Sculpting with clay - a new medium

The first observation is that I soon became aware that as a wood sculptor my relationship with my subject was restricted to a focussed 'conversation' with my material; ie a piece of wood that had caught my attention 'in the wild', and been allowed to "shake" as it seasoned, opening up its inner structure as the wetness in the wood evaporated. 

In other words the first stage of my sculpting involves a long period of time with the wet wood in dry conditions as the preparation for exploring the inner form of the piece which had somehow caught my attention. 

The second stage begins by chasing out the cracks, splits and shakes discovering the inner forms of entire seasoned 'flesh' which the element of TIME has revealed; thereafter the grain of the wood, with all its history of growth and sometimes decay, determines the organic shapes which emerge. 

The final stage is sanding down the shapes with several grades of abrasives to really highlight the storylines within the grain, and then polish up the result. 

The initial sighting, or even sensing, of the potential within a piece of wood operates on a purely intuitive level, which is sometimes supplemented by an element of imagination that projects the recognition of a natural 'being' or 'presence'. 

The sculptor's job is then to chip away until all is revealed, be it with an abstract quality, or as a likeness to a physical representation of something that the viewer can identify in their own way. 

The process I am describing differs from the conventional approach to sculpting in that there is no preconception of the finished product, no maquette in mind, and it relies on an ongoing conversation with and discovery of the wood as its individual nature dictates.

Working as a portrait sculptor with a model and clay is a completely different experience. It relies on constant observation of the model, building up a shape by repeated measurement and callibration of the subject from a 360 degree rotation, and frequent change of the angle of perception. 

The material you are working with is literally like putty in your hands which you are trying to shape in a likeness of the features of the human being in front of you. Light and mood undergo subtle shifts as time passes and in one moment you might feel you have 'got it right' and in another you have lost it.

There is a triangular relationship at work as you rotate around the model. The sculptor is in orbit with his or her attention constantly bouncing between the physical dimensions of the subjects anatomy and the clay with its plastic qualities.

I have to say without the experienced guidance and supervision of the tutor Steph I would have been defeated. She always seemed to intervene at the right moment and make an input which made the next phase possible when I was beginning to feel hopelessly lost and ready to 'chuck in the towel'.

I gradually became aware that whilst the main objective of a portrait sculptor is, in the first instance I presume, to capture a physical resemblance of their subject, there is a subliminal attunement going on which reveals not only the character of the subject but also the nature of the scupltor. 

Was I projecting my idea of the model's mouth, nose, ears, eyes rather than truly looking and responding to the reality by constant attention to detail? The softest touch to the clay could make all the difference to the curve of an eyelid or the curl of a targis.

Sculpting classes by Stephanie Rubin in Rye - Here is a video of all the sculptures made on my short course.