Soon

It is a rare thing to capture a tender moment between a first-time mother to be and her very large moving belly.  This was the second time I had the privileged to work with this model, and she gifts the room with her calm presence. Three weeks after this workshop, our beautiful model gives birth to a gorgeous little girl. 

I loved this piece from the moment it began, and even though there were some challenges with armature and landing on a finish that is unique from both a visual and tactile perspective, the artistic process was an uplifting adventure.  Her presence is peaceful and quietly magnetic.   

There are two great learnings coming from this work:

1.     Never let the armature boss you around.  My preference is to minimise or exclude armature all together where possible, and encourage myself to consider how to get the most out of my clay. 

2.     When finishing a traditional life study sculpture, less is definitely more.  It took me a few goes to find the balance among exposed clay, washes and slips for this piece.  It was worth the effort.