Papier-mache sculpture in progress: Susan Komer art

My last post showed the process of building the armature for this piece.  The photos that follow are first layer process photos.  During this phase, I'm working to get the first layers done to provide a more stable surface for shaping the form.  The plastic & tape armature I've used is something new I hadn't tried until now.  I think that its great to get the proportions right, but it does have a tendency to lose its form.  I'm doing a lot of shaping on the backside as when I did the front, the weight seemed to collapse the form.  A bummer for sure, but something I can work with.

We've had some rain and windy weather for the past two days, so I was forced to move inside which slows the dry time.  Drying layers before moving on is crucial or you'll have collapse in structure...while I know this full well...I still tend to push it a bit which only adds more work.  Patience...something my creative flow has a tough time dealing with!

A new paper mache project...

I have two passions that just straight up make me happy...photography & papier mache...thanks to a new camera remote that Santa brought me...now I can do both.

Below you'll find some shots of a work in progress.  Documentation of my work is also something I'm compulsive about...but I do leave certain things out: such as certain techniques that have taken me years to learn...as an artist, discovery is a huge part of the art...I wouldn't want to rob anyone of that fun....ENJOY!

This is one of those for fun type things, a friend challenged me...I've accepted the challenge!

A framed papier mache diorama

When the subject of diorama came onto the scene...I thought...good grief...again.  So instead of being annoyed with the task at hand, I found a way to make it interesting.  My recent passion for papier mache had my mind working over how I could create a more complex scene using only paper...and on what could I build it up from.

I knew what scene I wanted to portray...an artist just coming into the light.  Much implied...a very personal piece.  I came up with the idea of a wooden frame...sketched it out...hauled my husband off to buy wood and set him to work building me a frame.  Once I had that....I went to work on the sculpture.  I really love much of the sculptures qualities prior to the addition of color.  The color I most like is a simple watercolour stain though the use of acrylics became important to cover some of the bolder prints on the paper...future projects will be based on paper selection more so than this first as I feel the color hides the true art of the sculpture.

I do enjoy the piece...I enjoyed the work and I have a plan to do a series of these with specific theme though smaller in size...this one is approx 18" X 24"... My husband & wonderful assistant will be busy building me new frameworks...I will be busy on my next project...