Feminine Body #4

Reflection

Maple Woman with Rock Woman is the 4th and final piece in the series exploring the feminine body and nature. The form and colors were both important factors in creating this piece, as well as the element of surprise. The main theme is showing the direct connection between the feminine body and nature through the personification in some ways, or natural elements. I use the word personification to be a way to showcase nature as alive and as having a feminine quality. The elements involved in the piece are earth, metal, wood, and in some ways water. The earth pieces are the stones, which take on a smooth, curving figure to show the feminine shape that nature can have. The metal is the metal rings, which are a continuation of the blue rings around the rocks. They are linked like a chain, as the link is made between bodies and wild elements like metal. Wood is the overarching term I am using for plants, which includes the maple leaves and the 3 different flowers. All in all, the piece came together in a way that allows the form to be more than visuality pleasing, but to have true meaning behind it.

The materials I used were stone, metal, plants. watercolor paper, wire, and plaster strips. Similar to the last investigation, the wire armature serves as a base for the plaster to sit upon. I made this one differently from SI #3, which allowed for more pointed ends on the moon, which I like. All the plant matter was freshly picked, which is important to maintaining the quality of the piece.

The process for the piece was much shorter than I expected. I made this piece directly after –as in the same day– as I finished SI #3, so I was able to reuse some materials from that project. Reusing materials from project to project is a fantastic way to draw a line between them is they are in a series, and for me, it's better because it wastes less. I experimented quite a bit with the placement of the multiple elements within the frame. There was some planning for this piece, as seen through sketches and half-done pieces that led up to this piece. The plan was originally much bigger, and I am so glad I went with a simpliar project. Simplicity allows for the message to come through much clearer than a larger, complex piece may have.