Art in Ed

Earth as lover, earth as self

This piece's title was inspired by Joanne Macey's book of the same name; Earth as Lover, earth as self.

We can be concerned for the environment because of a moral position, or an intellectual position. Or we can be concerned because the earth is intimately connected to our sense of self... an extension of ourselves ... or even a fundamental part of our being. Thus to hurt the earth is to hurt ourselves. To see parched earth and dying roots is to feel physical pain.

So with this in mind, what sort of piece might capture that sense of self as organically and spiritually intertwined with the earth? Is it a co-incidence that made from clay it is connecting at a fundamental level to earth itself anyway? It has to be globular, organic... a human figure transmuting into earth, into root. Or is it even Gaia... mother figure?

Technical Notes

Whenever I make a piece whose form is rotund like this I often find it easier to work in solid clay, rather than handbuilding with coils. So firstly I put one block of clay on the pottery wheel (which I use as a turntable) and then add bits to give a curve. Using my fingers I take away the excess.... yes those are finger marks you see in the clay. I turn it over and take away more clay on the bottom to get a rounded, earth globe feel to it.


Now I turn it right way up and add the torso and arms using handfuls of clay.

Next I make a pinch pot which becomes the face and I add clay to it till I get the full head (still with a hole in the back.) I check that the size is right. I work the features into this hollow round shell, using my thumbs to create the eye sockets and then needing to add more clay because the eyes are closed and therefore need to be slightly bulbous. Ooops.

Now I am ready to stick the head onto the neck. I play with the angle until I get the right feeling that a certain tilt to the chin gives. And now I can refine the lips to get an expression of serenity and connection. Even just doing this I find my breathing slowing and a sense of connection coming over me. A sense of being fully present.


The head is staying on OK, so I don't need to put a skewer through the top of her head down into the neck as is usual. Must be because of that thick neck.

Now I wait for a week before I hollow her out and add the headdress. I use a bag and a half of clay and recover about 3/4 a bag after hollowing out. I add a little water to all my bits of recovered clay and allow to soften in the bag. I will wedge that up next week after it has softened enough not to require surgical enhancements.

It is interesting how static the body looks without the head, and then as soon as the head is put on, with just a slight tilt, the whole piece is given some life and movement. Sometimes it only takes a slight movement or tilt in a chin or a shoulder and a piece is transformed. The trick is not being impatient in the earlier stages to put too much movement in. But even so, I couldn't help but make the legs and knees slightly assymetrical... one higher than the other, one more in front.

posted by Sue Stack @ 7:00 PM