Well, Monday was the first crit day and it went pretty well over all. We have been divided into groups of three and, with our tutor, we examine each other’s work, giving feedback and such. This seems to be the format that will persist, at least for the rest of the semester, but there may be larger group crits ahead.
I am really pleased with my group, not only can I easily appreciate the art they create, but they are both sharp as tacks and have tons of experience to bring to the table. I feel certain I will get a lot of useful feedback from them.
So after a discussion with my tutor and crit-mates I modified my original idea a little and now I think I am ready to go. I had wanted to continue exploring theriomorphic imagery in sculpture, and decided that creating masks would make it more interactive. In fact, the viewer interaction is what anthropomorphizes the pieces.
I envision a number of animal masks suspended either from above or supported from below, each at a slightly different eye level. I I am also toying with the idea of some child-sized masks at a very low level.
In an ideal world, I would be casting these in bronze or possibly aluminum, but I expect the cost will be prohibitive. Instead, I am considering alternate materials, possibly resin or some other plastic-like material.
Of course this is all at the beginning stages so things could easily change, so more updates to come!