https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EllenCooperArt
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EllenCooperArt
More pictures can be seen on the Ceramic page, and in my Etsy shop where they are for sale.
(Also for sale via contact page)
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EllenCooperArt?ref=hdr_shop_menu§ion_id=20391260
The dog series continues in various styles from stylized to more realistic, and with a range of glazed finishes but with each capturing the character of the breed.
The calf and pig below were sculpted from life on a farm (see earlier post
https://ellencooperart.com/pigs-and-cows-working-from-life/)
The pig can be displayed inside or out.
This sculpture was inspired by an encounter with a bird of prey which was probably a kestrel. The bird’s head was appearing and disappearing inside a dustbin. It had been trapped inside for quite some time judging by the amount of droppings in evidence. The bin was too high for it to jump out and too narrow for it to spread its wings and take flight. It adopted this classic defence/attack position as Ellen reached in. It did manage to strike with its talons before she folded its wings to lift it out. It was very satisfying to watch it fly free!
This may remain as a single piece or there may be another attacking from above- quite how to do that still to be worked out!
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!
There were some other models too:
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.)
These are two works that only had photographs to work from.
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.
This sculpture aimed more at realism as it is to remember a pet German Shepherd dog. The only photographs available were of poor quality.
The second photograph shows more of the dog.
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.
This little calf is proving to be a popular piece at Wyndcliffe Court Sculpture Garden’s 2016 Summer Show, where it can be seen the gallery. It was sculpted in the cow shed on a dairy farm in Broadwoodwidger in Devon. They were captive models so a little easier than the cow, although the biting flies were pesky! Here it is drying out in the holiday cottage.
The cow proved more tricky; note the sculpture stand on the left, and the models did not hold a pose well.
Packing for the journey home was not easy either and while waiting to be fired the cow’s legs got broken and had to be painstakingly rebuilt before it could be completed and cast in bronze resin; it was certainly a labour of love!
But worth it!
The calf is also available in bronze.
