What I did on My Summer Vacation part 1
Wire armature
Upon completing the first semester of my Post Bacc program with UMass Dartmouth I wanted to continue developing the Bioforms work I had begun over the summer break.. So I proposed a residency to Outskirt Studios in Lyman, ME. They wanted to host one and I wanted to participate in one, so it was a perfect match.
There are many ‘Residencies’ out there and they can take many different forms. For me, this was an opportunity to achieve some goals I had set for myself the Fall semester began. It would allow me a concentrated period of time to work without distraction away from my home studio, have professional photos made, and conclude with my first solo opening and Artist’s Talk. I only knew this experience in theory but I can now attest to the enormous value residencies can bring to the professional life of an artist. It was an immersive experience that allowed uninterrupted concentration for hours on end. Every hour I spent working was the equivalent of perhaps 4 hours in my home studio.
Two Bioforms with burlap base layer drying in the afternoon sun.
Primary layer of porcelain paperclay with Abaca fiber.
It was such a joyful experience working at Outskirt Studios in their beautiful Studio #2, a sun-filled workspace. There were other artists in the building I could chat with, play my music, come and go as needed with only a few agreed upon responsibilities. I was in the studio 3-5 days/week keeping a routine of working in my sketchbook, journaling my daily progress, and taking loads of process photos. By the end of the allotted time I felt complete and knew it was time to move back to my home base.
The Process: After planning the entire group each individual bioform is sketched. The piece is worked bottom to top, so the drawing is turn upside down and built with attention to every curve and detail..
In detail left to right, top: building the wire armature; draping & sewing the form in burlap much like a tailor; wetting & shrinking fabric; Bottom: primary layer of porcelain paperclay; trimming and closing seams; drying.
Drying