Large Object

Overview

Students will create a large sculpture 

Project Requirements

• Brainstorm, plan, and research an object based on the prompts below. 

• Create a small version of your object (moquette)

• Research different techniques to use when creating large sculpture 

• Use references to draw and plan your design (remember this is a three dimensional object, draw several different views of your sculpture)

• Take progress photos 

• Reflect on your process and final pinch pot in writing and a class critique

CAS Visual Art Standards

1.2. Interpret, analyze and explain the influence of multiple contexts found in visual art and design.

3.1. Establish a practice of planning and experimentation to advance concepts and technical skills.

3.2. Ideate and build works of art and design to demonstrate growth and proficiency in traditional and new art media.

Academic Vocab: 

Pinch pot, score and slip, slab construction bisque fire, glaze, glaze fire, Cone 06, Cone 6

Materials: 

Canvas, needle tool, rib, slip, clay, paintbrush, glaze

Tools and Techniques: 

Score and slip, smoothing, wedging, pinch pot, carving, 

Related Artists: 

https://www.anniegduncan.com/sculpture

Examples

Inspiration 

Choose one of the three themes below and brainstorm an object that you can create from clay. 

1. The "Exaggerated Everyday" (Pop Art Influence)

Choose a common, mundane item from your daily life and "monumentalize" it by scaling it up to at least 18 inches.

• The Concept: By changing the scale of an object—like a single tube of lip balm, a specific sneaker, or a house key—you force the viewer to find the beauty and significance in the ordinary.

• The Personal Connection: Why this object? Does a giant whisk represent love of baking with a grandmother? Does a massive pencil represent identity as a writer?

• Technical Focus: Scale, proportion, and surface detail (capturing textures like stitching, metal, or plastic).

2. The "Internal Landscape" (Metaphorical Vessels)

Create a large, hollow vessel that is "cracked," "peeling," or "opening" to reveal a hidden world or object inside. 

• The Concept: The exterior of the sculpture represents the "public self" (the version of you the world sees), while the interior reveals the "private self" (dreams, fears, or a specific memory).

• The Personal Connection: The contrast between the outside texture (perhaps rough, stony, or rigid) and the inside contents (perhaps organic, soft-looking, or brightly glazed) tells a story of identity.

• Technical Focus: Hollow construction, structural stability of the "opening," and negative space.

3. "The Hybrid Artifact" (Surrealism)

Select two unrelated objects that represent different parts of your personality and fuse them together into one seamless, large-scale sculpture.

• The Concept: Think of a biological object (a heart, a wing, a tree root) merging with a mechanical or man-made object (a gear, a lightbulb, a compass).

• The Personal Connection: If you are both an athlete and a musician, how does a leather baseball glove morph into a cello? This prompt moves away from literal representation and into surrealism.

• Technical Focus: Seamless transitions between two different forms and maintaining balance in a complex shape.