Art in Ed

reclining "nakedness" in clay

Recipe: Take one Lhote painting (see previous post) and somehow turn it into a 3 dimensional object. Ooops, I better not use the word object in the same context as a reclining nude. No, this is a fully actualised woman, revealed to herself.

It takes 3 bags of clay. I decide to build solid and hollow out later. I quickly put blocks of clay together from the bags to make the torso using my fingers to drag excess away. I get a shape. Then quickly I stuff balls of clay together to build out the legs. I am still not sure where they are going and working with solid clay means I can change my mind as I go. Building a hollow form requires a lot more forethought. She is big and will just fit into the coffin kiln - about 80 cm long.... but I am not even thinking of those practicalities as I am in the flow of creation.

I let her dry for a few days and come back ready to adjust the shape. I decide even though she is still quite malleable to hollow her out using pin hole surgery... taking a strip of clay along the leg and then removing. Once hollowed, I add back the missing strip. I put in the deep caverns of calf lines as shown in the Lhote picture. I get down on the floor and get into the pose, feeling where my stomach muscles pull. Now my back is full of clay dust!

I also turn her gently and hollow from the back trying not to squash the detail. Hmmm, no such luck, but easily fixed. Now I let her dry again for another week. I am back smoothing, putting in the toe details, realising that the foot resting on the floor is not quite right - building up the heel and that wonderful curve. As I do so I realise how beautiful feet are when in stretched poses. I love the ways the toes hug the knees, crimping over. I emphasise with a turning tool the lines and the form. I start dreaming about feet and their possibilities. (more on that later)

Another week under loose plastic and voila! Here she is! Now I need to wait a few weeks until I can fire her.... then she will be painted with those wonderful voluptuous colours... then a poem... and maybe she will be ready for the Material Girl Exhibition in March. Do you think this is a woman for all seasons?

Oh yeah, after hollowing out, I have recovered about 1.5 bags of clay which I pummelt together and wedge up ready to be made into coils for my next piece.

posted by Sue Stack @ 4:32 PM