verdigris – Ellen Cooper Art

Birds

I have been having great fun recently working on some bird sculptures in various styles and using different techniques. They range from more or less realistic to complete fantasy! Here are a few in various stages of production:

Decorating with underglaze after first firing

pair of hens mounted on wood — Good Friends

Rook. This one is not finished yet. The clay will turn black when fired and it will be mounted, probably on a post or block of wood.

Drying out, texture has been used to add detail

“Hatchling” after final firing. The choice of base is important

close up of hatchling sculpture — Detail adds character.

Texture and a tuft decorate this one. There are holes underneath to add legs later.

Underglaze has been applied to add colour

Tufftty Bird — Tufty Bird has a wooden stand, a natural small log

tuffty bird mounted on wood — Texture and colour are important

And here are some completed birds:

Hen With Egg, there really are bald hens! 30x20x25cm

fantasy hen — Fantasy Hen. Sculpture for inside or outside. £80

head of ceramic bird — The eye has a glossy glaze.

More pictures can be seen on the Ceramics: Animals page: https://ellencooperart.com/gallery/

and also in my Etsy Shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EllenCooperArt

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.