BRAINSTORMING:
Foam Assignment:
To get more used to the “puzzle” method, we created a foam sculpture and a mood board as our first assignment.
Rather than focusing on creating a form using a contour-style mapping technique, I decided to use negative space to reveal an organic shaped form that contrasts the block of wood that it rests inside of. As shown in the profile of the woman, I want to create a silhouette behind which geometric shapes and lines create dimensionality and detail.
For my first trial– the foam board– I decided to use line to try to create juxtaposition and movement with different intersecting pieces going in various directions. I wanted this trial to look almost architectural, and have a dynamic but irregular shape. One challenge I faced, though, was that I didn’t realize I was working with a dull knife until the end, which led to lines that were not as clean as I had hoped. Also, reassembling seems to result in a slightly different piece each time. Through this assignment, I definitely found more comfort in the “puzzle piece” style sculpting that I had never tried before. I’m a very mathematical thinker, even when I draw, so I prefer the process that this method entails much more than our previous project. In 2D drawing, I always leaned towards mediums that were more easily controlled such as graphite and colored pencil, so I look forward to working with wood, though it will be a challenge.
PROCESS:
We then cut each of the pieces from our final out in cardboard to ultimately trace onto wood. After two trial models– the first one was too small and lacked detail– I finally was ready to trace the pieces onto wood, as shown here:
THE FINAL:
The main focus for this piece was representing the female body as both delicate and strong– almost armor like. To achieve this, I cut the plywood with curved, smooth lines as well as more pointed and dynamic shapes, and then combined all of this in a sturdy, box-like structure. The layering was intended to show how the two elements are not mutually exclusive; there are spaces for them, but they can be added, removed, or emphasized by being brought to the forefront and vice versa.
This sculpture was definitely a challenge, but it was one that I enjoyed figuring out. From the start of the project, I knew that I didn’t want to create a regular 3D form, but instead I wanted to play with the idea of negative space by depicting a female form where the material was absent. When I first decided on this, I didn’t realize quite how much more complex it would be. While the process was difficult and new for me, the finished project turned out the way I intended it to.
