Sacred Vessel
Pain Inside
April
7cm X 4cm X 4cm
Clay sculpture, candle wax
This sculpture is sacred because of the important of the fist in society, it means so much, and the best fighters are at the top of the class system. Not just physical fighters, either people who fight for what they believe in, fight for the rights of others. Those who fight are respected. And it doesn't stop there, a fist holds so much weight, and emotion within it.
April
7cm X 4cm X 4cm
Clay sculpture, candle wax
This sculpture is sacred because of the important of the fist in society, it means so much, and the best fighters are at the top of the class system. Not just physical fighters, either people who fight for what they believe in, fight for the rights of others. Those who fight are respected. And it doesn't stop there, a fist holds so much weight, and emotion within it.
Planning
I had the idea of a fist for my sacred vessel after hearing what the sacred vessel entailed from my teacher. I knew that sacred is anything meaningful, and a vessel is anything that holds something. A fist metaphorically holds emotion, yet physically holds blood, and bones the components of our bodies. I started with some sketches of what I wanted to do. My first sketch is a fist on a stand, which was my original idea. Then I wanted to add blood in some way, since it was so meaningful to the work. I thought about having a puddle of some material, and drips on the hand itself.
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Process
The process began with clay making which I thought I was moderately successful at. I combined the dryer clay with the moist clay mixture in the pug mill. Once I had the clay, I started defining the basic shape of a fist. I didn't want my sketches to be my reference point, they weren't very accurate, and were meant to plan the concept. I knew I could try to make a better sketch, but the sketch would never be perfect, yet I already had the perfect reference point, my own fist. I watch which areas pinched, and what parts of the hand that are covered when a fist is made. I finished the sculpture, and had it fired. Once I got it back, I needed to figure out a way to fill the found object part of the project, and create a blood like affect. I realized that wax would do the job perfectly. I started by cutting up a candle into small chunks, and I heat it up in a can, and tin foil. Once it was a liquid I poured the wax into the hand and let some drip out to create that blood effect.
Inspiration
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Venus_von_Willendorf_01.jpg
The Venus of Willendorf is the first recorded work of art that is trying to represent the human form. like this My fist is purely human. Humans have fought since the beginning of the species. while it might look different know the concept is still the same. The Venus of Willendorf might not have been about all of human traits, I felt this work reflected humans curiosity, a very distinct trait. There are many other distinct traits of humans, but the instinct to fight is not just humans, all animal fight in one form or another. I wanted to play with the idea of humans fighting, like how the creator of the Venus of Willendorf wanted to play with the human body's form.
Reflection
What I Could Have Done BetterFor next time, I would have made the fist larger, purely to make it easier to see from a distance. I want people to walk around this sculpture, and experience it in its entirety.
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What I Thought I Did WellI am very happy with how I used my found object, and incorporated it literally being held by a vessel. This project I was able to strongly convey my message, while meeting the requirements easily.
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