Moonstones over Maimi

MOONSTONE MOUNTED SCULPTURES

CERAMICS II

clay, metallic rubbing compounds, wood, india ink, acrylic paint, hardware findings, wire, metal rods

This was actually the first clay assignment of the year for my Cermaics II kids.

I had them pinch then paddle two clay bowls into a moon shape then sculpt a face on one of the sides.

The pieces were then bisqued and sawdust fired.

Afterwards the students could elect to rub their their sawdusted moons with metallic compounds.

Then came the mounting which they did at the end of 1st quarter.

They learned to use a drill, saw, and sand.

Of course they couldn't leave the wood raw so there was much finishing and embellishing going on with paints, ink, wire and other goodies. 

Here are seniors Cindy and Ju Eun learning to drill.

The results were spectacular as you can see here.

This very complex work was done by senior Cindy Rhoo.

She worked so hard to pull this all together, 

often coming in at lunch and after school.

Her attention to detail was amazing!

In this next one by senior Yasmeen Pardo,

a highly creative soul,

she has indented her face for more expressive impact,

and then wired up the whole nine yards.

I've shown you two slightly different views so you can get the whole effect.

Another student who outdid himself was senior Nicholas Tudor.

Love the ripple effect with the dowels and the movement they created.

More rhythm was brought in by altering his colors.

Of course off-centering the piece brings even more energy to the work. 

And then the finish he was able to achieve on his moonstone was so much like our real moon.

And are those glass shards he's glued down as well?

Nope,

 he made these delicate little shards from clay.

Very nice Nic!

These next two sculptures have such a calming effect on the viewer thru their facial expressions.

The top one was done by senior Erin Hsao, 

 I like that she thought to build two rather then just the one.  

Is that an extra credit opportunity?

You bet!

And the one below was created by senior Sameera Ahmad 

Notice how Sameera has brought in seed bead embellishments,

 textured her wood block 

and sponge/stained it with multiple layers of paint.

Again, 

these kids put in a remarkable amount of effort for me.

This last one was made by senior Ju Eun Lee.

When we were finishing these up it was after the Halloween holiday,

with no fake spiders to be found anywhere,

so Ju Eun sent away via mail order for the plastic spiders that she knew she wanted to embellish with.

She has also taken raw wool sheep roving,

stretched it out and attached it to her stone,

for a very cool wind/blowing effect.

These all can be seen right now on display in our Principals office if you are interested.