Canvas on canvas
I have two new figure sculptures to share with you this week. That must mean it has been a few weeks since I last posted.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my pieces in which I’ve incorporated text or images onto surfaces of the sculpture. There is an additional level of play and thought that this can bring to a figure. As with the last art doll sculpture I wrote about, “Local Star”, my two latest art dolls continue to explore this.
Ode to Elphaba
“Learning to Defy Gravity” is my interpretation of Gregory Maguire’s main character Elphaba from the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. For those not familiar with the book, or the award winning Broadway musical adaptation, it is a retelling of the Oz story. In Maguire’s book the “Wicked Witch” isn’t so really wicked, nor is the “Good Witch” all she seems to be.
I captured my Elphaba just as she is first getting her broom to rise from the floor. This art doll sculpture is a mixture of papier-mâché and paperclay over a wire armature. The color and clothing on this piece were sculpted in place using tissue paper. The magical elements of the figure, her hat, broom, and boots (shoes are always magical) are adorned with excerpts of text from the book. I chose passages from Wicked that question the nature of good and evil, and our preconceived notions of each.
A Boy Dreamer
My second art doll sculpture this week is titled “Imagine“, and yes, he is inspired by John Lennon’s song of the same name. My young figure is laying on his back watching the clouds go by. Is he my version of a young John, thinking such thoughts?… Possibly. I just like the posture of the figure and the positive message, so decided to create a doll that captured that feel.