Ceramic – Page 2 – Ellen Cooper Art

Pigs and Cows: working from life

Fresh From the Farm

Ellen loves sculpting from live models and these Tamworth pigs were very interested in what she was doing. Being supplied with regular bundles of weeds helped!

pig sculpture in progress — Nearly there! There is a finished pig in the background.

inspecting the work — It helps to look from all angles.

kneeling Tamworth pig from side — Tamworth Pig

unfired Tamworth pig sculpture — This one is still waiting for the kiln.

unfired clay Tamworth pig — Complete with curly tail

prostrate pig — And here is another one..

back view of pig sculpture — ..on the drying shelf

close up of pig sculpture — The “piggyness ” has been captured!

There were some other models too:

curled up calf — Here is the model for the calf; difficult to get close for a photograph

cow sculpture — Here is the cow, a good solid beef one.

pigs and cows on drying shelf — Getting a bit crowded

The new cow and calf are a very different build to the earlier dairy ones.

(See earlier post: Cow and Calf)

The sculptures on the shelves will be fired, glazed and re-fired. Some may be moulded and cast in bronze resin. (Not sure which yet.)

Working From Photographs

Lady and Ntombi

These are two works that only had photographs to work from.

Ntombi

This is the photograph that inspired ‘Ntombi,’ a new born rhino. As you see they really do have huge feet!

Ellen’s interpretation is not aiming at an exact copy, but is rather an exploration of form and texture while preserving the essence of baby rhino!

The eye and textures and folds around the ears and face were of particular interest. The glaze gives it expression and sparkle. Below Ntombi (young woman in Zulu) is taking her first hesitant steps.

Ellen with rhino on knee — Ellen is very fond of her new pet…

Ellen feeding baby rhino — but I am not sure that lettuce is the best food!

Lady

This sculpture aimed more at realism as it is to remember a pet German Shepherd dog. The only photographs available were of poor quality.

ceramic dog face — The face of the sculpture.

The second photograph shows more of the dog.

front view of ceramic dog — Ellen’s interpretation.

german shepherd sculpture — She seems to be asking for attention.

side view of Lady — She looks as if she might jump up any minute!

The horse took shape in Ellen’s imagination inspired by cave art. An organic form emerged from the clay, her hands marking it as our ancestors marked their walls leaving their handprints reaching forward from prehistory. The surface of the finished horse resembles a section of cave wall.

This ceramic horse is mounted on a substantial piece of timber, a natural work of art, which Ellen found washed ashore near the old dockyard on the River Medway. The timber was shaped by Britain’s maritime industrial heritage and coloured and eroded by it’s time in the waters of the Medway, perfect for the Cave Horse! It’s rich colouring is reminiscent of the natural pigments used by ancient artists, and reflects the colours of the glaze.

Stainless steel joins the two, a modern material linking history to prehistory.

This smaller ceramic horse was also inspired by cave art.

Two Events

Sculptures on Show

Ellen is going to be exhibiting a selection of her sculptures for three months at Court Farm where they will be part of a photography competition. Lots of animals to meet! There will be pieces in ceramic, as well as bronze resin and polished slate resin.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/whats-on/events/2016-08/9/ellen-cooper-art-the-fence-gallery-court-farm-224/

Paintings on Show

These paintings and many others will be exhibited for sale during September at Sun Pier House in Chatham.

Enjoy tea and cakes while you admire them in the lovely tearoom overlooking the river!

Many original watercolours as well as giclee prints will be available.

chickens chasing after biscuit — Unspeakable Greed!

Two models

Two heads: Age and Youth

Sculpting from life presents it’s own challenges and of course the result to some extent depends on the model who is posing, but it is up to the artist to interpret what they see. Sometimes Ellen chooses to work on the head only and in these two examples she has managed to give a distinctive character to each.

The tilt of the head, the expression on the faces and the set of the shoulders has been captured in each. The choice of glaze is also important. The matt verdigris finish for the older model and the more polished, with glowing metallic elements, for the younger, work well.

Two Figures: Age and Youth

On other occasions she chooses to sculpt the whole figure and is similarly able to interpret what she sees to produce moving and interesting pieces. The same two models sat again and the older seems marked by experience and expresses resignation while the younger seems to be luxuriating in the hope of things to come.