I am pleased with the progress I have made thus far. I am about half - way done with the forming of the apple, so I think I will be able to start on the separate top - half during the next studio day. I smoothed out the inside and made the edges of the base much cleaner. I also stretched the clay out a bit so that it isn't quite so thick. I also gently pulled it outwards to mimic the more dramatic bowl - like shape of an actual apple.
I cannot help but feel like it would be easier to build an appenditure of wire and paper-mâché and overlay it with clay, but I feel like I need to continue with what I have already started. I think I have a solid start, and I am excited to continue the process.
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Today I began the physical process of sculpting. I have decided to hand - make a clay apple. I think I will do it in two parts, then attach the top and bottom halves together. I plan on cutting out a large chunk from one side, as if someone has taken a large bite out of the apple. I want the apple to be sprayed gold / silver - something aesthetically pleasing and eye - catching. But, spilling out of the 'bite' will be something to contradict the illusion of perfection and wholesomeness. I am entertaining the idea of engaging the student body by asking for people to anonymously submit hurtful comments which they have endured / insecurities which plague their thoughts. I would transfer these submissions - tangible forms of the negativity that pervades modern society - onto pieces of paper, perhaps, and place them inside the apple so that they spill out from the inside. An additional idea I have is to create a snake head that emerges from the papers and out of the apple, but I am not sure how realistic this is.
Rationale for why the apple: for as long as i can remember, i have subconsciously viewed the apple as an emblem of health and wellness; as the saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” however, something about my notion of this fruit and it’s true significance to myself personally did not sit right with me, so i explores the concept further. i realized that the apple has actually epitomized feelings of deceit and malicious intent since the beginning of human creation: eve, at the urging of lucifer, was seduced by the forbidden fruit of the garden of eden. popularly, iconographic images and artwork of this occurrence portrays the tantalizingly fruit as an apple. similarly, fairy-tales such as “snow white” use the apple as a means for the antagonist to commit their acts of treachery unto the undeserving protagonist. finally, and this has been a rather recent revelation of mine, apples also provide a false sense of security to those suffering from eating disorders like anorexia; the timeless line, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” often becomes a mantra and way of living for those who struggle with the mental illness. there is even a book by a survivor of anorexia called “an apple a day,” which was literally all she ate for numerous years. thus, i would like to explore my newfound awareness of all that the apple possesses the power to signify, especially deceit. my idea for the sculpture is that a large, life - life apple which has been spray painted gold appears whole and devoid of flaws when viewed head - on. however, as the viewer completes a full turn around it, they see that the backside appears rotten, oozing a deeply saturated, highly viscous, reddish - black liquid. So, Google is having a contest for someone to win the opportunity to have their doodle featured on the search engine home screen. The theme for the contest was “when I grow up, I hope that...”. I wanted to enter a doodle, but I didn’t know if I would be able to see it all the way through. This week, though, I decided that I would finish it. I spent a little bit of time each day working on my drawing, the sketch for which I had done weeks ago. I wanted to do humans and aliens because it’s fun and cute and not really an expected answer to the prompt, in my opinion. I spent a really long time today working on it, and I finally finished. I’m so excited to submit it to the contest. I would be ecstatic if it actually won. It would literally be unfathomable to have millions of people around the world see something that I drew.
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