Quite a bit of time has gone by since I last posted anything. As I built the model, everything was so easy and simple! Not elegant or particularly well crafted, just a sketch that suggested wonderful objects whose construction would simply follow the path of the model.
Boy was I wrong! Scaling up meant that each little piece of texture in the maquettes would become an added detail, some piece of something, I'd have to choose. So, before I could even start building, I had to deepen my understanding of the meaning of the sculptures. I began by making somewhat elaborate drawings They helped me understand the meaning of each figure, which would then guide my choices - large and small.
There are six major female goddesses in the Greek and Roman pantheon. Some parallel their male counterparts, and some have unique traits. I used the attributes of each of the six goddesses to guide these figures, translating them into a vocabulary of dress forms, scarecrows, and masked dancers. Since all that remains of many Roman sculptures is the drapery, I wanted to highlight that aspect in the figures.
After I understood each sculpture's qualities I started to build. Which brought up the most challenging problem of building large sculpture: gravity! All those little pieces of copper wire get really heavy when translated into ¼” copper tubing - and a lot harder to manipulate.
I discovered that each step was complicated and challenging: finding a welding shop and a teacher (hurray for Artisan's Asylum!); learning how to weld; figuring out dress patterns; and finding ways to make each piece come apart for transport. Overwhelming really.
Now almost completely done with everything. All that remains on the figures is hemming the skirts and rusting the bases. Though I'm sure I'll find a couple other small details I've forgotten....