Part Two SOAP CARVING "The Full-Bellied Platypus"

Assignment 2 Part 2
Soap-Carving Changes

To begin with I would like to share with you my inspiration for this project. A few years ago I wrote this poem about a platypus, because the animal just intrigues me. They have no vision, yet they have eyes, they have no hearing, yet have ears, they do not have a sense of touch or smell either, yet they have four limbs and a nose. They find their way and their food through their extra sense, like ESP. Isn't that so cool? Well, when my granddaughter was having tummy aches and not choosing the right foods, I picked the platypus to guide her, and wrote this poem in hopes she would decide on better eating habits. 

"The Emptied-Bellied Platypus"

Once upon a platypus

In the lands of Amber Sun

An empty-bellied platypus

Side’s to side’s she’d have some fun. . .

Yes, I must readjust my fare of foods

River prawn just doesn’t fill

Those wiggly worms I cannot catch 

And these yabbies pinch my bill!

She felt upon a Concord bunch, waddling

No eyes, no ears, no nose. . . 

She sensed their plump of purpleness

Amid the yore bury orchard rows

Now, Pratel is this?

I’ve come across. . .Never, did my eyes did see!

You know my belly is too empty for a platypus. . .

Ha! But not for long I be!

Seriatim. . . how she gathered them. . . 

A store within her cheeks

Only to return to the river’s edge

One bonzer feeding feast!

Grapes from vine, O’ I ne’er dined

No shrimp I’ll ever eat

No emptied-bellied platypus here

It is all I can do to speak!

Belly full, Aye! She had her fun. . .

So pleased to call it a night

That platypus curled and burrowed in, maffling

“ ugh. . . My tomorrow,  let’s do rice. . . ”

After carving my two platypuses, (PART 1) our assignment now, is to choose one of the two sculptures and make 8 changes, by removing something and adding something to the animal.

My Steps.
1.Hollowed out her belly by removing the soap. (removed)
2.Stuffed her belly full with "grapes" (added)
3.Stuffed her cheeks (added)
4.Reshaped and removed excess slip.(removed)
5.Added googlie eyes (added)
6.Made the whole body bigger by adding more soap (added)
7.Made bill bigger,  adding and subtracting slip (add & remove)
8.Removed googlie eyes then Embedded them (removed & added)
9.Removed excess slip (removed)
10. Added bigger feet (added)

 My first step was to hollow out her belly, I removed the soap from the underside of my platypus. Now she really is an emptied-bellied Platypus!

Adding water to the soap shavings,  I had saved from the initial carvings, I added a little purple ink to create some yummy soapy "grapes".

Using a medical syringe I squirted out a bunch of little "grapes"and then let them dry before putting them back inside the belly.

 After stuffing her belly full, and
  stuffing her cheeks,
 I added a layer of the white soap to cover them up.

 I did this by melting the extra shavings I had saved,  into a bit of warm water to make the "slip". I liked the texture of purple grapes bulging through. . . the purple cast it was creating through her "skin".

 I then added two little googlie eyes... but, she looked too fake. I want her more realistic.

 So, I made her a bit bigger, adding another few layers of  the white slip.
 I grew her bill, continually adding and removing layers to get it right.
 made her webbed feet alot bigger, and
 I also embedded her two googlie eyes instead.

             After letting her dry for a day, I was able to refine her even more so...

                    Meet my Full-Bellied Platypus on her Cornucopia Grapevine Base!

Architectural Relief Project.

This assignment is an Architectural Relief project instructing us to select four architectural time periods, and by merging/combining/and adapting the elements and principles of each style, we are to create a relief sculpture that will demonstrate our inspirations of two, out of the original four.

I chose these four cathdrals,(below) and then thought about 

The Four Marks of the Church... a term used to describe four specific adjectives of the Christian Church,  "one","holy", "catholic", and "apostolic". . .

"One" as in one body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one church. I drew theAngel to represent "One"
The church is "holy", because God is holy. "...upon this rock I will build my church." The Pointed stone arch is the "rock" that I made from masking tape.
The word "catholic" is a Greek adjective meaning "universal", or "whole",
where my whole cathedral  combines the "apostolic" . . . the four churches, The Catholic Church, The Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, and The Church of the East. 

The following four cathedrals that I chose, are of each of these four orders mentioned, and each one also represents the actual places mine and my husbands ancestors originated from.

Cathedral of Trier, Trier Germany

Romanesque Design -c.340AD.
The Cathedral of Trier is the oldest cathedral in Germany, still being used today. 
                              

Saint Andrews Cathedral in St. Andrews, Scotland

Saint Andrew's Cathedral is Gothic-evolved, from Romanesque architecture, that was eventually succeeded by the Renaissance architecture. Its characteristics include the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress.

A flying buttress is made up of two parts: the buttress, a large masonry block; and the “flyer,” an arch spanning between the buttress and the exterior wall.

Westminster Cathedral, London, England   

Neo-Byzantine - c.1903 

St. Michael's Basilica, Mirimachi, New Brunswick, Canada

Neo Gothic-c. 1921 AD.The Gothic Revival movement emerged in 19th century England.n the mid-18th century, with the rise of "Romanticism", an increased interest and awareness of the Middle Ages.

"Kimmy's Cathedral"

Response to Jeanine Antoni's video

                I was truly inspired by Antoni's works. I think they got it right when they said in the article that Antoni's works, "blur the distinction between performance art and sculpture." I never thought of combining the two.
               The concept of the cow in her pieces really interests me, as I have been collecting these adorable bovines since I can remember. I love cows! And almost for the same reasons. Her creative juices are out of this world and we are gently led to drink of hers. I love when an artist can accomodate us with such beverage!
                The "Moor" piece is very heartfelt,  and to make a life rope using all the people you are connected to is truly moving. To touch the horizon, to re-connect with the surface history of our life in this way...Antoni, inspires....

A PLATYPUS SOAP CARVING "The Emptied-Bellied Platypus"

Assignment # Two in our 3-D Design class is to replicate any animal of choice into a soap carving, twice! The second carving will then be re-shaped or re-created into another whole design. But, for now just call me Carvin' Kimmy!

I chose to purchase my bar of soap from our local flea market. (Did you know if you buy things locally it puts revenue right back into our communities at a whopping 87%! ). I also asked the nice woman there to add a scent of patchoulli to soothe me as I'm creating.

I have named this project "The Empty-Bellied Platypus" for reasons you will see later on in this project.

My "Emptied-Bellied Platypus" has finally shaped up.
Little by little, I whittled and whittled my way into making another platypus, as this project calls for an exact replica. So, now I have two, TWO, two platypuses instead of one, done!

           

My cool Platypuses...I had to put them in the fridge a couple of times,  when they'd get too soft. This warm Florida weather can melt platypuses!

Final Soap Sculptures.

It's Tape Time!

Continuing on with my Masking Tape Shoe project, I photographed the whole process, from beginning to end,  at their different stages of construction.                                                                                                                                                                              

After carefully measuring and cutting out my patterns from the masking tape sheets I made, I was able to tape all my patterened pieces into the form I was after.

Left boot formed, and now I will add all the little finer details to it, also using just masking tape. . .

 Right boot in its initial construction stage. . .

 The heels were formed using all the scrap pieces, so throw nothing away!

Well, here's my new pair of hiking boots made completely out of masking tape. One is bigger than the other, but so are my feet. LOL! I like them both because each one has its better side.

Now,  I will start working on their patterned soles,  and add even more finer details to these wonderfully fun, masking tape hiking boots

This is a work of art!

Practice Makes Perfect

For our first project in 3D Design, we were asked to make a pair of shoes out of masking tape. This is my first attempt at constructing my shoes.

I will be using paper and scotch tape as my medium,  because I need practice first, before I attempt the masking tape. I chose my favorite pair of hiking boots that I used to hike out of the Grand Canyon with, so, I won't be cutting them up as suggested.

After careful examination of my boots, first measuring, to the best of my ability, all pieces involved, measuring them from seam to seam, I created all the patterned pieces. I then, constructed them back together to re-create the hiking boot, using scotch tape to adhere. I practiced with several types of paper.

The white paper boot was made out of a card stock paper. That was much too difficult to form. So, I changed to a plain black copy paper for my next attempt.
(Be sure to make yourself extra patterns, so you won't be re-measuring with each and every try. Its called live and learn. :)

My third attempt came out the best, I think.  I was able to figure out how the instep was built, and how I could make the heel within those first two trys.
I think I'm ready now. . .

 It's masking tape time!