A Fresh Look

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After a few days of not stepping into my little studio I went in for a brief moment to get something I needed. I’ve been working on one of the pieces for the new collection and there it was on top of the table staring back at me. I have not been there in days and I guess she was trying to let me know about our unfinished business. I have been busy writing and working in the fabulous accounting side of business (please insert sarcasm here) and have not been sculpting since last week. I know I always say that studio time is one of the most important priorities, but in my defense I also talked about how important it is to step away from your work from time to time to seek inspiration. Nevertheless, I gave a fresh look to the piece almost by accident. The impression I received was very pleasant. I hope people can react to it in unique ways when the time comes.

I posted a few preview pictures of the work in progress in social media platforms and woke up to very interesting and encouraging comments. Certain aspects of the sculpture cause people to question my intentions and also to take a broader look at society. That confirms that art speaks. I hope this piece and the others in the collection cause people to wonder, question, discern, judge, and to measure the ways of society and our role in it from a different perspective. If my art could somehow lead people to consider the attributions of our human nature as a starting point to understand the world we live in that is so much more that what I bargain for. That is more important to see than seeing my art dead in a gallery or museum.

Likewise, this is the intention of the book I’m writing in which I present the philosophical sense of the pieces and the cognitive process I go through while creating art. The pieces will be introduced in the book in a way I haven’t done before (maybe because this is the first book I write). In a few days I will be reviewing the book for the first time after the first complete draft. I’ll be giving it a fresh look and I hope I get the same or even better impression that what I received with the sculpture. The sculptures and the book were developing together from the start and I hope the book, which includes pictures of the sculptures, can express the essence of the pieces as the sculptures can without words carry the essence of the book.

Sculpting or Painting

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Sculpting or painting? There is no secret that between sculpting and painting I prefer sculpting. Yes, I like to paint, but I prefer sculpting much more. There is no secret that very few people sculpt and many people paint. When it comes to painting or sculpting parties, many people don’t know there are sculpting parties and by default they prefer painting until they try sculpting. If you visit a gallery today less than 10% of the pieces are sculptures, unless someone forgot a broom in a corner after cleaning and is calling it ‘a sculpture’. Many will disagree with me but placing an object in a room is ‘a statement’ not a sculpture. Sculptures are not many. In one of the books I’m in from about 350 artists only 5 are sculptors. Sometimes there are expressions that seem to separate sculptors from the rest of the artists like: artists and sculptors, call for artists and sculptors, accepting art and sculptures, and the like. Why is that?

Photo Nov 28, 2 13 40 PMGalleries and exhibit curators will justify this occurrence by pointing out the issue of space. Sculptures take more space and interestingly they often don’t have pedestals for them. Sculptures are also heavier and make it more work to display. Getting into art exhibits and shows is easier than coming in with paintings. They also might mention that collectors and people in general are more inclined to acquire paintings maybe because paintings don’t occupy that much space at home. I heard many times people with children who are afraid to buy sculptures because the kids can bump into them and because they don’t have much space at home. Artists justify the preference for painting over sculpting because of the cost of materials to produce, storage space, working space, mobility, in transit costs and risks, and did I mention space?

The world is 3D. It makes sense to me to translate from 3D to 3D. It also makes sense to me to translate from 2D to 3D. It also makes sense to me to translate images from 3D to 2D and 2D to 2D, but I prefer sculpting. When I am sculpting it feels like a conversation, a journey, an adventure that develops with every step. On the other hand, I’ve never been inclined to do what the majority of people is doing just because it is ‘the norm’, or cheaper, or easier, or more acceptable, or even more commercial. When many of people I knew were singing on stage I was doing comedy. The norm is not attractive to me. I enjoy sculpting. The fulfillment that comes with seeing my work alive is something I don’t feel when I paint.

Process and Product

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10898002_10150521048914956_6592592532872143244_nOh, the delight of sculpting! Even when my hands are cramping after modeling the clay for so many hours and my body is slightly feeling the exhaustion there is nothing like seeing the sculpture take shape. Attempting to articulate the feeling of bliss I feel is almost futile. The experience is ethereal. Time seems to stop. The world fades away. The process transports me to a different place.

Between process and product I prefer the first. It is an adventure. Exploring possibilities. I like to begin with just a basic idea and just flow with it. Making sense of the direction of the sculpture is the most important aspect of the sculpting. The process belongs to me. That’s my time. Many of my sculptures don’t make it to shows. I’m always happy when they do. However, once a sculpture is out there it doesn’t belong to me anymore. The product is the end of it. Detachment comes fast after that.

The product belongs to them. The experience of conception, creation, and experimentation is now a memory. The sculpture is now exposed, vulnerable, and there is nothing I can do to change that. The sculpture is now abandoned waiting for a new home. In fact I decided for it to be there. People ask all the time if it makes me sad seeing them go. The answer is ‘No’. On the contrary, once the process is complete I am detached from the sculpture. That doesn’t mean I’m giving it way.

Retrace Your Steps

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You came into the room. You stopped. Looked around. You are trying to remember why you came to the room and what you were looking for. You know how it is to get those mental blackouts. “What was I looking for?” That’s often the first question that pops. Now you have to go back and retrace your steps.

I find interesting when in movies and television shows they begin the story at a point almost to the end to go back and tell the story to that point. Then the action picks up to complete the story. It would make to sense to continue the story from that point before giving us the back story. There is a purpose for that last scene and some hints are provided through the story.

When painting we often get caught up in a tiny detail and forget to step back and look at the big picture. In sculpting, specially figurative sculpting, each detail needs to make sense with the complete figure. We need to step back from time to time and retrace our steps to that moment to understand our progress. Then we move on to the next step.

As 2014 comes to an end it is very easy to forget why we are here. It is very easy to get caught up in a tiny detail of today and forget how we made it here. I mean, we are here for a purpose, right? Would it make sense to move forward in the story not knowing why we are here? Take a moment and retrace your steps to the beginning of the year. See the big picture. The fact that you made it from the beginning of the year until now is reason enough to celebrate.

The Past and the Future

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IMG_4117I began playing with vines, leaves, and the figure resting within in a new relief. In the process I remembered this old sketch. I didn’t date it but I believe it is about 12-15 years old. It seems like that image was in my subconscious waiting the right time to reveal itself.

IMG_3861The new collection is building on those elements. This new piece not yet casted or named is among the first pieces to integrate the elements of the sketch. The past and the future come together. It is interesting to see how it develops. It is my hope to have a new white marble collection ready for show in the fall of 2015.

Meanwhile as I work on new pieces it is always fun and refreshing to look back at those old sketchbooks. They are a treasure chest of ideas in expectation. Even those doodles we often think are useless could become a piece of art someday. No idea is lost. We just have to look at the past with new eyes and focus on the future.