Expressive Plaster Forms

brookeboncher20
Jul 23, 2022
6 min read

Updated: Jul 28, 2022

The intent of this project is to express an emotion or relationship using plaster forms. At this point in the studio class, I was feeling a fair bit of pressure to complete on time. I was already learning a lot and trying to assimilate a lot of new information. So, for me, the first thought that came to mind for an emotion was “Overwhelmed”! The clock was ticking and I needed to complete this one as well, so I would say this was driven by the emotion without a doubt.

I decided to use a wave as a metaphor to illustrate the feeling of loss of control as well as the feeling of anticipation. Even being a strong swimmer, I have found that I experience a sense of fear when I step into the ocean since I find the violent energy and force of the waves a challenge to navigate especially when trying to stay on two feet.

The various pieces represent different aspects of being overwhelmed. The unraveling coiled form illustrates the energy and anticipation of the feeling of loss of control, the added texture to top of wave adds weight and violent energy to help illustrate the power and intensity of the feeling, and the smoothed out form in center is intended to draw eye in and represents the individual experiencing the feeling which is why it is delicately balanced on a smooth surface (and barely holding on).

Overwhelmed (l 12’ x h 18”)

Research

I am inspired by Constantine Brancusi’s style to convey much meaning in his simplified and streamlined forms. I believe some of his sculptures can appear so simplified that they leave much to the imagination and much for the viewer to ponder (example “Sleeping Muse”). I selected this particular artist as inspiration for my own sculpture design since I wanted to incorporate some aspect of the smoothness of his forms into my own work.

Sleeping Muse Constantine Brancusi (stone) 1909

I have always admired the work of Barbara Hempworth from my sculpture years as a sculpture major in undergrad. Her sculptures are elegant, simplified and complex.

I love her modern style of sculpture and I am especially in awe of how she artfully manages to draw the viewer into her pieces using negative space and sometimes other materials such as wire. I plan to explore the use of negative space that Hempworth applied in her work since I believe there is much power in the space inside or between two or more presented pieces.

Pelagos Barbara Hempworth (elm and string on oak) 1946

The artist Albert György felt intense sadness and isolation with the loss of his wife and went on to create this beautiful piece called “Melancholy” as a way to cope. I found this particular work of art to be extremely powerful in the presentation and scale. I especially love how the artwork is presented in a place where normal life takes place. I do find it interesting that he selected to show the details in the legs and feet since I find it takes some of my attention away from the emotion that the abstract figure is conveying. I planned to incorporate the use of empty space within my own piece to play with the emotion that I will select to convey.

Melancholy Albert György (bronze) 1919

I always love sharing the work of Henry Moore with my students since I find that they are really able to connect with the artist’ exaggerated design of the human figure. What is successful to me is the design of his abstract forms to draw analogies between the human body and the landscape. I am also a fan of his choice of natural materials as a way to honor the natural landscape. I love the elegance and smoothness of his forms and plan to incorporate his use of echoing some element of the natural landscape into my own work of art. While I feel his "Oval with Points" is successful in form and with relation to the landscape, I do feel that it is unclear what this particular sculpture it meant to convey.

Oval With Points Henry Moore (bronze) 1968-70

Beatrice Hoffman is a figurative sculptor whose work is both expressive and contemporary in its style. Her sculptures are simple yet suggest a state of being or sense of movement. I am especially inspired by her work 'Big Wave 2' since I feel that particular work stirs up much emotion for me. I plan to incorporate a similar form into my own work of art. I am not as drawn to her choice of stand since I feel it distracts from the the rest of the piece.

Big Wave 2 Beatrice Hoffman (plaster, bronze resin) 2013

Thumbnail Sketches

To begin my own work of art, I created several thumbnail sketches to streamline my own abstract expressive design. The emotion “Overwhelmed” as inspiration for my piece opened up a lot of opportunities for representation.

Project Proposal

The Process

In preparation for this sculpture, I created a few maquettes using oil-based clay and selected my favorite design to recreate in plaster. This step was extremely helpful in trying things out since translating what is drawn on paper can present quite a bit of a challenge.

Once design was solidified in the clay, I then began creating final form in chicken wire (I used garden gloves to make sure to eliminate any cuts from the wire)

Next, I prepared burlap by cutting several dozen sizes (ranging from 6”- 12” inches ). The burlap was dipped into mixed plaster in a bucket and draped over the chicken wire structure. I continued this process until the entire wire form was covered. I tried my best to apply as smoothly to prevent any unnecessary sanding.

The smoothing process consisted of me alternating use with a “surform” and a drywall sanding screen. This was a tedious and lengthy process especially since whenever burlap showed through the plaster, I was forced to cover the area again with plaster and repeat the process. I placed a special emphasis on smoothing out the interior of the main sculpture as well as the ball leaving the outside of the form to be rough.

I decided to add additional plaster texture to enhance the appearance of the intensity of the wave. A palette knife worked well to enhance this effect. For a finishing detail, I attached additional dried pieces of plaster using wet plaster as a glue to the outer edge of wave.

Final Images

Reflection

I found the plaster to be a difficult material to work with since it dried very quickly and was hard to apply smoothly using the cut pieces of burlap. I also found it was difficult to

predict the size and weight of this piece since the plaster was very thick and

heavy once complete. Sanding was quite tedious and frustrating at times. However, I really enjoyed the overall result of this piece. I especially love the way the contrast of the

smoothed out areas appear in relation to the more jagged part of the wave. I

I believe this helps with getting the emotion across to the observer.

I ran into the same logistics issue as I did with the volumetric form, it was just too big to bring home. If I were to do this project again, I would consider making it smaller so I could fit it in a suitcase.

The feeling of being overwhelmed is a common feeling I encounter with students in the classroom. Many middle school students struggle with confidence and are afraid to take risks or make mistakes for fear of failure. I think there is quite a bit of value in relating to my students by sharing my own feelings and vulnerabilities when creating my own art. I plan to have an image of this piece on display in the classroom to use as a visual aid and to use as a reminder that they are not alone. I hope to show that they can still succeed in creating something they are proud of even if they are especially overwhelmed or discouraged. I think plaster molds would be something that I could incorporate into the middle school classroom. Students can create their own expressive forms in the oil-based clay. Once complete with their design, I would pour the plaster in each of their molds to

reveal their sculptures.

Materials Required: