Through the sculpture part of the Wet Canvas message board, I came across a link to a four-part sculptor's diary by Jan Michelle-Sawyer. She tells about her work process in sculpting a portrait bust. This is very different from the bowls I make, but I found much of interest in her writing.
For example, she starts by saying
"A good part of how I work, as a sculptor, rests in preparing my mind for the creative process."
This reminds me of the woodworker, James Krenov. Then in Part 2 she goes on to say,
"Creating sculpture takes courage and a sense of deep confidence and well-being."
I agree with this in some ways - it has to do with that "reinventing a world" I talked about last month. But in another way, I think sometimes the courage is the key. The sense of deep confidence and well-being comes partly from just doing the work. It's no good waiting around till all that good feeling comes, before starting the work.
Well into the work, she comments, "A sculptor's greatest enemy is to rush the process of sculpting." This is interesting. There's a fine balance between rushing, on the one hand, and delaying or avoiding, on the other. But in a fast-paced, production-oriented world, it's probably true that there's more pressure to err in the direction of rushing the work. I remember how impressed I was at the 1989 Penland conference on design and iron, to hear Brent Kington tell how he'd move a piece he thought finished, into a different room for a few weeks. He wanted to test it, to see how it looked out of the studio. He gave the piece time to ask for changes. I thought most of us would have rushed to sell a piece as soon as possible. But his process struck me right away as better.
In her last entry, Jan Michelle-Sawyer writes exactly what I need next, now that I've finished my viewing area. You may have noticed that it needs light. (Actually, the existing light fell off the board so right now there's no light at all on it.) I was just going to move a portable light over to that area. But look what I was missing:
"I use all forms of lighting to help me "see," such as candles, turning off all of the lights and holding a flash light to the figure, full on overhead and flood lights, side lighting, frontal and overhead lighting. Any combination of light that captures curves, shadows and highlights of the clay is valuable in exposing the sculptor's work. Accentuating the depth, light and shadow of a sculpture is what brings the piece to life."
Candlelight! Flashlight! Wow. A whole world of lighting variations is opening up now. She goes on to talk about working on the piece at all times of day or night, to catch the light and, in a sense, the spirit of the piece. "'Seeing' the sculpture realistically takes working on it at all hours of the day."
This was perfect timing for me. Sometimes it's as if all the artists and craftspeople in the world - past and present - were by my side, working companiably nearby, ready to offer a helping hand. Working alone in a studio, I can hardly be less alone.
11:28:15 PM 
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