Leviathan Love ~ Part 2

Just as the sea and the song of the whale called to me recently, so has the yearning to get back to sculpting. To have my hands forming in 3D again.
And, it somehow felt right that the gentle, giant denizens of the deep be my first subjects.

A few weeks ago, I briefly sketched a simple guide to refer to.

Then my journey began.

The first whale came to life in my hands pretty quickly. Then, one after the other was born.

 whale without a tail

Once completed, they were tucked under a blanket of plastic to ensure slow, even drying. The flippers are very fragile at this “green” stage and required careful handling as the sculpts dried.
The plastic was removed in the last few days before going into the kiln.

 a curious onlooker

Once bisque fired, my pod await glazing, belly up safely in a sea of foam and padding.

Last weekend, whilst the glaze kiln was cooling down, hubby and I visited a salvage yard. It was like they used to be - before rustic, or rather “vintage”, became trendy and ridiculously expensive.
This wonderfully cobwebbed, dusty Aladdin's cave was filled with old furniture and (once familiar every day) bric-a-brac, that propelled me back to my childhood.
And, out back had odd assortments of gems that might mean nothing to one, but would appeal greatly to another.  One man's junk, as they say.
I came out with a few short lengths of old wood and some rusted objects that were once part of an industrial or mechanical workshop.

As much as I can, I would like to incorporate the element of found objects, along with salvaged/reclaimed wood, with my sculpts.
And I’m always on the lookout for old/vintage books about the sea, birds, animals and related poetry, to include in my work if and when it seems fitting.

May objects and words inspire me to create a story around them.

Having painted animal portraits years ago, I was very tempted to spend more time than I should in creating realistic pieces.
Trying to keep them simple and stylised, rather than real, and knowing when to say “done”, was the trick for me.
And, to remind myself that there is a certain price point that people are willing to spend at a market – even if it is an art & craft market.

My "stylised" whales were created with that in mind.

Here are two that I’ve mounted and finished. The others are still waiting patiently.

I used glazes, or rather, underglazes, with a chalk/matte finish, and chose not to overglaze with a gloss finish.

I really like the tiny rainbow that fell across the base here – an echo of my past, living on the “Rainbow Coast” of W.A.
It also highlights the "Head of the Bight" Whale Sanctuary :)

And so, I hope to be able to juggle my requirements to keep my usual market wares in stock, while finding time to sculpt.
As winter approaches, and markets become scarce, it will hopefully be a good opportunity to do just that.
Perhaps, it would be nice also, to approach a few galleries to see if they’d be interested.
But, I know it’s a tough and competitive art world, and I’m wary of high hopes and ambitions in these uncertain economic times.
So, I hope I’m not getting my ambition mixed up with my aptitude :)

There are times I feel very daunted and doubtful in my ability. But, that I have to overcome.
My artistic ventures were never supported when I was growing up, being told that I was "never good enough". And after all these years, doubt still gnaws at the edges of my sometimes fragile art-ego.

But, to sculpt. To feed my creative soul. It has been good - very good to do so. And I’m cautiously pleased with myself, and my muse.
For now.

♥