Ceramic Bust

The assignment for this project was to create a bust of a historical figure and to incorporate a message into the final sculpture. I created a bust of Mahatma Gandhi and incorporated elements of his messages and beliefs into the bust.

To create this sculpture, I started with a grapefruit-size ball of clay. I cut this in half, and pinched to make two bowls which I fused together to make the head. I mounted this on a hollow neck and added shoulders to the sides of the neck. Then I laid a roll of clay vertically down the center of the face and cut and molded it to form the nose and mouth. I then added another roll for the brow bone and added the ears. Lastly, I used oval shaped pieces of clay to make the eyes (blended into the face with small rolls of clay) and added more clay to the cheekbones. After firing the bust, I painted and added the other materials. Pattern and symbolism are key elements in this piece; the designs of the flags are important to the message expressed. The different materials also add a variety of textures which I think strengthens the piece. This project had an interesting evolution. I was initially going to make a bust of Barack Obama but changed midway through because I realized that I could change the message of the piece and model it after Gandhi because the face looked older.

I chose to paint the bust the colors of the Indian flag and the base the color of the British flag to represent Gandhi's important role in unifying India and India's rise from British control. The outline of the country on the back of his head encompasses all the colors and represents a whole and independent India. The loom is representational of Gandhi's movement for Indian independence—part of this was Indians spinning their own clothes so as not be dependent of British machinery. This project relates to my life because I have learned a lot from Gandhi's teachings and his struggles. I think this piece could be stronger if the loom was more detailed so that its identity was more obvious.

The most challenging part of this project was shaping the facial features. It was difficult to shape individual features without harming other parts of the sculpture. I am most proud of the face of the bust because I think the facial features came out looking fairly realistic. This piece shows my strength as an artist in my ability to learn a new skill and apply it effectively. It illustrates my weakness in my deviation from my original idea.