Tallooley's adventures with clay.

Call me crazy, but encouraged by Brenda, I have decided to share photos of my first attempts at sculpting.

I am such a frustrated sculptor. I am totally inspired by Jodi & Richard of Creager Studios and can spend hours looking at their creations. If I only had a fraction of their talent I'd be more than happy.

I want to sculpt more than anything else. However, I am extremely impatient and even more fussy. I was not sure if I could go through the whole learning process of sculpting. I want everything to be perfect first time round and obviously sculpting isn't like that...well maybe it is for some lucky person but I'm not one of them.

I get inspiration from everywhere. Ideas fill my head....and my mouth. One day after hearing me say "That would make a great sculpt...if only I could do it...whine, whine, whine" Mick said "For goodness sake quit whining you can't do it when you have never even tried.... just go buy some clay and have a go"....or words to that effect. So off to the craft store we went.

Well I have to admit I nearly gave up when I realized how hard to was to mix and condition clay. But, knowing I'd get it in the neck if I gave up already and helped by my friend Patti, off I went.

And here is the result.








Whilst sculpting this first guy I really had a revelation. I thought I knew what I was about to sculpt...wrong !

I discovered that I don't decide what to sculpt but the clay does.

'He' started out with good intentions of being a female. Then he became a young woman, then an older woman and then a man. And eventually an old man...a homeless and hungry old man.

Every little nudge and poke of the clay changed his expression and put him in a different mood. I'd sit there and just change the shape of his mouth, the focus of his eyes, the tilt of his brow. I didn't get very far in those first few days...I was just so fascinated with how much I could get him to change.

I have to say it was a little creepy...I don't know if this happens to anyone else...or maybe I am just completely unhinged but if it does...you know exactly what I am talking about. I told Mick and he looked at me like he was about to phone the people in the white coats to come and get me.

I had to take his eyes out part way through. I couldn't stand the way he was looking at me...he was far too real. OK stop laughing and get up off the floor...I know he doesn't look anything like a real person but I swear, when he was in my hands he was alive and he was telling me exactly how to work the clay. He wanted sunken eyes, a huge nose and a 5 O'clock shadow...honest.

Ok now I must stop before you do think I am certifiable.

I never finished this little fellow. As much as I believe he taught me the 'essence of sculpting', he was not what I wanted and more importantly I was not happy with him. So he sits there...just a head....still looking at me and most likely mocking me. I shall always keep him though.

For some reason I don't have any urge to create babies, fairies or anything pretty. My sculpts need soul not beauty or cuteness. Oh I have ideas...far more than I'll ever tackle in my lifetime but not one of those idea is what you'd call a pretty sculpt.

I am drawn to create those who have suffered...the hungry, the homeless, the downtrodden, those who have lost love and whose heart is breaking. You get the picture.

Probably the only thing I want to sculpt that is 'pretty' is Rapunzel...and even she is trapped.

Why ?.....I honestly have no idea...I wish I did....but then again I'm not sure if I'd want this part of me analyzed.

So my second sculpt is a political prisoner.

Inspired by the words of an old Peter Gabriel song I knew I just had to sculpt him. This was one of the ideas I have had going back many, many years....in fact I just looked it up and the song was from 1982. Wow...I was 15. I hadn't realized that I wanted to sculpt for so long. My procrastination skills are shocking.

He will sit in a cold, damp cell that is the equivalent of 6 feet square.

Whilst he is not meant to resemble Nelson Mandela (If only I were that good) He is most definitely inspired by him. He is meant to look haunted, hungry, saddened and yet have that look of grim determination. Pushed to the very edge of human suffering, yet knowing it is all for good reason, no matter how hard it gets.

"Let your spirit stay unbroken, may you not be deterred."

And this is why I have such a hard time with clay. I know exactly how he should look but try telling that to my fingers.

His lips are completely wrong and need badly redoing. His body and neck are nowhere near finished...I had only got as far as mapping it out.

Jodi has a great clip on her blog page that shows part of the lip tutorial from her DVD. I wish I could afford to buy all the DVD's but for now that has helped me a huge amount...thanks so much for sharing that Jodi...You make it look so easy :-)

Unfortunately at the moment, with my bad finger, I cannot grip the clay well enough to work on him. So he sits in a plastic tub where he'll hopefully be safe until I can work on him again.


Well....that turned into a bit of an epic.

If you have made it this far I'd be happy to hear any criticism....even the worst. I really want to learn how to do this and, knowing where I am going wrong, is the best way.