3D Plaster Armature - Tendril
"Tendril", 2 x 1.75 x 1 ft, Plaster
With this work, my intitial idea was to create something organic and evocative of a living creature, without it resembling one in its form, but instead the two-dimensional drawing we think of when recollecting the work. Scott McCloud, in his book "Understanding Comics" goes into a similar subject when describing how we think of our own faces since we cannot percieve them when not directly looking at them. Faces are often percieved abstractly in our heads, simplified and broken down into specific shapes and lines. I wanted to invoke a similar cause for this work as well as further push the concept, where the form, while it doesn't really resemble anything found in nature, the outline that our minds think of recalls a form similar to that of an octopus tentacle (or at least that's the intent.)
Reference Excerpt from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics
Initial draft. Note that on the initial draft, my intent was different for the piece than how it ultimately was resolved. My feelings about the project shifted as I got closer to what I wanted.
wire completed, clay maquette to scale.
in progress plaster application
What struggles did you have with the work?
I did not have enough time. This is not at the fault of the deadline, nor my own procrastination, but rather a result of a large portion of my work time being taken up by things out of my control. Additionally, near the tail end of the project I struggled to work as quickly as I wanted because I had to work outside. It got very cold in the last few days and dipping my hands in plaster was a struggle to keep up. Additionally, I unfortunately didn't get to sand it or refine the work very much at all, and if given the chance I would go back and dedicate time to it.
What successes did you have with the work?
I believe I fully answered my intent which I grew as I made the project. The work is evocotive of something that is alive, without being objectively representative of anything from life.
What did you learn from this project - new skills, new techniques, new ways of thinking, time management, how to scale up an object, etc.
I learned a lot of things with this project that I didn't know before. Prior to this project, I had never used any woodshop tools, and now I know how to use the jigsaw and drill. I also learned how to use chicken wire in a project like this, as well as plaster as a whole, which I also never worked with. The biggest thing I learned with this is time management on a small scale, as plaster changes texture quickly if not used fast enough.
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