Concentration #1

This was the first piece in my new 3D concentration, in which I decided to focus on figures of course, this time also showing an emotional reaction or connection to nature through body language. It was very interesting to translate one of my figural styles into three dimensional form and I think it was actually easier to create a nearly anatomically (yet stylized) correct form thanks to the ease of Sculpy and the ability to make additions or remove mistakes. In this concentration, I wanted to translate emotions and feelings into the body and showcase them through the positioning of the figure, in this case making him sitting cross-legged with his head in his hands. This position can be interpreted in many ways and something I like about my own art is that the viewer can choose how they wish to interpret it; for example, someone could look at this piece and decide the figure is gazing longingly at this flower, and someone else could look at it like the figure is looking sadly upon this dying flower. Creating these figures, although fun, was quite tricky. I started by planning the position and creating a base out of wire and then building around it with Sculpy. Once I had the form mostly built up and fully covering the wire, I started adding more to parts that needed more ‘fat’ or natural curves, like in the biceps, stomach, legs and head. The most difficult parts were the little details like cheekbones, nose, extra mass in the feet and hands and of course fingers and toes. Once it all came together, I completed it using tools to create eyes and a mouth and any other indentations that finalized the form (belly button, nipples, dimples, etc). Perhaps the most difficult part in the planning process was deciding on the base of the work. I didn’t want to work too hard on each base, because of the amount of effort put into the forms alone and because the figure was meant to be the main attraction, and to me it seems like this piece’s base lacked the usual effort I put into my art, but it still does its job of accentuating the figure and implying a natural environment.