There are very solid reasons why many avoid the mold and clay making process. Its expensive and risky. Several months have been invested just to get to this moment where actual clay can be formed into a new statue. Just think of the risk of wasting all this time and money toward a goal that hasn’t proved its value. And worse yet, the original maquette has been destroyed while making the plaster impression. The payoff is in the hope that subsequent clay castings will provide the means to sell several ‘originals’. If your successful, these multiple statues will help overcome the original costs, and ideally create a modest profit. So goes the theory.
My 18 piece mold can support either a slip casting or a pressed clay process. However, as my Pieta Amare design is very tall, over 26 inches, there is a real possibility that the liquid slip clay may collapse from its own weight before it has the time to harden and set. Weight will not be an issue with pressed paper clay. The thickness of the clay can also be adjusted with the lower third of the statue being pressed to a one inch thickness wile the upper sections being limited to half inch or less.
As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Pieta Amare will be assembled in sections. With the body being worked on first. Once the clay has been pressed, simply remove one piece at a time. You will notice that each exposed section needs to be cleaned and repaired before moving on the adjacent piece. This will take some time, so as you take a break, cover the exposed unfinished areas with plastic to keep the clay moist.
Individual parts are pressed separately and connected to the main body with liquid slip and moist scraps of clay. While you assemble, you will also notice that border areas may not line up perfectly or that connective seams tend to pop out or show there lines… That is normal, just remember that clay is a very forgiving medium and that all can be smoothed out and remodelled as you go.
A statue of this size could take days to complete. So make sure you have lots of cellophane handy. Before stopping for the evening, spray the whole statue down with water, then wrap to help ensure the project doesn’t dry overnight. This is critically important. Clay shrinks as it dries.. As much as 12 percent depending on the clay type. If the body is allowed to dry overnight, exposed to the air, the next day it will be just that much smaller… and the newer sections, freshly attached the next day will be just that much larger… the end result will be mismatched seams and cracks between the sections. Once these form and the statue dries, they can prove very challenging to close. In fact, a deep crack may never heal completely…. Even if you manage to seal the line with fresh clay, you will always be struggling with moisture differences. And these cracks will tend to open up again once the art has been fired in the kiln.
Its also important to work on areas while they are accessible… Both Mary’s face and hands will soon be hard to reach. Before Jesus is finished, I will need to ensure that Mary’s lips are well positioned. A little buffer between them will keep each one in their place as the whole assembly dries.
Pieta Amare is now 90 percent finished. The remaining details and finishing touches will be completed after the kiln fire. This is my own somewhat unusual method. If you prefer, you could continue to perfect the statue while it is still unfired leather clay. Of course the statue is very heavy and very fragile and with one mistake you will create a fresh crack (that may never repair) or worse, you’ll create a crumbled mess on the floor. I prefer to play it safe and Low Fire to Bisque. This fired intermediate stage is much stronger and still very easy to carve and sand.
According to accepted legal convention, the first twelve impressions can be considered ‘Original Editions’ and as such they should not be numbered. There is a very good reason for this. As you can see from these series of photos, though Pieta Amare was cast from an original maquette, each subsequent art piece will be unique. It is in the assembly, cleaning and finishing process that artistic nuances are imparted. Expressions, emotions, flowing clothes, gestures of the hands, gentle embrace, a tender kiss. This is all revealed from your hands to the wet clay. Life’s free movement is transferred from you to this earthly mud. Though there may be twelve similar final works, they will each be unique in how they are finished and refined. And in support of this convention, I letter my first 12 using the classical Greek alphabet; α (alpha) through to μ (mu). After this I would suggest breaking the plaster mold.
