THE TREE THAT NEVER GREW

 

My second novel has been edited and I am going through the long in process of submitting to publishers. Waiting … waiting. Meanwhile, what to do while ignoring the fact that the floors need vacuuming and the bathroom needs cleaning? Making a sculpture came to me, partly through trying to think of activities for helping to home-school the grandkids, and partly because It’s been something I’ve been meaning to get back to.

I made a few pieces years ago after leaning the process from Mary Knott. I sold those pieces before I thought to take photographs of them. I want to try it again and I thought if I shared the process, it might keep other people ‘off the streets’ during this pandemic. It is an easy process although time-consuming. You can make it as easy or as complicated as you like.

You will end up with a light-weight, sculpture that you can add colour to, or otherwise embellish. Your sculpture includes using clay as your mould so it must be open enough in one place to dig out the clay when you are finished.

The first thing you need is an IDEA. 

My IDEA involves making a hill the base of which will be the open area to extract the clay when it is complete. My hill will sit on a flat surface but I have also made pieces that can be hung on the wall like 3D painting.

YOU WILL NEED

• A bag of clay
• some simple tools – fingers are great
• PVA glue
• rice paper (buy in a roll from art supplier)
• Alfoil and some plastic to wrap clay while if you want to take a break from moulding
• other bits and pieces that you need for your idea – I am using a small branch from a bush to make my tree, which I’ll poke in through the top of the clay hill

 

 

My idea comes from the Glasgow Coat-of-Arms

• There’s a tree that never grew
• There’s a bird that never flew
• There’s a fish that never swam
• There’s a bell that never rang

There’s a story behind it – I’ll let you look it up.

This is the lithograph I did, using the same idea. I will now translate it into 3D probably minus the woman because I don’t want it to look too busy.

So if you are interested I will post Stage 2 tomorrow. Meanwhile, you can think of an idea, perhaps draw it, and start collecting your bits and pieces.

Like all art, the main thing is TO HAVE FUN!

The Tree that Never Grew

This is the second stage of creating a little sculpture that explores the symbols used in the Glasgow-Coat-of-Arms. These symbols are derived from stories about the life of Saint Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow.

BUILD YOUR CLAY MOULD

It can be as simple or as complicated as your patience will permit. You may want to incorporate something into your mould – I have added a tree.

COVER THE MOULD WITH TIN FOIL 

 … working with tools such as cotton buds and fingers to get into all the details.

Each time you finish work to take a break cover with plastic. I also cover with a wet cloth to keep the clay malleable at this stage.

The purpose of the tinfoil is to separate the clay mould from the paper mache. It also makes the clay easier to discard at the end of the process. Have fun – more tomorrow. 

The Tree That Never Grew

• Completely cover the clay mould with tinfoil.

• Cut some rice paper into strips.
• Mix a solution of half water – half PVA glue.
• Dip the rice paper onto the form – I use cotton buds to press into small grooves and corners.
• smooth the rice paper with fingers so that it all melds together
• When the mould is covered with one layer of rice paper allow to dry overnight – no more plastic or wet cloths.
• We will be repeating that SEVEN time – What else have you got to do?

The Tree That Never Grew

• After applying five layers of the rice paper, the process gets to be a bit tedious. I started taking the paper up the tree but it was not long before I decided that was too fiddley and turned to the white acrylic paint instead.

 

• To take a break before the last layers of rice paper, I started making the little icons that I wanted to insert into the sculpture using self-hardening clay.

The bird that never flew, The fish that never swam and the bell that never rang.

• And then I decided to make a boat. Why a boat? The boat is the symbol of ‘the journey’ that often appears in my artwork. I also needed something to balance the piece. I was pleased with my little boat when I made it but when I covered it with the rice paper, it turned out rather clunky.  I think I need to think it out again.

My next job will be to decide how to put some colour into the piece. I feel colour would add more interest but I don’t want to destroy the unity of the different elements of the sculpture. However, I can experiment, knowing that if I don’t like the result, a coat of white acrylic paint can take me back to try again.

Hopefully, the next blog will show the finished piece … have fun.

The Journey

•    Since adding the little boat, the name of the piece has become The Journey. I will call it finished for now but I know from past experience I need to live with a piece for a while and if anything needs changing, it will jump out at me. 

•    I firstly rubbed some ochre into it (from the self-hardening clay) but I decided that was too splotchy so I put some yellow ochre mixed with white on top
•    I have lifted the piece off the base to let the air get in to dry the clay mould. When it becomes dry and crumbly, I will dig it out and discard and should be left with a very light but very strong little sculpture.