SWINDON OPEN STUDIOS SEPTEMBER 2019
This event was held on Saturday and Sunday 21st & 22nd September 2019 in the The Pavilion, Oak Street, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, GL7 3AY as Lechlade Art Society participated as a Collective in the wider Swindon Open Studios event. See the wider event information here: www.swindonopenstudios.org
Twelve members of the Lechlade Art Society demonstrated art and craftwork. There were extensive displays and visitors were able to discuss work that was in progress with the makers. It was a very successful and well-attended event despite the outlying location and a rather wet Sunday!
Twelve members of the Lechlade Art Society demonstrated art and craftwork. There were extensive displays and visitors were able to discuss work that was in progress with the makers. It was a very successful and well-attended event despite the outlying location and a rather wet Sunday!
Sharon Ellis at Swindon Open Studios
"I have re-discovered my love of clay modelling sculpture. I have found a wonderful group of semi professional artists who share the cost of a model to paint, sculpt and draw. Our studio is a converted outbuilding on a farm a few miles from where I live. There are usually about six or seven of us which is an ideal number. It's a jolly group - we all get on but know when to stop chatting to concentrate on the work in hand! We help each other with advice and encouraging comments. I have been using air drying clay which dispenses with the extra task of casting."
"I am currently working on a nude figure loosely based on the well-known sculpture by Degas of a young ballerina. I am having a few problems with the stability of the figure. The original Degas sculpture is of a 14 year old girl. Our life model is a little more voluptuous than her but she is useful as an anatomical reference. I am hoping to have a few sculptures to exhibit at the Summer Exhibition in Lechlade in August 2019 and also in September as part of Swindon Open Studios. It will be a very exciting few months."
"This is my second attempt at using air-drying clay. Because there is no need to cast it, I have to give some thought to the armature which, in a way, is like the skeleton to a figure. It is preferable to be able to remove as much of the armature as possible once the sculpture is completed and the clay has dried. There are a few alternative ideas on the Internet about the different types of armatures one can use, which I am exploring!"
"My first attempt with this clay was a life-sized head which has now dried and I am currently thinking about painting it to achieve an authentic looking stone sculpture. Any constructive ideas would be very welcome! I hope to have completed both by the time of Swindon Open Studios on September 21st and 22nd in the Pavilion in Lechlade. There will be close on a dozen artists at work on those days. Visitors are very welcome to come and see us, perhaps “pick our brains” or even buy a few souvenirs of the visit!"
Sharon describes the pictures below taken in the Pavilion:
The last two pictures were taken at a critical stage in the casting of my ballerina. It was a dramatic moment with everyone holding their breath, a bit like midwives at a potentially difficult birth! We opened up the mould very gingerly. This time, due to cracking of the mother mould when we tried before, we had reinforced it - a real “belt and braces” job! But we needed to make sure that the inner silicone rubber was well supported. The moment had come - the two halves separated easily due to our having applied copious amounts of ?ft soap as the release agent. The next stage is a thorough cleaning to remove all traces of the original clay figure from the mould. After that, as a trial, we’ll cast the figure in plaster. Luckily, I was able to salvage the clay torso of the ballerina which I will repair and adapt. You can see it in the front of some of the pictures.
