It can help to talk about things sometimes, especially so when it’s about new work. So I’ve submitted ‘Sean’ for display in the Contemporary Glass Society’s Celebrations Exhibition at the International Festival of Glass 2017.
I’m slightly worried that people will not see this as rather ironic. It’s not just a picture of my dead cat, but an exploration of a new technique. Neither is it a finished artwork, but a step on the way to more exploration. I need to think more about the content of these little worlds, and I need to get both the cast relief and the optics more three-dimensional than they are. Still, it’s so valuable to talk about stuff with other artists that I’ve decided to risk putting this work out there to see what comes of it.
The piece is about 11cm in diameter, and is finished with hand stitched gold work and imitation pearls. I loved doing the goldwork – I even loved stretching the canvas out, so I suspect that might be something to keep.
The other little piece completed so far is my version of Leda and the Swan. Very crude in both painting and modelling, it does at least show something of how a little world like this might be composed when it’s not a picture of your dead cat.
The next thing to think about is the content. I’m interested in what happens when you put familiar things and people into these little scenes. Given that they can’t really be as good as the real thing, how does that work? Does it add or subtract value, or create something extra all of its own?
So, I’m looking forward to seeing some of you at the International Festival of Glass and chatting all this through!
Victoria Scholes 