There is much effort and planning between the conceptional start of any project and its finish. When all is said and done, a completed statue looks so natural, and fluid that the degree of difficulty is lost and forgotten.. With Eve of Dream, the mixing of Adam and Eve’s bodies had to appear as smooth and natural as sleep comes to a babe. The early morning ease that we all have felt when waking.
But the creation of art is never as easy as it looks. And so soft plasticine is the best medium to mould when trying to tease out the form. This step usually only takes an hour or so, and can quickly confirm if what you have imagined is pleasing to the eye. Much better to start with a simple shape before investing months ahead on a design that doesn’t fit. Click on the images below to view
Using the plasticine model (red) as a template, a second stronger and larger maquette can be fashioned. First the main positioning of limbs is perfected, with head and muscle definitions applied last. By rotating the statue, you can insure individual expressions flow into the whole. You’ll know your finished when the statue looks natural from all angles.
Similar to my other works, this is going to be a complicated plaster mould. Using kids clay, cellophane and wood forms, the plaster is slowly build up and around section by section. Simply trust your eye, as you look into the statue from the angle of each cast piece. Ensure there will be no undercuts. Each section will need to pull away cleanly.
For more on the Plaster Casting Process, from mixing plaster to planning each piece to building unique forms, just click to read my detailed Pieta Spero blog. If you look closely, Eve of a Dream required 11 sections to complete. Drying the plaster will take at a month.
Once the sections have been assembled, siliconed, and taped it is ready for clay slip to be poured. I left the liquid clay to set in the mould for eight hours to ensure the walls were nice and thick. Then the excess is drained out with the final whole assembly being left to harden a bit, overnight.
One section is remove at a time, with cleaning and repairing being done with each removal. Finally, once dry, sanding and water brushing smooths the finish and completes the piece. Eve of a Dream is now ready for the Kiln. Once the statue is bisqued in the fire I will continue with the final touches that were too delicate to refine when the clay was still green. Truly, a labour of love.
From the front, the Pieta looks fine, however, when viewed from another angle, the mistake reveals itself. The arm is disproportionately longer than the forearm. Using Michelangelo’s Adam, we can see that the distance from the underarm to the front of elbow, to the front of wrist are approximately the same. For me, a big mistake. However, there is still room to repair
