Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Work in Progress: Bountiful Blissful Beautiful

This is what my new sculpture looked like after 16 hours of work. I made a few decisions that weren't really smart. I totally forgot to build a support for the neck and head! When I cut it open to shave off some clay (so that my sculpture wouldn't be too heavy), I took off too much clay and caused the neck area to cave in. Luckily, I managed to stop it from collapsing by using a lump of clay to support the head. Now that the clay has become a little dry and stiff, the neck and head seem to be stable (I hope. Keeping my fingers crossed).


After 20 hours of working my sculpture is finally complete. All that I can do now is to wait for it to dry slowly and evenly, and then bisque it. Again, keeping my fingers crossed, hoping it will survive the rest of the process. 
Here's the back view of the sculpture.  I resisted the urge to fill up the space with delicate pieces of decoration which will make it very hard for me to carry the sculpture.
The title of this sculpture is Bountiful Blissful Beautiful, after a song/mantra of the same title. I fell in love with this mantra the first time I heard it in a yoga class. So I decided to create a sculpture based on the song. And that's all I listened to when I was working on this sculpture. For those who are interested, visit this site to listen to Nirinjan Kaur's Bountiful Blissful Beautiful.


Take some time and look deep inside yourself. The truth is, we are all really bountiful, blissful and beautiful. So live gloriously. Sat nam.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Work in Progress

This is what I managed to accomplish with 6 to 7 hours of sculpting. I still have a long way to go with this piece. It might take me another 6 to 7 hours to complete it.
This sculpture is hollow on the inside. I used coiling technique on the body and neck. I like coiling. Most of my work is created with this technique. Pinching is another technique that I use quite frequently. I usually pinch my clay heads.


And this is one of the best sculpting tools I have in my collection! It is designed by Philippe Faraut, I used it to sculpt the eyes and lips. It works beautifully.


 
This is the very first time I sculpted hands for my sculpture. And I just couldn't resist doing the Vulcan salute.


This is what the hand looks like when it's not doing the Vulcan salute.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Flower Viewing Daruma and a Daruma ATC Giveaway

This little daruma is having a wonderful time under the tree. And he is now available on my etsy shop.

The tea cup is so small but I somehow managed to write the Chinese character for tea on it. And those are dango (rice dumplings) on his plate. 


I've always love daruma and I enjoy making them. And now I have decided to spread the fun around. This is what we are going to do: leave your comment here to be entered for a chance to win this daruma ATC (artist trading card). You have until next Monday to do so. And I will announce the winner next Tuesday. 
Have fun! 

To find out more about daruma visit this page. And to learn more about Artist Trading Card go to this page.

Dreams and Demons

Title: Dreams and Demons, 2011
Hand-built ceramics, oil paint and acrylic paint
Status: Sold

Sometimes people fall asleep on their journey in life, and they lose sight of things that are important. And then, their dreams and demons begin to take over and go out of control. 

Are you asleep or awake?

My Etsy Shop: Soul of 11

I have an etsy shop. It's  etsy.com/shop/Soulof11.
Right now it is a humble little shop that sells small craft items that I made with my own hands. I hope someday my shop will grow into something beautiful and meaningful. 

Today, I added a new item to my shop, and that is this little Christmas penguin ornament. He is small, light, and very adorable. And he is ready to celebrate Christmas.


Other items that are in my shop are these Kanzashi flowers that I made. If you go to my etsy shop, you will be able to some more of my flower hair clips. 

These flowers take a lot of time and effort to make, but turning ordinary fabric squares into delicate flowers give me a lot of joy and satisfaction. I really love working with my hands.

I fold my petals in a way that's different from traditional kanzashi flowers. Please leave your questions and comments here. I love hearing from people. It helps me grow and learn, and I really appreciate it.