A Room with a View - working on patina

Some of my new bronzes have come back from the foundry. I am waiting for my appointment with my patina artist for "Two Possible Outcomes" (Least Bittern) however I have chosen to do my own patina for "A Room with a View" shown here.

This little tree frog will be mounted to a 4" round tiered hardwood base will measures 5" tall with the base - 4" on his own.

Still finishing up the clay for "Knowing Her Strength" bas relief and should be posting photos soon.

The base for this patina of Verdegris Green is Cupric Chloride and Ammonium Chloride.

Using the proportional calipers - a lot!

 Clay is so malleable that it moves constantly while you are working. If you spend more than 30 minutes in any given area you are practically guaranteed that you'll be ripping off that work later when you find mistakes. You must step back and turn your work constantly - no zoning out on one small section because as the clay moves it effects other areas and distortion sets in.

I'm constantly grabbing my trusty proportional calipers and double checking my measurements. While work like this figure is a figment of my imagination and I have no actual model standing there to reference, I do refer to anatomy books, charts and a life-sized skeleton that I keep in my studio.

Additionally I will sometimes take measurement of myself as a general guide - if my sculpture is an adult female, that is. Naturally that won't work if I'm sculpting a man.

Here I am taking a measurement of my forearm near my wrist using the larger end of the calipers. I'm working roughly at 1/4 life size (this sculpt is about 16" tall - 16" x 4 = 64" tall, or about 5'4" tall. I'm about 5'5" so I'm a good fit for measuring this particular sculpt). I have the the calipers set to 1/4 scale.

Now I simply flip the calipers around and use the smaller side to measure my sculpture's wrist. I do this often as I work to be sure the proportions are working.

Feminizing the forms - more blocking in of muscle mass

 Today I began to refine the muscle shapes and feminize the entire figure. I gave some basic contouring and features to the face and continued blocking in the muscles and forms of the body.

I must say that I am really enjoying the Clayette clay by Chavant - creamy without being too sticky.

Continuing to block in the musculature

 I continued blocking in the musculature today. I laid in the basic muscle shapes over the skeleton and then began to put in the beginnings of the face. It's hard to stop at this stage because I can start to see the sculpt taking shape and want to continue.

However, taking a break for dinner and sleep is advisable. When you look at the sculpt again first thing in the morning after some time away you can see areas that need work or correction. Not rushing things always makes better art - but I'll be the first to admit that it's very tempting to put in the artistically pleasing things, like details and hair, long before it is time to do so.

Patience and persistence really pays off. If the sculpt looks good without all the extras, then it's stronger and more beautiful overall.

Laying in some muscle mass - continuing the work on building the figure

 Sorry I skipped a step - I photographed the last of the skeleton but the photos didn't come out well enough to post. So here I have finished the simple skeleton and have progressed into laying in some of the major muscle masses.

As the finished sculpture is not an ecorche study, I am not concerned with making every muscle with attachments and origins. My goal is to lay in the shapes and forms of the muscles that most effect the surface.

I am using Chavant's Clayette in Hard for the skeleton and hands and Clayette Medium for the muscle mass. I will also use the hard for the face and hair as this is a small scale piece.

You'll notice that the hands look a bit big in the beginning. This is because there is little muscle - mostly bone and tendons in the hands and feet whereas the legs and arms have a lot of muscle and fat. When you strip the figure of a lot of the muscle and fat - the hands will look larger in proportion to the overall figure. As I flesh out the rest of the figure you'll see the hands and feet will look more normal with the larger forms of the legs, arms and body to balance things out.

My husband just walked by and wondered aloud if all this skeleton and muscle work was necessary and wouldn't it be easier and faster just to glob it on? Short answer - yes and no. Sometimes I do just jump straight to large masses (outer form of skin) and quickly set things up. But taking the long road (bones and muscles) does things for a piece of art that just can't be achieved any other way.

"Waiting on the #9" wins 3rd place sculpture at 43rd WAOW Exhibition

Lori Kiplinger Pandy's bronze figure sculpture "Waiting on the #9" won 3rd place for sculpture at the Women Artists of the West 43rd National Exhibition. (WAOW)

"Waiting on the #9" depicts of a young woman, sassy purse dangling from one finger. It is a study of a casually confident commuter, waiting for the train. I created this sculpture following a trip to Switzerland where I enjoyed the tremendously efficient public transportation and the cavalier attitude of seasoned travelers.
This was an amazing show by the Women Artists of the West. I had the opportunity to meet, socialize and talk shop with some of the top artists in America. I was honored to have been juried into such a prestigious show and even more honored to have my bronze take third place for sculpture. Artist Karen Vance was the judge of awards and was generous in giving advice to any artist who asked and graciously shared her time and experience with us all.

This year the high-caliber show is being held in Estes Park, Colorado and runs through July 28th, 2013 at the Cultural Arts Council Gallery in Estes Park. (http://www.estesarts.com/)

"Waiting on the #9" © Lori Kiplinger Pandy - bronze edition of 20
$2500 (shipping $35 - please contact for shipping quote to countries outside of U.S.)