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Playing Cat and Mouse ... Out of the Mold & On to the Table

4/27/2013

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Klean Klay cat originals
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1st half of mouse mold framed
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Ready to pour 2nd half of cat mold
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Completed cat mold
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Unglazed porcelain casts
    
     I find it interesting how a project can sometimes start with a simple concept and then gradually morph into something more complex. This is what happened with 'Jeu du Chat et la Souris'. I was taking a mold making class at the Maine College of Art  and had to come up with a project that utilized a plaster gang mold, making at least 50 objects with the mold. My initial idea was to create a board game that utilized game pieces shaped as cat and mouse figures - a "cat and mouse" game. I shaped the game pieces out of Klean Klay and created two plaster gang molds, one containing three different cat figures and the other contained  three different mouse figures. I poured five dozen porcelain slip casts, then fired and glazed them. As I started to construct the game board, I decided that I would extend the board and make wells at each end to hold game pieces that might be taken out of play. This, in turn, led to the decision to actually attach the board to a game table, putting the piece at a realistic 'game situation' height for viewing. As I constructed the game table and painted it, I remembered that I had two old thumb back chairs that would be perfect in size to set at either end of the table. After I painted the chairs to match the table, I added a small braided rug to visually tie the elements together. The original board piece had now been transformed into an installation piece...from an isolated idea to a complete thought.

      *See my blog entry from 8/10/2012 for more about this piece.
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...unfinished table base
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....base with game board
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'Jeu du Chat et la Souris'
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The Gumby Principle ... Expressive Flexibility

4/17/2013

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'Stilt Walker' ... detail


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'12Balls' ... detail
   I utilize the human figure frequently in my work. I appreciate the anatomical complexity of the varying layers of flesh and bone and, more importantly, the incredible expressiveness that can be achieved through the slightest change of gesture or position. The human body's muscle structure, combined with the flexibility and range of motion of the skeleton, provide the potential for endless combinations of gestures, both grand and subtle, that can, in turn, create endless expressions of mood and attitude. I am fascinated by the limitless options available to communicate a feeling or emotion. I can change the tilt of the head or the curve of the back...I can clench a fist or point a finger...I can collapse or stand tall... I can reach out or shy away. With just the smallest change of a gesture I can produce feelings of joy, wonder, sadness, fear, triumph or uncertainty. Look at your own hand - slowly rotate it and imagine how the meaning of the gesture would change as it rotates. What if you change the position of your fingers? Your arm? What if you looked away?



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'Pole Bender' ... detail


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'Quandary '... detail
                         * Complete images of these sculptures can be viewed in the Sculpture section of this website.
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Hearing Voices ... Listening to Your Work

4/5/2013

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      Every once in a while I do a piece that, over time, I see in a new light.  The piece will speak to me in a different 'voice' and request a change, an alteration that will present a new and more effective visual image. This was the case with my soapstone sculpture 'Myopia'. This sculpture was originally carved as a free standing piece of stone but, over time, I began feel that the form would benefit visually from being raised up in the air, so last year I elevated it on 2 copper tubes inserted in a mahogany board. I thought - now it's done!
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Myopia ... aerial view
    Time passed. Recently I heard a familiar 'voice' calling..."I'm not done yet...you forgot the ladder!" I listened and found myself saying - yes, it needs a ladder (how else can you get inside my head?). It made perfect sense. Then I heard..."don't forget the keys!" Oh, yeah - of course! And last, but not least, I heard..."- and the dice!"  There, now the visual story of this sculpture is complete. It's really done! The voice is quiet  - for now.

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Myopia ... mounted
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Myopia Revisited ...10 1/2" h
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    Author

    Cynthia Smith, Maine artist, originally from Connecticut. Taught art at secondary level for 35 years, retired in 2004. Sculpts in bronze, wood, stone, clay & plaster. Her work can be seen at several mid-coast Maine galleries and shows.

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