This week was a slow week to be truthful and I’ve failed to make the level of progress I’d hoped I would be at during this stage of preparation for the takeover. However, I did manage to complete the tongue lilies which have been the sculpture I most enjoyed working on. While there was a progression of trial and error when finding a stem that I could efficiently attack to the tongue and would support its weight, there was a relaxing and enjoyable element when shaping the tounges and adding their textures, a delicate process for what appears a simple shape as the tounges had to have the correct thickness and body to be identifiable and accurate, but there was a continuous risk of the clay cracking and falling apart if it was overworked, spread too thin or the weight wasn’t properly balanced and supported when left to dry.
The use of the tall hourglass figure of the pot helps enunciate the lilies’ height while also providing differentiation amongst the sculptures without overshadowing the sculptures themselves.
Together I sculpted 15 fingers before I decided the composition was ideal for the succulent-inspired sculpture. As you can tell from the first image I built into the sculpture after reaching 8 fingers, allowing certainty over the type of fingers I was making and how many, to fit nicely into the pot.
To further prevent the sculptures from blending together I once again added a slight variation with the pot by painting it grey with a black rim, this also allows separation from the pot by the plants unlike the other sculptures that rely on their stems for this, the fingers are directly touching the pot and at times covering it.
In a previous post, when I first sketched out the concept for the finger succulent you may rec call I was struggling to decide on how to colour them, whether I wanted them to be skin tones or the colours of a succulent, leading me to declare I’d decide once the structure was complete. In the end this in-the-moment decision allowed me to develop the concept that the fingers are gradually turning into more plant-like structures and so upon closer observation, you’ll notice how the “normal” gingers may have a green tint to them or obvious spots of green similarly to how the green fingers may still possess some natural skin tones.
I will admit that despite the claim that this sculpture is finished, its chaotic nature paired with my desire got a messy, unrefined style, preventing a certain pop that I desire. To rectify this I’ve decided to add a gloss to the nails to allow a separation of the various elements of the piece which will be complimented by the natural lights of the bar space where i plan to display my work at the takeover, reflecting off the gloss