Concentration #4

For this assignment, we were asked to make a fourth sculptural piece that represented our concentration. With mine being growth, I decided to continue the representation of both nature and life. Because I did a combination of sea life and nature in Concentration #2, I wanted to do something similar. I chose my subjects to be a tree and an octopus, as the tentacles and roots can be similar in shape and compliment each other. Additionally, I chose to continue the use of clay to tie in the same material.

I started my project by making a long, open-ended pinch pot to make the base of the tree. I add coils and attached them in a way to look like exaggerated roots. Once I smoothed it out and added bark-like texture, I made the octopus and attached it leg by leg onto the tree. I made the tentacles in the same way as the roots so that the octopus almost blended in. The head of the octopus was made from a simple pinch pot and attached using the scratching and slipping method. The tops of the tree were made using slabs that were molded over a tinfoil ball, then texturized with the tool with multiple short wires in the handle. I planned on stacking one over the other in the finished product, so I made one smaller than the other.

Once the clay was dried out and bisque fired, I glazed all three pieces, using green, brownish-gold, and deep brick red. After applying three coats, I fired the clay for the second time. Once everything was completely fired, I assembled my sculpture using superglue, attaching the coral/tree top pieces to the tree trunk. Overall, I am very happy with my fourth concentration. Although the colors didn't come out exactly as I was picturing, I am pleased with my creativity and ability to problem solve throughout this project. I think out of all of my concentration sculptures, this is by far my most out-of-the-box and unique.