastor, Gary Franklin, has been going through a series called, Jesus- Unpredictable and Untamable, based on the Gospel of Mark. This past Sunday, he went over the story in Mark 11 of Jesus cleansing the temple the day after the Triumphal Entry. Almost as a side thought, Mark tells of Jesus going up to […]
Into the Light
This sculpture is based off of a photo of one of the young artists I had the privilege to work with in Italy. When I was there in Italy for a couple of weeks visiting with the amazing group of artists who were participating in the three month Incarnate school, we had the opportunity to […]
Don’t Mess with Me
One of the other adults working with me with the youth group in our church is quite the martial arts enthusiast and instructor. I made this little fighter thinking of him. I have made many, many dragons, lizards and other mythical characters over the years, starting when I was a boy. As an adult working in the […]
Eyes and Ears
What does it mean to “be present”, to pay attention to the world, especially to the people around you?
Foreshortening
One theme you may notice here is the reclining figure, drawn close to the axis line, with a lot of foreshortening. In the “Drawing from Life” sessions that I have been in (from which many of these drawings come), we are doing mostly around 20 minute sketches of a live model. The room is arranged […]
Against All Odds
Clay – 17″ tall. It took me a while to decide on a title for this sculpture. I first thought of “Flight”, but the piece is more about the struggle to rise up rather than the freedom of flight. There are so many different forces which hold us down — forces which tell us there […]
Torn Down but not Destroyed
Clay, 11″ We often face times in our lives when we have been torn down. But, we are not destroyed. There is life still hidden in the roots, and it will come back to live as tiny shoots… (This piece reflects a theme which has recurred over time through some of my drawings and sketches.) […]
Transformed by Hope
The butterfly has long been a symbol of transformation, beauty, freedom and grace. In particular, it speaks of a transformation at the deepest level — not just a change in outlook, or a vague “hopefulness” that, “things will get better somehow”, but being fundamentally different.
The Challenge
This piece was a bit of an experiment in terms of technique. I do not normally use armatures in my sculptures, partly because if the technical problems of the clay shrinking and cracking when you put it over a static structure, and partly because it’s harder for me to “see” what the piece is going to look like when I just have the bare wires in front of me.
Steam Punk (series)
October is “costume month”, so Erin came in her new “Steam Punk” outfit, complete with a modified Nerf machinegun… and the obligitory dark goggles. This was a 2 hour class, so we had a little more time on the sketches, especially the last one (20 minute sketch)
Between Hope and Fear
Hope only exists in the presence of fear, uncertainty or despair. A muscle is only strengthened when it is working against some opposing force, so Hope becomes the place where we go to when we are threatened. The threat need not be huge or catastrophic, but it must be something that forces us to pause, […]