Subtractive Sculpture

Originally I was apprehensive about this project. The clay modeling projects were significantly more difficult for me than i imagined so I didn’t know how the carving was going to go. When I began carving I had no real idea in mind, I wanted to kind of let the form speak to me and guide me. I used one tool for pretty much this whole piece and just kept scraping bits and pieces off. I wanted to place an emphasis on curved, natural lines and really focus on not just my sculpture, but it’s relationship to the space it occupied. I found out I really love this type of work and realized that a lot of my frustration with the modeling was that I was trying to achieve the look of a carved form without actually carving anything. I was pleased with how my project turned out, especially because I let myself put my worries and hesitation aside and just find my rhythm. As I got closer to finishing I realized how many interesting views this piece had and would love for it to be placed somewhere that the viewer could take a full walk around. If I had to change anything I might play around with changing the width and thickness of the base, but I was nervous about overworking the piece.

1 thought on “Subtractive Sculpture”

  1. The piece is not overworked (except perhaps the little crack evident in the last photo). There is a nace balance to the form, it leads the eye around the form as well as into the form. It is reminiscent of a small stone or bone that has been eroded or carved away naturally.

Leave a Comment