Eventually admitting defeat to myself that I am never going to be a draughtsman I finally looked to what has been staring me plainly in the face all these years – going three dimensional. I don’t know why I forget that for my graduation show for painting was all sculpture. Dead birds cast in wax if you’re asking.
So, over Summer I attended a ten week portraiture in clay course at City Lit. Working with clay and collecting pottery is a passion so I was excited to be learning a new way to create with it as it’s always been more a conventional utilitarian practice for me. It was also fascinating to learn to see in a different, more anatomical way. Being taught to look through the models skin and into their skull, building up the layers of muscle before applying the skin, I find this endlessly interesting. The process completely sucked me in, although the progress is by no means instant.
I’m looking forward to working on portraiture in this way and have set myself the rather ambitious task of sculpting the Roman Emperors portraits. I’ve been visiting the British Museum regularly to study their collection of marble busts, a completely different technique and medium but the aesthetic I am aiming for. They are so pure and perfect. I have a feeling at some point I’ll be spending a lot of time working on and perfecting the bases they will be displayed on. Oh and faux marble finish them – that could be a happy disaster!
