Wax Figures & a Screw Clamp ... Deja Vu ... But Different

Wooden screw clamps

Fig. 1 ... beginning

Arm positioning

Legs added

Positioning with clamp

    As I said in my previous blog entry..."my bags are packed & ready" - however, they won't take up much room in an investment mold, and I had a second bonze piece in mind to keep them company. My cellar stash of potential sculpture elements contained a couple of wooden screw clamps that were waiting to be added to the series of clamp sculptures I started a couple of years ago (see my blog entries for 5/4/14 and 6/9/15). In particular, I had one clamp that was smaller (8 1/2" long jaws) than the ones that I had used in the first two pieces (12" jaws), and my thought was create a piece where two figures would actually be lifting and supporting the clamp.
    I began by creating the upper body and arms of the first wax figure. The figure was going to be in a crouched position, supporting the lower jaw of the clamp on his forearms. I used a block of wood with the same dimensions as the clamp jaw to determine the appropriate angle of the arms. After the arms were in position, I added the legs, trying to create a believable and stable pose. I then began construction of the second figure. This one was to be in a standing position and supporting or steadying the upper jaw of the clamp. I used the proportions of the first figure (size of head and length of limbs and torso) to determine the approximate height of the second (8 3/4" to the top of the head and 11" to the tip of the highest hand). On this figure I began by constructing the head, body and legs, and then added the arms.
    The next phase of this phase of construction was to go back in and add the facial features,  finger details and thumbs. Before  beginning the gating phase of this process, I will need to add short wax "posts" to the bottoms of the feet of both figures, to the top of the forearms of the crouched figure, and to the hands of the standing figure. These will eventually be used to attach the pieces to a base and to the clamp itself. The final step in preparation for investing the sculptures in a mold will be to gate the two figures and the "baggage" described in my last posting. Stay tuned!

Fig. 2 ... in progress

Arms added

Size comparison

Positioning with clamp