[dancer]
this piece was an experiment in form and texture. it was altered over the course of a few years, and it took many layers of finishing for it to achieve this look. i started this piece back in highschool, when i had far less materials to work with. to create the skeleton for my early work, i would often tape pencils together, and generally just use whatever was on hand. that raw process of making art with whatever was on hand is something i try to replicate to this day. although i use much more effective techniques, and have better materials more readily available, i still try to keep my creative process as raw as possible.I used air-dry clay along with pencils and tape to create the bones and muscles. each layer of material has a slightly different color and texture which created a natural sense of weathering that i quite enjoy. the majority of the exterior is made of plaster, which i scratched, brushed, and cracked until i was happy with the appearance. I also applied many washes, which is my favorite way of treating plaster, because it greatly emphasizes the imperfections and details. I also applied a bit of stain in certain areas. the thing that took the longest was the base, as i created the piece without a base in mind, and drilling a hole into the sculpture was quite stressful, as i was unsure how each layer would react. it did end up working out thankfully.
