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About the Piece
I am inspired by
artists who work spontaneously, from their subconscious. I was able
to work this way on Creation Story because I am gaining a better
understanding of body proportions and how I can effectively distort
the figure without it looking too grotesque. I kept in mind “La
Grande Odalisque” and her three extra vertebrae. So, as I worked I
tried not to think too much, I just kept focusing on chucking clay
up on the stand to make interesting patterns and forms that flowed
and created appealing elements that make sense in their own right.
Also, I wanted this piece to have a flavor of India about it,
without being an overtly Indian piece of art.
The title of this piece envisions men and women working together to
create order, beauty and life. It moves beyond the narrow confides
of a dogmatic creation story, and instead presents our religious
myths as a symbolic dialogue that inspires and comforts us,
mirroring back to us our past, present and future dreams. I was very
inspired by my brother’s partner who labored to birth their son. My
brother relayed mythic tales of her heroic efforts and how she spent
many hours in hard labor to birth their dear little baby. Her
birthing story is awe inspiring, it is profound.
It was aware that by working on Which Church and Creation Story
simultaneously they helped to inform the other piece. In my studio I
have two sculpture stands and I often work on two or more sculptures
at the same time. I work on one until I am frustrated, or can’t get
the solutions I need, and then I work on the other piece. Or, I work
on one piece for several days and leave the other covered for a few
days. Then, when I returned to the other piece days later I have
fresher eyes. I think it is interesting how these two pieces are
facets of the same constellation of ideas surrounding men and women
working together to either make up an institution like the church,
or to work together in creative pursuits like birthing children, the
future, beauty and order.
Although, I do not consider myself an auditory learner, I strive for
my work be informed by some of the same concepts musicians use in
their pieces such as layering, syncopation, patterns of repeating
choruses, etc. Thinking about music’s structure allows me a
different vantage point from which to view the elements and
principles of design such as line, shape, direction, size, texture,
color, value, balance, gradation, repetition, contrast, harmony,
dominance, and unity. Sometimes when I am listening to a really good
song, I think to myself, how I can get those same emotions,
feelings, or structures in my sculptures. A friend pointed out to me
how they appreciated the mandorla pattern peaking through spaces in
this sculpture, in their words, it was kind of “sexy” to have this
fabric-like element peaking through and teasing the viewer. This was
what I like to call a “happy accident”. When making the sculpture, I
had all of the figures in place and ended up with small patches of
space that I couldn’t decide what to do with. So, I added a
fabric-like mandorla pattern to these areas. This gives the piece a
layered effect, as if these tiny bits of hidden fabric are peeking
through in random areas, adding an element of surprise.
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