Mixed media Sculpture on canvas
20" x 18" x 18"
Mother Nature as a concept, entity, and figure, is powerful. Inviting. Fierce. Warm. Eternal. Protective. I wanted to capture these elements, creating a more intimidating position, with arms crossed, but welcoming with a warm light.
Throughout the process, the overall feeling and tone changed. Initially, she had a darker, bluer hue, but as I progressed through the piece, I felt the addition of a warmer, golden tone would be more inviting and less intimidating.
One of my favourite elements of my pieces that incorporate light is when I turn off all the other lights at night, and the shadows that are casted on the wall extend the piece beyond the canvas.
The process
I started the process by using foam pieces to build out the torso on the canvas, adhering it with glue, covering it in plaster-soaked cloth, and then adding clay to smooth it over.
After building out the torso, I used a foam head to use as the base for the features of her face and head. I then used black gesso to cover it and make the piece uniform to work with and began sculpting her face with clay over top of the foam head.
After having the building blocks made for her structure, I started to apply gold leaf and strips of canvas and wire to use as her hair.
Once the face, hair, and body were created and sturdy on the canvas, I moved on to adding detail using acrylic paint and to create contrast and a more life-like appearance.