Studio Diary; Landscape Project pt 2.

August 28, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

The tortuous kiln-loadings/ fab firings of the Tumble Commission are nearly back on schedule.The Landscape Project started in April with photographer Stephen Foote (http://www.stephenfootephotography.co.uk )getting some depth.Time to review it and have a bit of a think…

Up is Down IX, 57cm W,

Bracelet Bay , Stephen Foote.

Up Is Down- in progress

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea by Steve Foote.

in progress, Aug 2014.

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea by Steve Foote

Before the Busts and while the Tumble Commission was drying we did the trip to Porth Yr Ogof Cave near here and spent some hours in there setting up photographs. Steve was very busy with his thing and I held lights and stopped the groups of excited, awe-struck children Caving from bumping into equipment. It gave me a long time to stand in the shallow river in the darkness listening to the echoes of voices and water disappearing into the mountain’s warren of tunnels. Amongst many other fabulous ones Steve got this picture

Porth Yr Ogof Cave, Brecon Beacons, by Stephen Foote.2014

and over the following month I made these pieces; They are 30cm wide or less, each one has a central ‘cave’ and some naturalistic elements. This was when the narrative involving the Wyvern joined in. The Bird is the above -ground landscape from the Tumble Commission and the Whale is the water… beautiful images full of movement….

I am privileged to have special access to the excellent writer Daniel Buck (http://altamiraultimatum.co.uk). He is heavily involved in the story-telling in digital Games and other contemporary Media and we regularly disscuss the myths and icons of the Natural World. He knows my work better than anyone and has been an invaluable influence.I am going to turn to him next and see what frame work he might see in this.

Studio Diary, The Landscape Project, part 1

August 24, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

Busts in progress, Aug 2014.

Lots of changes, lots of layers.This is the main photo I am focussing on; The sky, the land and the ocean and man’s presence – everything is integrated.

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea, by Stephen Foote, 2014.

These 2 pictures and the experience of being in both these places is never far from my mind these days.

Porth Yr Ogof Cave, Brecon Beacons, by Stephen Foote.2014

A narrative is emerging that involves the passage of water from the Beacons’ sky to the ocean at the bottom of the Swansea Valley. The Tawe River passes the Studio and the ground beneath us is full of tunnels from the rivers and from mining. The Wyvern, a dragon with a wonderful mythology about guarding the treasures of the subterranean world entered the picture when I was heavily involved with the history of local Coal Mining and the Pit Marker Sculptures and it is re-emerging here. The next clay-armature is more specific now that I have a clearer idea of where I’m going.

3rd Bust armature in progress, Aug 2014.

in progress, Aug 2014.

Studio Diary; Return to the Figurative

August 19, 2014 by Rebecca Buck

in progress, July 2014

An intense couple of months ending in a merciful bereavement has lead me back to the clear boundaries and challenges of Figurative sculpture. Portrait skills are hard won and need to be practiced regularly or they will be lost.

I’ve been playing around with the technique of building outwards from a framework that wont be hollowed out later and/or is a visible part of the form for a couple of years now and I wanted to try it with naturalistic work.

The River,a commission. 1.5 m high

Half a Century II, 48cm H x 32cm W.

I started with the exercise Lloyd Lilly taught us at Boston Uni (about 300 years ago); Make the skeleton and layer on the muscles and skin. It is fascinating to do and hugely informative. These are the skills that give Abstract work presence.

Anyone who has taken one of my Workshops will tell you, with tears in their eyes, that the key to figurative work is organising the huge amount of information into manageable stages and that the Skeleton is just a stick figure with the perfect proportions simplified for you. I’m not sure how I manage to be so thick but once again I made a clay armature for a bust that allowed the head to tip forward. Good thing I have that red broom on hand to prop it up.

With the 2nd one I made a much more interesting frame that would show in places.

in progress August 2014

It allowed me to work on the whole form from the outset rather than build from the bottom up. I’m pushing myself hard to use new methods rather than fall into the same ol’ pitfalls and to be more expressive with the naturalistic format rather than only technical. I’ve done that many times before… but the results were pretty dire! This may also be yet anther very bad road but it’s the only route to get somewhere interesting. I’m aiming to integrate the figure with it’s landscape following the ideas of the Up Is Down Series. Wish me luck….!

Clay armature for a bust, aug 2014

This clay armature is much stronger and the hollow spaces are more defined as part of the form good and early. The plan is to work towards integrating the Landscape work I’ve been doing with Cameraman Steve Foote using his stunning photographs.

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea by Steve Foote

Bracelet Bay, Mumbles, Swansea by Steve Foote.

Brecon Beacons, by Steve Foote.

Porth Yr Ogof Cave, Brecon Beacons, by Steve Foote.

This could take a while….

Rebecca Buck

Osprey Studios, contemporary sculpture. Phone: 07913743457

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Studio Diary; Landscape Project pt 2.

Studio Diary, The Landscape Project, part 1

Studio Diary; Return to the Figurative

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