Week #10: Sculpture Project (Purchased Material)

This past week we continued our discussion of sculpture projects for the high school classroom by delving into more complex and expensive materials that would require a larger portion of the art budget.  Some of the materials we discussed included clay, wood, wire, plaster (with and without vermiculite), soapstone, and pewter.  In class we experimented with wire and string, and created a variety of different standing and hanging forms.  Some pictures will be displayed below:

We were challenged this week to create another potential sculpture lesson, this one including one of these new mediums.  I personally do not have a love of the additive sculpture techniques involving clay and wire.  I have created plenty of works with these mediums and simply do not prefer them, they are not my strong suit.  However, I am very excited about the prospects of subtractive techniques such as chiseling plaster or soapstone, and I am particularly fond of metal working and jewelry making, so pewter casting sounds very interesting.

If I were going to teach a class of high schoolers a project with one of these materials I would most likely choose to have them create plaster and vermiculite carvings.  They would need to have access to saws, chisels, knives, awls, rasps, screwdrivers, files and sand paper; and as a result I would be sure to explain proper safety procedure to them prior to starting the project.

(Retrieved from: http://www.jaimetreadwell.com/3-D-Organic%20Plaster%20Project.htm)

I would have my students sketch out ideas for final products for an entire class period so that their ideas are well developed, and so that they go into the carving process with a plan.  Each student will be given a small block of the hardened plaster compound about the size of a large tissue box.  Their objective would be to create small nonrepresentational sculpture that is interesting to view from all sides and angles.  I would be sure to discuss positive and negative space as well as geometric and organic form, and I would point out that the student’s plans are welcome to change as they work and as the material works for them and against them.

Below are a few examples of sculptures similar to the ones my students would create:

(Retrieved from: https://bgirlshay.wordpress.com/3d-artwork/plaster-sculpture/ - and other various websites)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/heima/3d-art-projects/)

(Retrieved from: http://davidmarquezart.com/plaster-carving-non-objective-form-abstraction-morphingtransformation/)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/63191200994324951/)

(Retrieved from: http://indulgy.com/post/7p7pX7HBT1/great-plaster-carving-example)

(Retrieved from: http://davidmarquezart.com/plaster-carving-non-objective-form-abstraction-morphingtransformation/)

(Retrieved from: http://emilyloehle.weebly.com/student-work.html)

(Retrieved from: http://aoiyoru.deviantart.com/art/Plaster-Sculpture-274019661)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/reencook/sculpture/)

(Retrieved from: http://stpeteart.net/2014/05/02/reductive-plaster-carving/)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/plaster-sculpture/)

(Retrieved from: http://www.jaimetreadwell.com/3-D-Organic%20Plaster%20Project.htm)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/ctartteacher/sculpture-plaster-and-foam-carving/)

(Retrieved from: https://sbergel.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/plaster-process/)

(Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/ctartteacher/sculpture-plaster-and-foam-carving/)