Project 1: Sacred Fire – Sculpey
This is my representation of the Sacred Fire created using multiple colors of sculpey. I began this process by creating the dull green base to build upon. I then decided to build each individual “rock” out of sculpey by combining multiple colors of clay. I pulled and twisted the colors together to get the marbling effect you see here, and then broke pieces off and rolled it into stone shapes. I then stacked them as I would if I were building a fire pit. While you can not see them here, I then took the time to create small “sticks” out of clay to act as the base of my fire. I also set these sticks up as I would stack wood before I built a fire. I then used a similar process to combine multiple colors of clay to create the fire effect you see here. This time, instead of rolling it into a ball I would actually pull the clay off of a ball to create the pointed tips, forming those slightly as needed. I then combined the individual flames one by one, attaching them together and building until it looked like a fire. I then carefully placed the fire inside of the fire pit and baked it until dried. This piece is ultimately fairly small at about 2.5 inches wide and about 3 inches tall.
Project 2: Sacred Well – Sculpey
This is my representation of the Sacred Fire created once again by using multiple colors of sculpey. I began this process by creating the dark brown/black base to build upon to represent the dark earth below. I was so pleased with how the fire had turned out, that I decided to repeat the process and again build each individual “rock” out of scupley, this time using lighter grey, black, and a green mossy color. If you look closely, you can actually see one of the darker, brown stones from the fire on the base of the well. I wanted to represent a connection between the two pieces that only I would notice. I again pulled and twisted the colors together to get the marbling effect you see here, and then broke pieces off and rolled it into stone shapes. I then stacked the first two rows into a well shape.
At this point, I decided to use a different technique to create the representation of water. I took 3 different shades of blue, and divided those into sections, creating a connected ball. I then flattened that ball using my thumb, and twisted it to create a more spiraled shape. I did this process multiple times and then combined multiple swirls, leaving ridges between them to give the water a sense of motion and wave-like appearance. I then placed the disk on top of the first two levels of stones and trimmed it to fit the base. I then built a third set of stones of top of the water, giving the well the appearance of being full without having to actually fill the base with clay or other items. This piece was created as a match for my sacred fire, so it is also about 2.5 inches wide and about 3 inches tall.
Project 3: Ancestors Representation – Leatherworking
For this third piece of work, I decided to dive into a brand new artistic medium and try my hand at leatherworking. Now, you may be questioning why this represents specific working is one that I’m using as a connection to the Ancestors. As I was working through this study program, I had the faint memory of my great-grandmother’s artistic skills. After I did some digging with my family, I learned that my great-grandmother had been an amazing leather worker, creating everything from small wallets to full-sized saddles for horses. My aunt even has one of her purses, which you can see below. When I received this picture, I knew that leatherworking would be an interesting way to re-connect with my grandmother, using this shared experience as a way to honor her. I did some research and eventually purchased a leather working kit that had a small flower pattern. While not exact, the flower pattern I used was very reminiscent to the flower I saw in my great-grandmother’s work. I traced the pattern onto my wetted leather patch, and then began trying to draw out the flower and the patterns that lived inside of it. While my work didn’t turn out perfect…some of the lines are more jagged and harsh than I’d like and my stamps are not exact…I felt like this is a beautiful shared experience with my personal ancestors. I can see this being something that I continue to dig into and explore as part of my art and my work with my ancestors.
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