OPENING THE WALL SUMMER 2014 with Pamela Avril, Lee Tribe & William Tucker

This was an extremely intense course where I continued introducing myself to relief and at the same time space I entered fresco technique. Two weeks with Bill Tucker, Pamela Avril and Lee Tribe were personally productive for me.

On the first day Lee Tribe and Bill Tucker brought objects, which were put into bag. We weren't allowed to see the objects but just to touch them. Based only on textile experience we drew those objects and then modeled them in clay.
Some of the objects we were able to identify. For instance, this famous Venus figurine:

But most of the objects were total mystery. 

 As I discovered later this one was a sharpener in the shape of a nose:

I made my first casting.  

Relief made in clay

Plaster and structo-lite on top of my relief

It is dry enough and the clay walls are ready to be broken

 Final work

It is fascinating how casting creates an illusion and the viewer is not sure if he looks at the positive form or negative.

One day Lee Tribe came with a copy of legendary Three Graces

Our task was to use it as a center part of our own composition.
I ended up with three Evas and Three Adams:

Different people had different approaches.

Inspired by the Superstar Matisse “Back” 

 Two inches high head from memories 

Fresco part of the course ended with a good number of work, but I don't think I got the true understanding of this way of painting. Most of the time I treated it as a watercolor technique, and as a result I ended up with impressionistic marks on sand and lime surface.

 

But I did fell in love with fresco on such a level, that I even worked after provided time and stayed in the studio until late night.
No one is really teaching fresco these days around New York. I found this technique quite contemporary looking and with such broad possibilities. 

Inspired by my favorite work of Jeremy Herrmann (my beloved fingers-toes and other things)

A friendly photo on the last day of "Opening the Wall" (William Tucker, me, Lee Tribe)

Summer Sculpture Marathon 2014 with Bruce Gagnier

This was my first serious experience with sculpture.
Honestly I should admit that sculpting is much more sensual and seductive than drawing or even painting.  But this is my subjective opinion. I couldn't take my hands off the clay. The tactile touch is so real and alluring. The physical presence is overwhelming. I literally felt the inner agitation of a creator. Working with clay allowed me to move across the form and inside the form, which I couldn't reach in painting in such a direct way.
Even though I just made a few human figures and some reliefs during two weeks of the marathon, I'm ready to jump into the realm of the physical, very often aggressive and at the same time sensual world of sculpture. With sculpture there is no necessity to be "sweet nice lady".

The first sketch of a male figure, which very much reminds me of my close friend who passed away a few months ego... 

 My first relief

 A standing 34 inches high figure

 My lonely sitting and waiting female figure

Around the clay room...

The last three heads were made from inside out. All the convexos and concaves are results of pushing the clay from inside. Fascinating way of working!