Charmed Earth - Individual Works: Part 2
Prime Motive
Prime Motive is assembled from various parts that were among many others on the work bench.
The classical relic of the headless body is poised, as if in contemplation of the seat of its consciousness, presented on a plinth.
The prime motive for both the figures is lost in self-reflexive stasis.
This object, as well as the five that follow, all used the simple foundation of a solid block of clay as a starting point. I thought of this as if it were a garden bed; whatever happened to arise was okay by me.
The work Come Down (below left) shows a lady attempting to entice a dark harpy from its bright nest in a bright tree.
Strange Bloom (below right) combines many layers of colour poured inside the mould, as well as after the object had cured. The surface was carved back and sanded. Many hidden faces emerge from the hollows of the tree, their eyes sparkling, bedazzled by the outside world.
These objects were made as if the forms had grown directly from the block that supports them. Old Time Dancing, below left, depicts dancing at the beginning, before species discrimination! Embryo (middle) portrays a model of man in an undeveloped state. The sculptor is hardly more evolved than his subject. Departure (below right) describes a state when there is nothing left to say.
Resurrection
The archaeologist uses a golden shovel to resurrect the golden form of himself. The mummy in the ground has ruby eyes; they express a frozen state of awe that reflects the archaeologist's inner being.
The base of the sculpture and body of the archaeologist were cast as one form with a highly pigmented organic resin, polished to a marble-like finish. The mummy is removable, sitting loosely in its tomb.
Many images within Charmed Earth were sourced spontaneously, such as the inspiration for this figure. I made it after glancing at a news item about an archaeological find.
A New World
A New World (below) shows a burrowing toad-like beast emerging after severe bushfire has ravaged the upper world. The form of the animal sits separately from its burrow.
Wonder Beast (below left) is another object poured with many colours into a single mould. This beast of excessive burden is stopped dead in its tracks by a state of wonder, hypnotised by a flower.
Shooting Through (below right) was cast from one mould. A man looks into a burrow, unaware that the creature he seeks has escaped through the tunnel formed by his body.
In Utterance (below left) a fat man sits on a hill with his song above him. Flight of Fancy (middle) shows someone with a book from which a spirit steps, as if walking on the path created by its own song. Contented Being (right) is a single cast object using two varieties of polyurethane.
All Behind Me (below left) shows a tortoise whose earthly concerns are safely contained within itself. It glances back with self-assurance. A Fish That Walks (middle) depicts the first evolutionary steps. In Nap (below right) a cat naps upon the sleeping form of its human. The cat is the lightweight spirit of the human, in reverse.
Narration
Narration (right) was made in a single mould, allowing various sections of colour to cure before adding more gradually.
This process was trial and error, but eventually allowed me to divide and merge subtle differences of colour within the mould.
The sculpture shows a fairy-like figure with a book, reading to a bird, and is one of a series of works that involve elemental beings.
These were some of the first objects I made, with my children in mind.
Robin Goodfellow is displayed below left, followed by Seraphim. Both these works were simple depictions of creatures that combined the qualities of human and bird. Free Reign, displayed to the right, is another work of relatively complex form that was cast from a single mould.
Diviner
Diviner (right) depicts a sage-like figure whose physical attributes express elemental energies.
His beard is like a fiery voice, an expulsion. It is illuminated with the same radiance as the blessed rock in his hand, which is blackened like his staff that connects to the ground. His eyes are tiny sky-blue gems.
Simple works such as this took some attention to complete.
The beard, hand, rock and staff were made separately to the body, which incorporated different colours.
Philtre Fair and Enchanter (below, left and right) are variations of each other. Philtre Fair was produced in many variations of coloured transparent polyurethane, while Enchanter was created in wax, to be cast in bronze. Both works described in miniature how my workbench appeared during the casting of a coloured model.
The Magic Band 1969
This is Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band as they appeared during the recording of Trout Mask Replica. I have long considered this recording to be the greatest piece of outsider art of the 20th century. The sculptures were a simple study in how I might pour a variety of combative colours in a single mould and achieve combinations by sanding through layers.
Continue Viewing
To continue viewing the next group of Charmed Earth sculptures, click Individual Works Part 3.