Sometimes you start a piece and just don’t know how to end it.
But it all Comes together in the end!
I created a partial body piece that showed a single breast and the collar bone of a female torso. The edges I sculpted to be jagged and rough, while the details of the “skin” were kept realistic but soft. I added a signature body crack along the outer line of the breast, and holes to add in the stitching and staples later on. But after the final firing, the piece just sat there.
One day I walked into the studio and decided to add a single copper staple into the breast line. And then for days, the piece sat there some more. When I finally decided to pick it up again, the rest of the stitches just fell into place and I began to have an idea of what I wanted this piece to end up like.
I found this beautiful red wood slab that I cut into a fitting size. That night, I was determined to finish my vision. I sanded and torched the surface of the wood to not only seal, but bring out the deeper tones and textures. After finishing the surface with an oil, I added similar copper staples to specific wood seams, as I did in the body piece.
The finished work has been mounted to the wooden backing. It just took a little time. Sometimes the inspiration for a piece, come after the work has already been started.
