Reductive Sculpture in Plaster

This sculpture was created using plaster. The initial ideas were developed using oil based clay to create moquettes that provided the foundation for the idea. As a non-objective abstract sculpture it was created without predetermined orientation. The process took a little over 2 weeks to complete from conception to completion. The initial carving of the sculpture was challenging and I spent a lot of time working with different types of tools to figure out what would create the overall look I had in mind. I started with a large chisel and hammer to eliminate some of the major material from around the outside, and then moved on to clay tools, rasps and wood carving tools to remove material using a more delicate and detailed approach. Unfortunately in the process the sculpture broke in half and I had to re-evaluate the process, but I am overall very happy with the end result.

If I were to do this project over, I would work toward a more rounded spiral - I feel like the overall structure is interesting but it is not what I had originally envisioned when I created the design. I’d like to see what it would look like if the spirals were more rounded and had fewer flat sides and edges. Obviously I would have preferred that the piece had not broken and I think if I were to attempt it again I would look for ways to make sure that the structure was secure before removing the final interior material. I’d also like to see more natural lines in the piece and some different texture in a future project. Overall I really enjoyed the process in this course and I’m already considering options for future plaster projects.